FJR Deer Hunting

[sonicspeed]

Ya know, the Loud Pipes Save Lives guys may be on to something. It's deer they're saving. Our bikes sneak up on 'em too quietly.

i think the deer find our FJR's far sexier than them there loud cruisers

 

[airboss]

I'm doing my part, took my grandson out last weekend. State youth hunt weekend, 12 years old, one shot, one kill. I'm buying this kid all the ammo he can use.

 

[kaitsdad]

Gary, I'm glad you're ok - And now we have another proponent of ATGATT walking away from something like this. Good Job.

Right now is the rut season for deer - so they're all out there trying to get laid - and running about, ignoring more than normal.

Everyone needs to be a bit more careful till rut is over - around Thanksgiving.

Airboss, I like your idea - "I'm buying this kid all the ammo he can use."

 

[NoCage]

Damn Grady... sucks for the bike, great that you're only sore. I hit one back in August. My forks and frame were NOT bent, and the damage was $5,700. I believe Warchild speaks the truth, it's prolly totaled.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Glad you're o.k.

Looks like you had quite the sweet set-up. It sucks that most of that won't fit a GenII

It's good the damage to your body was limited.

 

[kulwen]

I am glad you are okay!!!

These deer strikes are getting old. I am sure those who have hit deers are more upset then I am.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

I sure am glad most of us wear all this gear. How fast were you going at impact? Were you down immediately?

So, what color will you get now?

 

[gr8eyes]

Sorry to hear of your mis -fortune Grady. I'm a bit partial to those first year bikes here in the States. I'm sure it will be missed, but those 08's sure look good. Heal quickly and let us know what you get.

Glenn

 

[Warchild]

Some of youse guys appear to have a keen interest in what goes on inside the head of a rider who is about to hit a deer.

Many FJRForum veterans have seen this story posted before, but for the many many newcomers we have, here's a little tale for you: this is my account of splitting a deer in two back in 2001, on my then ST1100:

Date: Wed, 30 May 2001
This is your first, last and only warning: The following story describes my 60mph deerstrike in great detail. Graphically, too, so delete now if you are sensitive to language, squeamish about gore, or are a tree-hugging, card-carrying PETA member (while I'd like to say no animals were harmed in the production of this story, that wasn't quite the case).

Executive Summary:

Place: East-central Oregon, HWY 395, south of John Day, north of Burns, Oregon

Time: 5:04 AM PDT, Thursday, May 24, 2001

Conditions: 55 degrees F, clear, bright daylight, completely dry, outstanding road surface

Speed at impact: 61mph

Damage: Massive bodywork damage, upper and lower fairings smashed, fairing pockets cracked, inner front fairing gone, front fender destroyed, radiator severely dented (but serviceable), both FIAMM horns destroyed, right wingtip cover missing, left wingtip cover cracked, windshield valance crushed.

Final Score:

Warchild = 1

Bambi = 0

Night Train = -1

The Story:

See why I HATE these fucking deer so much?

So there I was, riding to Gerlach and the infamous MASS GOLD endurance event. I had departed well after midnight, cruising down HWY 395, one of THE FINEST motorcycle roads to be found anywhere. I was just coming down a hill to an incredibly flat valley that stretched perhaps 1-2 miles before the next series of hills. This valley was flat, Flat, FLAT, with nothing but sagebrush that was only 12-18" high. I looked long and hard for any range cattle or other furry critters that could cause problems. Nope, not a thing on this prairie but sagebrush. I relaxed and descended into the valley floor.

I was approximately halfway across the valley when I went into another instrument scan. I checked the tachometer, looked up at the Sigma, then down to the temp gauge, then looked up to see the 75-lb doe looking right at me, standing directly in front of the bike, about 50 feet from impact.

The Sigma revealed I was traveling at 61 mph, which means I had about a half a second to do something. However, there was nothing to be done. I knew I was going to strike the deer, and even the deer looked like she knew she was about to die. As my brain realized that an accident was imminent, the classic perception of "time slowing down" kicked in, allowing all the following to happen prior to impact:

The first thing I did was silently scream at the deer, "Now, just where in the **** did you come from?!" This was just too unbelievable.... it's not like this deer emerged from a forest, and it's not like it had any place to hide!! [Note: surveying the crash scene afterward, I saw a somewhat more sizeable sage brush that the doe was (obviously) sleeping/hiding behind; it was about 24" high, immediately next to the point of impact]

I began an attempt to swerve behind the doe, started to push the right grip downward when (again, given that perception of "slow time") I realized it wasn't going to do any good, and I had better not be leaning when we struck, so I stood the bike up so I would have a "clean" impact. By now I was about 10 feet from the doe, and looked right into her eyes. Two thoughts flashed "Man, is my bride ever going to be pissed at me if I die like this...." and a second thought: "well, it's lookin' like there will be one less rider at MASS GOLD...".

I tore into her body at 61 mph.

The doe had decided to take another step before I hit her, so the front wheel split her body roughly mid-section, such that the forward 2/3's of the deer fell along the left side of the bike, the rear 1/3 of the carcass went down the right side. It was like you could feel and hear the sounds of cartilage, bone and sinew being snapped and torn asunder. My right lower leg was smashed with the rear hindquarters of the severed doe.

But what got to me was the shit. Literally. Shit! Deer shit.... lot's and LOT'S of deer shit!

The ENTIRE RIGHT HALF of the forward fuselage area was no longer Honda red.... it was brown and green!!! DEER SHIT!!!! I could not believe my eyes! Not only was there a massive amount of deer shit on the road, but my bike front and right side were AWASH in deer shit!! How can a creature hold this much shit in their bodies AND STILL BE ALIVE?!!! What, do these deer have to "shit on demand" for a living, or something?! There was an UNBELIEVEABLE amount of intestinal matter in every single crevice of the bike. Lovely aroma......

Since I had begun a right swerve, I was pointing slightly right when we struck, and after severing the animal, the bike was now pointed to the far right, and into the ditch beyond. I stabbed both brakes and start leaving fresh Dunlop and Metzeler on the road. My speed starts to bleed off, but I see with crystal clarity that I am fast approaching the edge of the road..... and snow-melt sand is *inside* the edge of the white line! "Guess I'm done bleeding off speed", I think to myself. Just before I reach the sand, I release the brakes as I look at the Sigma. It says 53 mph as the ST1100 leaves the road, and flies airborne into the ditch.

As we leave the road, I get up on the footpegs and assume my best Jeremy McGrath riding stance. The front tire slams down into the ditch and the rear end bounces up to try to pop me off the bike, but I'm ready for it, and hang on somehow. I bounce and hop all over the ditch, which is roughly 7 feet wide and three feet deep. I keep looking for the drainage ditch that will end my off-road adventure (and probably my young life) in an instant, the very same way Jack Baird got his serious injuries. First order of business, however, is to avoid the telephone pole that is fast approaching on the left. I manage to sneak past the pole, even though it knocked off my left mirror housing (amazingly enough, the post-accident inspection revealed not a single mark on the mirror housing... go figure!)

By now I am down to 30 mph, and I'm beginning to believe I might live if no Jack Baird drainage-ditch surprises me. About that time, I realize, hey, I'd better do something about getting the bike out of the ditch while I am still moving, or I'll be in this ditch a long time.

So I gently apply a little countersteering, and amazingly, the ST "walks up" the side of the ditch, trading speed for elevation. I am almost to the top of the ditch, and am only going 5 mph!! I finally come out of the ditch, and roll onto the paved shoulder just as I came to a gentle stop!!!! I slowly put the kickstand down. I stepped off the bike and immediately ran around to looked at the front end damage.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The front fairings are all smashed. The fender is barely hanging on. The lower gray fairing has major holes torn all through it.... and there is a hoof in one of the holes!! The left middle fairing is cracked from top to bottom. The inner middle fair is..... gone!! COMPLETELY GONE!!! The right middle fairing is severely damaged with razor-sharp jagged edges that did most of the deer-slicing, along with the right tip-over guard. The force of the impact buckled and cracked the right (lockable) fairing pocket. Both side maintenance panels took impact damage. The right FIAMM electric clamshell horn is flattened and looks like a frisbee. The other FIAMM horn looks worse. The radiator has a sizeable dent in the right side, but appears intact. I expected to have radiator fluid everywhere, but the cooling system remained intact.

My Night Train was hit hard.... but still serviceable.

As I surveyed the damage, the adrenaline from the near-accident started to wear off, and was being replaced by a seething, raging anger. That fucking deer..... just LOOK at the mess it has made! Then, the final straw..... I discovered that the deer had cause me to lose the PIAA 910s! When I discovered this...... all my attention turn to the deer, still 250 feet back. Shaking with rage, I reached for the Browning, pulled back the slide, chambered a round, and started walking back to the carcass.

As I slowly walked back to the point of impact, I looked over to the left to see the deep, long furrow the ST1100 had made as it ran through the ditch and back up onto the highway. I walked past by the telephone pole that knocked off my mirror housing. As I approach the deer, I have to step around various organs and deer splatter to make my way around to the front 2/3 of the carcass. I lean over the head of the deer and look into her soft, brown eyes. I gently whisper "**** you", then empty the clip into her.

There's nothing like the sound of brass casings tingling on asphalt. Oh, yeah.

With the post-accident mental therapy complete, I reloaded the Browning and put it away. I walked back to the bike. Jesus, what a mess! I could not - could NOT - get rid of the stench of deer shit.... and no wonder, IT WAS EVERYWHERE!!! I dig into the Ventura bag for my Polaroid, and almost retch as I noticed that the entire right side of the bag is also encrusted with deer shit. I turned back and face the carcass, "HOW MUCH SHIT CAN YOU DEER *POSSIBLY* CARRY?!!!!!!! I was just stunned at the amount of deer feces distributed about the bike. When I get to the Polaroid, I see that it has no film. Damn, I REALLY wanted to get a few pictures of the carcass, but it was not to be.

I got back on the bike, and slowly made the 30-ish miles to Burns. It was completely un-nerving to look down through the opening of the triple-tree area (normally covered by the inner middle fairing) and see asphalt whirling by! And, DAMN, the smell emerging off the exhaust lines was INCREDIBLE!!! Upon reaching Burns, I rolled into a Texaco and dashed inside to buy one of those disposable cameras. I shot about a dozen pictures of the bike at various angles, then rolled over to the car wash area and borrowed their hose. I scrubbed and scrubbed for 45 minutes, and STILL couldn't get rid of the deer shit stench that came from the engine bay. I walked 200 feet away from the bike, and could STILL smell that deer shit! DAMN, that's some lingering aroma... or so I thought.

Later on that morning, I stopped in Lakeview, Oregon for some gas. Went to the restroom, and as I washed my hands, I took a brief look in the mirror. There, in my moustache, under the right nostril, was a nice dollop of green deer shit, all crusty and hard.

Fucking deer......

- Warchild

'00 CBR1100XX

'97 ST1100

 

[Harald]

Sorry to hear about the deer "meetings". I've been lucky so far - knock on wood.

Sad thing is that in WA state you can't pick up a deer you hit and take it home for consumption (not that it would be very easy to do on a bike). I figure that with all the damage that an animal does to your rig when you hit it, it ought to a at least partially pay for the damage in the form of some delicious backstrap.

So in the interest of rider safety, I'm heading to Okanogan county tomorrow to put a dent in the deer population. I hate hunting, but I'm doing this purely as a public service for my fellow riders. My son got drawn for a doe tag and I'm looking for a big buck.

Ride safe.

 

[rublenoon]

Grady,

Wow, glad to hear you are ok.

Bikes can be replaced, so, get a new one [or it fixed] and ride soon! :yahoo:

How about you posting of some of your wheelie pictures from the Black Hills ride this summer?

It will show you and the bike in their 'normal', ie fast state!

Young

aka rublenoon

 

[BeeLine]

Glad your OK!! One good thing about a 600+ lb. bike, it's got the mass to blast through those fuzzy obstacles.

 

[bluejag]

Glad to hear you are OK! We see them up here on a daily basis now,eating from our apple tree's, not ten feet away from us. They are everywhere!

Hunting season increased,as well as permits are the only way to control this increasing problem. they out number their

natural predator's by 20 to 1 by now. When you need some xtra cash for that 08, my 05 will humbly accept your russell.

 

[FuzzyRider]

I'm glad to hear you're OK after the deer hit. I can only imagine the "oh sh*t" factor as you see the forest rat. Get well soon!

 

[HolaMesilla]

Damm you took a bite right out of that deers ass. Glad your ok as well.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Right now is the rut season for deer - so they're all out there trying to get laid - and running about, ignoring more than normal.

Damn deer, just like the residents. Always gotta be the first in the country.

We're a solid month away from the "rut" Haven't had a decent shot with the bow yet, but I've had to take evasive action three times in the last two weeks riding in in the morning.

The wife had a close call on our ride Saturday, little Button Buck launched over the rear of her bike while evading a pack of Marauding Dogs. They're worse that the Forest Rats around here.

Glad to see you're ok Gary.

:jester:

 

[cyoungmo]

A few days after I bought my FJR I had a deer jump across the road I was riding, about 100 ft infront of me. It freeked me out, and I had been paranoid about it after reading about it so many times. My wifes work was asking for vacation time donations for a guy in another office/another state that hit a deer and was in a coma. When i was getting my FJR inspected last week I asked the service manager about a wrecked v-star, he said the guy hit a deer!

Last week taking my son to football practice, 2 wild turkey ran out in the road and I had to stop and wait. You really have to watch for all kinds of animals when riding.

 

[TexBahn]

dunhamq, I would guess by the age of your bike and the damage incurred, it's going to get totalled - or really, really close. Sorry to hear about the bike and gear, but I'm glad you're okay.

warchild, stories like that - though gruesome - never get old.

(My deer hunting stories are not as interesting...)

 

[clutchless1]

I'm glad you are in one piece. I slammed into a Doe a few years back when I was driving a van and I remember how out of it you get right after it happens. To see where you were when this happened and being out in the middle of nowhere had to be mind blowing. I guess someone figured you still had a few things to do here on earth before it was your time (that's definately a good thing).

Yeah even if your bike ends up being toast the big thing is you are able to walk and move around on your own without weeks of being in a hospital mending. I'm quite sure your family has told you this, the bike can be replaced, you can't.

 

[PapaUtah]

A Stanley man died Wednesday night after the Harley Davidson© he was riding collided with a deer on U.S. 74 in Indian Trail, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Lawrence Kapitany, 55, was heading west when a deer ran out in front of his 2001 Harley Davidson© around 10 p.m. near Harris Teeter's distribution center, troopers said. The Harley Davidson© hit the deer, turned over, slid and landed on Kapitany. He was taken to CMC-Union where was pronounced dead. The accident marks the second fatality in less than 10 days in Union County involving deer and motorcycles.

Around 7 a.m. on Oct. 2, Marshville resident Charles Freytag, 58, crashed a Honda motorcycle into a deer on White Store Road just east of Monroe.

The bike continued sliding down the road where it hit and killed another deer, troopers said.

At the least the Honda made it a twofer...condolences to their families. I really hate deer. :angry: