Texas Game Wardens are reminding the public that rural roads are where you are more likely to encounter large wildlife that can end in a collision. They’re advising the public to be aware of wildlife behavior to make sure you don't run into one.

The advice comes following a Sunday crash along Highway 281 near Edinburg where an SUV collided with an animal.

“It looked like an explosion,” Ron Miller said.

Miller said he pulled the elderly couple in the SUV out of it following the crash that happened at around 7:40 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16.

After troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety arrived, the cause of the crash was found on the other side of the four-lane highway.

“The DPS officer is with me, and he's like ‘wow that must be over a thousand pounds,’” Miller said.

The SUV collided with a nilgai, a type of large antelope that runs wild across ranches in the Rio Grande Valley.

"In this area near this wildlife refuge, that's where we're seeing more of these accidents happen," Texas Game Warden Calvin Atkinson said.

Atkinson said most of those crashes happen at night and when drivers are over the speed limit.

To avoid wildlife collisions, DPS said drivers should scan the road and shoulders in front of you, and use high beams in the dark.

Be extra careful at dawn and dusk. And where you see an animal, look for more.

Atkinson said deer and nilgai are most active during their mating seasons.

“During your hunting season, your whitetail deer are going to be more active. Running around, potentially crossing roadways in their activities, “Atkinson said. “Nilgai like to run around more in the nighttime — and of course they're a very large animal and sometimes you don't see them till the last minute."

Nilgai mating season is through the winter months.

For one driver, Sunday’s crash is an eye-opening experience.

“I saw my life flash in front of me,” Miller said. “When you see these 18-wheelers, another car approaching very quickly, it's a terrifying experience. It's crazy to see how many deer are out there, how many animals are along the highway. No one is really thinking about it till it's too late."

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