This coming weekend is the big one for modern firearm deer hunters in Russell County. Beginning early Saturday morning, hundreds of local hunting enthusiasts will head to the woods in hopes of making memories that will last a lifetime by harvesting that trophy whitetail.

The weather forecast for this weekend looks good as well, with Saturday and Sunday expected to be partly to mostly cloudy with highs in the mid-50s and lows in the mid-30s.

With the cooler temperatures and the onset of the rut, the whitetail's breeding season, it is shaping up to be one nice weekend ahead.

Gun season, as it is commonly referred to, will then run through the 23rd of this month giving gun hunters 10 days to spend in the woods.

State deer biologists agree that this year's county and state harvest numbers will be similar to those of the past couple of years as deer head into breeding season in good shape.

Already this season Russell County hunters have taken 60 deer, 25 of them being male, or bucks, and 35 being females, or does, according to state statistics.

Of those, three were taken by crossbow, six were taken by modern firearm during the youth hunt weekend last month, 21 have been taken by bow and arrow and 30 were taken during the muzzleloading weekend in October.

This weekend, and throughout the 10-day season, expect those numbers to increase significantly. Last year, more than 230 harvested deer were checked in with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife during gun season, most during opening weekend.

A total of 347 Russell County deer were checked in last year with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife. Of those, 172 were bucks while 175 were does.

Kentucky's total deer herd is annually estimated at one million, according to state statistics.

And with big numbers like that, deer-automobile collisions in the county and state reach a peak during this time of year.

Deer biologists agree that hunting deer does help to curb their numbers and keep as many of them as possible from being hit by vehicles during the breeding season.

The animals that claim the largest number of lives in the state are deer, according to the Kentucky State Police.

United States Department of Transportation statistics show that auto accidents involving deer cause nearly 100 deaths and millions of dollars in insurance claims each year.

The months of October, November and December see a giant leap in deer activity due to mating season as well as the animals foraging for food.

KSP statistics show that nearly 47 percent of all collisions with deer annually take place during this 3-month period.

Our current month is the most dangerous for drivers when it comes to deer collisions.

Last year alone, there were nearly 3,000 vehicle-deer collisions in the state, resulting in two deaths and 180 injuries. Nearly 700 of those wrecks occurred in November, statistics show.

Auto-deer collisions also follow a pattern over a 24-hour period with the highest likelihood for a deer collision is during 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. and in the morning between  5 a.m and 8 a.m., state police say.

For more information on the ongoing season for deer, visit fw.ky.gov