I hit a deer on Saturday

[Fred W]

Conga rats for doing exactly the right thing. Using your brakes.

When I first read the part where you said you thought you could get around it, I thought, "Roh roh, Shaggy. This one's going to come out bad."

I earned my deer icon this past September. It was 4:30PM (DST) so it wasn't even near dark yet. In my case I was riding on a narrow country road at ~ 40 mph when the rat jumped out of the woods directly in front of me. No chance to brake much before contact. The bike will stay up if you let it. Mine did. Unfortunately my front plastic didn't fare as well as yours and all had to be replaced (insurance) to the tune of $1800.

As was just said, only thing you can do is slow down in Deer country, especially in the dusk and dawn hours.

That and have your insurance paid up. :glare:

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

Amazing! Congrats on winning the luckiest biker of the month award! :yahoo:
Hard to believe there was no road rash or skinned knees with your just wearing street clothes. Maybe one lesson might be to buy some decent gear?

Buy that lotto ticket.

Post #5, not you Reldeed.

Shiny needs another coffee.

I must have been hallucinating. I'm leaving on another magical mystery tour soon..

 

[beemerdons]

Amazing! Congrats on winning the luckiest biker of the month award! :yahoo:
Hard to believe there was no road rash or skinned knees with your just wearing street clothes. Maybe one lesson might be to buy some decent gear?

Buy that lotto ticket.

Post #5, not you Reldeed.

Shiny needs another coffee.

I must have been hallucinating. I'm leaving on another magical mystery tour soon..

SPU: Shrooms, you can't live with them and you can't live without them! Reldeed, congratulations to you on the good fortune!

 

[highcountry]

Sounds like a number of our membership have had some very close encounters with forest rats. That is one badge of honor that I can do without. Our rats are numerous and large here in Colorado and if one is really really unlucky, they could have an encounter with an elk resulting in an early demise. This is one of the reasons that I don't ride at night; cataract surgery in both eyes being another.

 

[Fred W]

You got that right. But it isn't just at night that the ruminants will attack.

Also, I believe it was forum member Brodie (infamous for his relay mod) who had the run-in with an Elk and walked away.

On a different note, I'm curious about your statement regarding having had cataract surgery in both eyes and not wanting to drive after dark. Didn't your night vision improve post operation? That was what my mother reported, along with no longer needing corrective lenses for driving (distance).

 

[capttwb]

Here on the Maryland eastern shore, we are practically over run with deer. Farms are everywhere and the deer have a plentiful food supply. The body shops here make a killing on deer hits. The deer over here are so used to automobiles and motorcycles, you can pass them within 25 feet while they graze in a field and they don't even look up. I have a theory on avoiding deer strikes. A given is, slow down at dusk, this is when they are most active. If you see a doe, slow way down, there are more with her most times. Bucks usually travel alone, are much more cautious than does. Since car and motorcycle sounds don't faze deer here, I have discovered the one sound that causes deer to freeze in their tracks. Human voices. When driving the cage in heavy deer areas at dusk, I'll play a talk radio station on the radio fairly loud. When I rode the Goldwings I would do the same thing. It seemed to freeze the deer and give me much more time to slow way down and proceed with caution. Now, I don't have a radio on the FJR, so I just slow way down going through deer country at dusk, and if I spot one, I flip the visor up and yell at them. It may sound weird, but it works. After the yell, I'll hit the horn and they will usually turn back and run. I just thought I'd pass my observations along. Over here the majority of motorcycle deer strikes involve Harley Davidsons, so loud pipes don't seem to freeze the deer. We lose a couple bikers every year on the shore due to deer. In my opinion they are the most dangerous menace, besides two women in the front seat of a cage, that bikers face.

 

[ionbeam]

Here on the Maryland eastern shore, we are practically over run with deer...you can pass them within 25 feet while they graze in a field and they don't even look up...motorcycle sounds don't faze deer...the majority of motorcycle deer strikes involve Harley Davidsons, so loud pipes don't seem to freeze the deer...

Seems like you have studied the deer behavior and the norm is understood. In the name of ¿science? are you interested in mounting a deer whistle to your motorcycle and see if you observe any change in deer behavior as you drive by? :ermm:

 

[Reldeed]

Here on the Maryland eastern shore, we are practically over run with deer...you can pass them within 25 feet while they graze in a field and they don't even look up...motorcycle sounds don't faze deer...the majority of motorcycle deer strikes involve Harley Davidsons, so loud pipes don't seem to freeze the deer...

Seems like you have studied the deer behavior and the norm is understood. In the name of ¿science? are you interested in mounting a deer whistle to your motorcycle and see if you observe any change in deer behavior as you drive by? :ermm:

I'd be interested to know too!

 

[FJR919]

IIRC MCN will be doing a test on a powered deer device next month or coming up soon that supposedly has some credibility as an effective deer repeller.

 

[Scythian]

I almost hit a cat once.

 

[capttwb]

Here on the Maryland eastern shore, we are practically over run with deer...you can pass them within 25 feet while they graze in a field and they don't even look up...motorcycle sounds don't faze deer...the majority of motorcycle deer strikes involve Harley Davidsons, so loud pipes don't seem to freeze the deer...

Seems like you have studied the deer behavior and the norm is understood. In the name of ¿science? are you interested in mounting a deer whistle to your motorcycle and see if you observe any change in deer behavior as you drive by? :ermm:

For some reason, the deer whistles do not seem to provide protection here. I had them on my first Goldwing, as Goldwings are pretty quiet. I was lucky to be able to test it quite early. I rode by a herd of at least 15 or so. One of them looked up, but none ran. Everyone here is of the opinion they do not work. Cars that have them have had deer strikes. I really don't trust them. Someone told me they only work at a very fast speed, I really can't say. I was doing 60MPH when I passed those deer. One did look up though. However, like I said these deer are quite used to vehicle traffic here.

 

[HuskyRider]

I almost hit a cat once.

I almost hit a cougar once, but she decided I was too old.. :dribble:

Congrats on the saving yourself and the deer.

 

[n2osx]

Now, I don't have a radio on the FJR, so I just slow way down going through deer country at dusk, and if I spot one, I flip the visor up and yell at them. It may sound weird, but it works. After the yell, I'll hit the horn and they will usually turn back and run.

Now I so badly want to go out there to your stomping grounds and set up a herd of fake deer along the road and video tape you going by the deer yelling and screaming, honking your horn and probably flipping off the deer. Oh, that on video tape would be classic!! I see it in my head, and yep = funny!!

As for me I have ran over 1 squirrel and came close to hitting a couple of wild male turkeys that were fighting in the middle of the road. I had to stop and let them finish.

Carl

 

[Reldeed]

Now I so badly want to go out there to your stomping grounds and set up a herd of fake deer along the road and video tape you going by the deer yelling and screaming, honking your horn and probably flipping off the deer. Oh, that on video tape would be classic!! I see it in my head, and yep = funny!!

:lol2: :lol2:

 

[SCWatts]

You shouldn't have said anything. Now you're always going to be selected to be point on group rides . . . .

Congratulations on having the best possible outcome of a deer strike . . . both you AND the deer escaped without apparent injury or damage but with great stories to tell! Great job handling the situation!

 

[Fred W]

You shouldn't have said anything. Now you're always going to be selected to be point on group rides . . . .
Congratulations on having the best possible outcome of a deer strike . . . both you AND the deer escaped without apparent injury or damage but with great stories to tell! Great job handling the situation!

Ummm, no. That definitely isn't the best possible outcome.

A better outcome would have been for him to come out of it completely unscathed and with a dead deer on the side of the road. If it also happened to have been eviscerated and neatly cleaved into pieces sized appropriately to fit into the saddle bags, well, that would be the BEST possible outcome.

 

[Spook]

I am doing my part to bring down the population. I got three of them carved up and in my freezer. They are good eating.

 

[Fred W]

Thank you Spook!

I would definitely do the same...

if I enjoyed hunting...

or even had a freezer.

'Cause I definitely like eating and venison is good eats!!

I kind of wish they'd open up the market for deer meat as another alternative to beef, lamb, pork and chicken.

Then maybe they'd keep them fenced in on ranches and get them the hell out of the woods and off the roads.

I see a few Buffalo farms around now.

They seem to be doing fine there on those ranches.

I sure don't want to find one out on the road when I come around a corner.

Tree huggers will be appalled at my lack of compassion for these beautiful creatures.

I don't think too many tree huggers ride motorcycles.

 

[airboss]

Good news, Reldeel, on being able to keep it up and minimizing the damage( to both you and the bike) :clapping:

More good news local butcher told me his shop and others around here have processed a record number of deer carcasses this year.

 

[lonerider]

Here on the Maryland eastern shore, we are practically over run with deer...you can pass them within 25 feet while they graze in a field and they don't even look up...motorcycle sounds don't faze deer...the majority of motorcycle deer strikes involve Harley Davidsons, so loud pipes don't seem to freeze the deer...

Seems like you have studied the deer behavior and the norm is understood. In the name of ¿science? are you interested in mounting a deer whistle to your motorcycle and see if you observe any change in deer behavior as you drive by? :ermm:

For some reason, the deer whistles do not seem to provide protection here. I had them on my first Goldwing, as Goldwings are pretty quiet. I was lucky to be able to test it quite early. I rode by a herd of at least 15 or so. One of them looked up, but none ran. Everyone here is of the opinion they do not work. Cars that have them have had deer strikes. I really don't trust them. Someone told me they only work at a very fast speed, I really can't say. I was doing 60MPH when I passed those deer. One did look up though. However, like I said these deer are quite used to vehicle traffic here.

Benn thinking about trying one of these; supposed to work better:

https://www.xp3hornet.com/

Anyone had any experience with these?