Everyone has heard the phrase "deer in the headlights". If, for some odd reason you don't know what it means, it is in reference to a deer frozen in panic as it looks straight in the headlights of an oncoming car.

An officer from a Southern Minnesota police department recently had an encounter with a literal deer in the headlights, who refused to move from the road.

The incident happened earlier this month in the Zumbrota area, where an officer with the Zumbrota Police Department responded to a situation where a deer had decided to camp out on Highway 58.

The deer stood on the roadway, and a driver noticed the deer, where they put on their flashers to warn other drivers of the defiant deer occupying a portion of the road. An officer with the police department then showed up to encourage the deer off the highway with their squad - slowly approaching the deer until it moved off the road.

READ MORE: Here is where deer-related vehicle accidents are most common in Minnesota

The deer so stubbornly stood its ground that the officer needed to use the squad's lights and siren to help encourage the deer off the road.

Eventually, the deer headed off into the ditch, but it took a bit of effort from the officer before eventually getting the buck to budge.

If you can't see the video embedded above, you can also view it here.

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Often deer are skittish around people and vehicles, but this guy seemed to have no problem at all with the officer, needing some real encouragement to move. Thankfully he was able to be escorted off the road before getting hurt or causing a crash.

The department used the video as a reminder that there has been an uptick in deer accidents on roadways, as has been reported elsewhere around the state, too. This tends to happen each fall during the deer rut, or mating season, which generally happens in November.

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Based on data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, these are the counties with the highest number of fatalities and injuries related to deer vs. vehicle accidents between 2018 and 2022, the most recent data available.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper

Minnesota Counties Where Deer vs. Vehicle Collisions Are Most Common

Based on data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, there are the counties that saw the highest amounts of deer vs. vehicle crashes between 2018 and 2022, the most recently-available data.

Gallery Credit: Nick Cooper