Not Tonight, Deer ....

[emptysea]

You all are much more expert regarding motorcycling than I am, so maybe this is all old hat for you. For me, though, the following contains several great tips about deer that I think I will try to employ.

Not tonight, deer: Tips to avoid hitting a deer on your motorcycle - RevZilla

 

[the Ferret]

Deer are a constant threat where I live, and I fully have expected one to cause me some serious grief sometime. Been lucky so far. Although more active at dusk and dawn, deer actually have 5 feeding periods a day and you are just as apt to see one between 10 am and 2 pm as any other time of the day. Absolutely stupid creatures, you never know what they will do. Look at you and run straight at you, look at you and run away, look at you and start to run away only to circle back at you again. I have been bowhunting them since the early 70's. Beautiful to look at, their meat tastes ok and is actually good for you, but outside of hunting season I'd really prefer not to have to deal with them.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Deer are a constant threat where I live, and I fully have expected one to cause me some serious grief sometime. Been lucky so far. Although more active at dusk and dawn, deer actually have 5 feeding periods a day and you are just as apt to see one between 10 am and 2 pm as any other time of the day. Absolutely stupid creatures, you never know what they will do. Look at you and run straight at you, look at you and run away, look at you and start to run away only to circle back at you again. I have been bowhunting them since the early 70's. Beautiful to look at, their meat tastes ok and is actually good for you, but outside of hunting season I'd really prefer not to have to deal with them.

Same thing here. I've had several very, very close calls with deer and came away OK - more luck than good planning.
I also had two arms-length encounters with moose and again escaped only by pure luck. You don't know how big a moose really is until you have had one running along beside you and you could reach out and touch it!
Most of my riding is on secondary roads which are often heavily forested so the danger is always there in the trees.

 

[apex1_imp]

The linked article talks about Larry Grodsky. Larry was a friend of mine. Two of my friends and I took his safe rider course in S.E. Ohio a few years before he was killed, and he and I stayed in touch. He was as safe a rider as a person can be, which shows how unpredictable deer can be. I don't ride secondary roads from dusk until dawn anymore, and when I have to on my way to busy urban roads or an interstate highway, I take a short route and I ride slow. That said, I am not foolish enough to think this practice will prevent me from hitting a deer--I just try very actively to reduce my chances.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I live in deer and elk country. Thought it would never happen to me, and so far it hasn't, but I had an extremely terrifying close call with a deer (on the interstate!) which really woke me up. After being in denial for 45 years, I now ride with caution and a bit of paranoia.

 

[SportsterDoc]

Deer are a constant threat where I live, and I fully have expected one to cause me some serious grief sometime. Been lucky so far. Although more active at dusk and dawn, deer actually have 5 feeding periods a day and you are just as apt to see one between 10 am and 2 pm as any other time of the day. Absolutely stupid creatures, you never know what they will do. Look at you and run straight at you, look at you and run away, look at you and start to run away only to circle back at you again. I have been bowhunting them since the early 70's. Beautiful to look at, their meat tastes ok and is actually good for you, but outside of hunting season I'd really prefer not to have to deal with them.

Two ran across Utah highway 14, east of Duck Creek in front of my friend on a Vrod (sufficiently audible) and I a week ago Monday. It was mid-day.

 

[redbirds_imp]

I ride in an area with a very high deer population and I have seen them at every hour of the day and night. I've hit at least three, each time in a cage fortunately. Main reason Georgia has a long deer season and large bag limit. I no longer ride at dusk or later. The last time Sparky and I rode at night she had a near collision with a Barred Owl and a deer. We were returning home in mid afternoon few years back and nearly collided with a 300lb+ wild hog just over a mile from home. Add in armadillos, raccoons, possums and vultures; deer are just part of the hazards.

At least they're fun to hunt and tasty to eat.

 

[Offroad]

I've always wondered if Ole had the right idea... he said just aim for them and by the time you get there they will be gone!

On another thought I'm wondering why we don't thin the Herd.... how many deer do we need to keep nature in balance?

 

[Retsel_imp]

Speaking of dumb and unpredictable, I had a large female dear get into my back yard. The back of the house was surrounded in a 6ft, wire, deer fence that opens out to the front. I attempted to herd her out the front. Instead, she panicked and ran straight into the fence, breaking her neck and dying. Really dumb and unpredictable!

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

 

[Houtman_imp]

When living in Upstate NY and selling animal feed in NY, PA and VT I hit deer every fall and winter.
Did not bother to repair car till spring if it was still driveable but once I wrote a car off completely because of deer strike.

We have deer in WNC , have not hit one yet in car or bike but if I do hopefully my ATGATT will help including my Helite Turtle back air vest.

 

[Nemo_imp]

We don't have this problem here in the Sunshine State. Paris Hilton's dog is bigger than Florida deer, and gators are like speed bumps.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I think that certain parts of Paris Hiltons anatomy are bigger than your deer in Florida.

 

[Haystack_imp]

A couple of things:

The article states that whitetail deer were hunted to near extinction 100 years ago. I doubt that claim as even today the experts have difficulty in determining accurate numbers of animals. In our area we've been told up to a few years ago that there were no mountain lions, until trail camera technology and cell phones continue to prove the "experts" wrong.

If my cow crawls a fence and wanders on the road and causes an accident, I'm held financially liable. Why not Game & Parks being held liable for "their" wildlife that cause damage? It seems that the insurance companies have a vested interest in this aspect. I can face a hefty fine from the authorities if I shoot a deer "out of season" yet that same deer can cause damage leading to injury and death and the state Department of Game & Wildlife is not considered a contributory party.

I'm confused.

 

[decarmine_imp]

We don't have this problem here in the Sunshine State. Paris Hilton's dog is bigger than Florida deer, and gators are like speed bumps.

I assume you're kidding. We certainly have deer in Florida. Yes, not as big as I saw when I lived in New York, but large nevertheless. I've had as many as four running alongside my car as I left for work early AM, with two crossing in front of me so that two were on each side of my car and paced me for about a quarter mile. Had one in my back yard about two weeks ago. They are about as big as, or perhaps a little bigger than, a greyhound dog...

 

[Hondahawkrider_imp]

I hate road beef (deer). I’ve never had a close encounter on a bike, but I nailed one in a car.. On a 4 lane highway no less. I was in the left/fast lane and the bastardo came from the right... car in the middle lane who was slightly ahead of me at the time slammed on his brakes and hit the horn hard.. I didn’t see the deer do the car, but I saw it land on my hood and roll up and over top of my car.. I’m lucky it didn’t come thru the windshield...

Usually I’m good about watching on the backroads as my family used to have a cabin in the poconos, so deer were always around and I got used to looking for em on bike or car.. riding at dusk or twilight where the road has heavily wooded area was intense..

I didn’t expect one on a highway tho