Deer Season

[k7lvo]

I've seen more deer while driving and riding in the past couple of months than I've seen in years. Dunno whether there are more deer or they're staying lower.

Last Saturday I watched a friend of mine hit one with his VStrom at ~40 mph. From my viewpoint , ~150 feet behind him, I thought he'd made it, but the right side of the bike hit the ass-end of the deer as he was heading off the road. It was a good sized deer - the back of the deer was at least up to the handlebars of the bike. It looked like the bike had been slapped down by a giant fly swatter.

The rider was wearing a full face, mesh jacket, and blue jeans. He came out of it with a concussion - doesn't remember anything from 15-20 minutes before the wreck until he woke up in the hospital bed, although I don't think he ever lost consciousness - a rasberry on his left shoulder, and skinned knees. His wife had a half helmet, (not a beanie) a synthetic jacket, and blue jeans. I think she was knocked out for a few seconds; from my vantage point while watching them slide, she never moved as she slid down the road on her stomach, feet first, the front edge of her helmet scraping into the pavement... She's got some painful rash on her cheeks and chin and will be going in for some dental work. Neither of them got any broken bones. They'll be fine in a little while.

The deer ran off - it didn't even look like it was even limping.

I don't have any pictures of the bike, but it wasn't badly damaged, and I think it could have been ridden away. The left crash bar is bent out from hitting the deer - but it probably saved their legs - and the right bar is bent into the plastic. The after market plastic saddle bag is toast, but it probably saved the bike, and maybe even their legs.

 

[rontoride]

Hit one doing 75mph with my brother as a passenger in Oregon close to Cave Junction...Did not see her until she was about five feet dead center....Wham Bang, knocked it 125 feet down the road and the FJR just wiggled a bit......Lost every piece of plastic from the foot pegs forward and the headlight also. Saved the shield.......Bent the forks back slightly. I liked the feel of the bent forks as it handled better in tight turns......If you see one and try to avoid it I think that might cause a lay down.....Cut it in half, the only way....

 

[Ed_Grant]

Guess I've been real lucky. In 45 years of riding I've come close a couple dozen time but haven't hit one. Last time was two weeks ago while riding my drz back from a dinner ride. Four dear crossed in front of me and I managed to get down to about 5 mph as a trailing fawn came within inches of brushed my front tire.

 

[blueman]

Not a Deer put inches away from a coyote early one morning. From then on I LOOOOVVE my ABS. Some of my riding buddys think ABS is BS. Not me! I was on the California side of the Parker Strip hwy 95 next to the Colorado river. Fun riding area lots of everything twisties staits everthing. I came out of a corner and throttled up a bit and a rabbit came at me from my left. Usually those dudes will do a 180 but this one fly in front of me with know concern for me. During that fraction of a second while I was mift why the rabbit was reacting that way, the answer came at me in the same direction a hungry coyote pursuing his breakfast. He ran right fn in front of me froze and look at me for a NANO second. I panicked stopped kicking in the ABS big time. I stopped inches from him sitting on my tank. The Coyote then pointed to the desert and ran out of sight. ABS WORKS in the real world. If I was on my last road bike a 95 connie I would have skided right though that doggy.

 

[Bugnatr]

Tons of the Rats around here too. Hit one a few years back with my KLR. I stayed up as it's head glanced off the front fender and my knee- ouch.

Aim for their ass, chances are they will step forward. Learned that AFTER I hit one.

 

[dcarver]

DCarver's pics are a near twin to my 2004 but we blew a little whitetail into two big pieces and motored on through... Yamaha builds a hell for strong bike to take that hit and keep on rolling. We rode it home over 60 miles - a little slower - as my rake was closer to a trials bike than an ST
To my amazement the first thing Sylvia said after we got stopped was "Are we going to be able to get this fixed in time to ride the 3 Flags? If not, you'd better find us another FJR" Love that gal!

Amen Brother, you have a keeper!

 

[Dragonfly]

DCarver - God the front of that bike is a mess! Better it than you I suppose. Nice pic of the dead deer; Yamaha wins again!

Bungie - Why can't we get the bears to eat the wood rats? Life just ain't fair... :angry:

 

[LtloldGuy]

Hit one just outside of Twin Lakes, ID on my way to my summer home Spirti Lake on July 2. Bike looked about like Carvers. Bounced the hell out of the deer but the bike didn't move. Pulled over and picked up pieces and continuted on.

Bikes in shop with about 5k worth of work. Don't want to miss any more summer riding but feel lucky

 

[mtnhigh]

I hit one dead center with my Vstar 1100. It spun around and hit my leg which in turn dragged my foot the pavement, hit the ground and broke my tibia. Rode a few miles, to the next turn off and called the bus. The ambulance drove by me once, looking for a worse wreck I suppose. But the bike came out with only slightly bent forks and nothing else.

I had it fixed and traded it for my FJR. I can no longer run or jump , but am still thanking that deer for making me see the light and getting on my newest last bike. :yahoo:

 

[Leskid]

dcarver:

[SIZE=36pt]DANG![/SIZE]

good job keeping her upright

 

[iboldguy]

On the way back from picking up the new 'stitch' in Duluth, travelling east North of Lake Superior on the TransCanada, saw my friends slowing down - WTF? Then I see the animal standing on the road, 2 front feet on the pavement, 2 back feet on the shoulder then h34r: - it's a bear. Just watched us motor by, guess he was waiting for someone fatter.

Last week 4 blocks from home 2 rats cross in front, I look waiting for more and see maybe 10 of them in the hydro right of way. There's a conservation area there and a recent survey said the area should support about a dozen deer but had between 100 to 110 of the rats. It said (my synopsis) some dumb fucktards were buying bags of grain and putting them out to feed them. With all this green tree hugger animal lover safety **** there's no more hunters or predators left. I think we need to intoduce bears and put the fucktards out to feed them when they run out of deer. My suggestion to increase motorcycle safety. :yahoo: Sorry - had an urge to rant.

 

[Gizmo]

That'll get the adrenaline flowing...Glad to hear to you came thru it OK.

 

[TILAM]

I hit one in Pennsylvania last year. He came out of the bush and then trurned and ran along beside me as I was braking hard. He then turned and hip checked me on my left leg. The guys following said he then fell and I figure his head went between the bag and the pipe. The bag popped off and they said it went 20' in the air. I remember looking in my mirror and seeing it spiraling down the pavement. It felt like a strong push and moved me half way across my lane. I was near the centerline upon contact. I stayed up and came to an uneventfull stop in a driveway. The deer buggered off but he must have been hurting. He was all "legs and arms" sliding down the pavement into the long grass in the ditch.

Bag lid was cracked, holed and scratched up and I had to bungie on the bike to get home. Didn't open though. Dent in the top of the pipe too.

Oh did I mention it was on my birthday? Actually a great present though when you think about it.

 

[ctfjr]

It is amazing that you kept the bike upright! The closest call I've had in 40+ years of riding occured less than 1 mile from my house. One of those rats jumped out of the woods right in front of me while my feet were on the highway pegs. I pulled a groin muscle pulling my feet back to the pegs and grabbing all the brake I had. Not only could I plainly hear his clopity feet as his darted in front of me I swear I could have pulled the *******'s tail. On 9/11 on was in Deadwood, SD. On 9/12 on my way home. I would have ridden straight through (abt 2000 miles) but I hit RT80 in Penn about 11 PM. That is surely forest rat alley and I called it a day a few miles into PA.

 

[Spook]

Do you get to keep the deer if you hit it?

Not in Washington! :angry:

I figure that if it runs out and causes damage to me or the bike, then it ought to pay in the form of steaks!

If you hit a deer hard enough to kill it the meat is most likely ruined.

 

[Harald]

Do you get to keep the deer if you hit it?

Not in Washington! :angry:

I figure that if it runs out and causes damage to me or the bike, then it ought to pay in the form of steaks!

If you hit a deer hard enough to kill it the meat is most likely ruined.

It's standard butchering practice to cut off any damaged/blood shot meat. I suspect that a FJR kill would be like shooting a deer with a automatic rifle; there will be more waste to trim off that the standard single rifle bullet, but I'm sure there will still be some good steaks (or at least fodder for grinding up as hamburger). Seems like such a waste to leave it on the side of the road.

 

[Bogey907]

I haven't personally hit anything, but I did pass a dead elk in the breakdown lane on I-70 in Eagle County Colorado last weekend. And this was after dark. It did get my full attention.

 

[Groo]

Back in '07 on my way to Park City WFO...

Deer encounter outside Durango...

 

[krotchrocketgrampa]

no deer,just two big dogs,missed one,didnt go down, but did $5,000 in damages to bike,dog just ran away,I rode home

 

[Carmine]

Do you get to keep the deer if you hit it?

Not in Washington! :angry:

I figure that if it runs out and causes damage to me or the bike, then it ought to pay in the form of steaks!

If you hit a deer hard enough to kill it the meat is most likely ruined.

ONLY THE PART YOU ACTUALLY HIT!!!! THE REST IS STILL YUMMIE IF YA ACT FAST. ROAD KILL ALWAYS TASTES BEST WHEN SUMONE ELSE HIT IT!