Wasn't sure how to title this thread and searching didn't find anything so here goes. I am a returning rider after 30 years off a bike and started riding again this year. I live in SW VA minutes away from the Blue Ridge Parkway and we have a LOT of deer around here. So far I haven't done a lot of riding in the early or late (deer heavy) hours. But in the last two weeks I have started riding to work (80+ miles round trip). I have 2 routes I can choose for the first part of my journey..one is about 7 miles into town but it is a two lane 60 mph, the other is about 15 miles of 35-40 mph back roads. I rode the first trips on the shorter/faster route, Thursday I took the back roads and saw ten deer either in the road or on the edge. It appears in the latter Loud Pipes do indeed save lives because my Vance and Hines pipes were loud enough that I saw the deer look up and run away before I got close. So my dilemma is which route is the better choice..shorter route but higher speeds..and it is a busy road so keeping the speed up is a requirement..the back roads have a lot more deer and a lot longer ride but I can usually ride slower 35 mph or so. So advice on that and deer avoidance in general would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

many deer are killed on the interstates with speed limit 75-85 mph

 

I would take the route that you feel gives you less of a chance of hitting a deer or a deer hitting you. Other than that, I don't think there's much else you can do in your situation. Deer suck!

 

Personally, I would ride where you've seen less deer, even though the speeds are higher. PERIPHERAL VISION and SCANNING techniques will help, but if a deer is gonna step out in front of you, it's gonna step out in front of you. I CAPPED those comments because I always stuck those words on the instrument panel in front of me when I was a private pilot. It helped then, and it helps when riding. Not just for deer.

 

 

I can't comment too much about deer as they aren't much of a problem in my area. Good to hear you have returned to riding and are proactive regarding safety.

I am probably going to get flamed for this, but evaluate your helmet and eyewear regarding peripheral vision. Some helmets, particularly full face or modular styles, restrict peripheral vision. Peripheral vision is the key to avoiding many accidents. Not all full face or modular helmets are like that, but some are.

If you are wearing a half helmet or three quarter, then exam your eyewear for peripheral vision restrictions as well. One set of goggles I used to wear would restrict my peripheral vision and I didn't realize it until I decided to do some testing on a whim. I have since replaced them with eyewear that let's me see everything.

Also, upgrade all of your lights to high quality LED. It will let you see farther at night as well as illuminate a wider area. In a sense, this improves night time peripheral vision.

It will also make you more visible to cars regardless if it is Day or night.

 

Deer usually like to cross where the tree line or brush come up to BOTH sides of the road. (I've also seen them come straight outta flat fields with nothing but Goldenrod cover.) Remember that they are a horizontal object in a vertical plant world. And forget deer whistles. Studies have shown that the small air hole plugs quite quickly with dirt and renders them useless.

As for look for two, they are nothing but hooved rats. If you see one, expect several! When I hit mine, I saw the two, fixated on the one backing onto the road and missed seeing the third. That's the one I hit.

And to make matters worse, in NYS the deer population is way up based on light winters and far fewer hunters.

To quote another HD forum poster, they are furry IED's waiting to take us out.

http://ccs.dogpile.com/ClickHandler....id=&om_pageid=

 

My situation is similar. 40 miles one way, country roads, lots of deer. My thoughts:

If I have the time, I prefer the longer ride. If you can ride 35mph or slower you should have time to react
and not hit the critter. DO NOT SWERVE. Get straight and level, brake hard. Look for the next deer.

If it is still dark, it just makes it harder. Commuting in this case is like a chess game, not much movement but
our mind should be active, thinking a few moves ahead. Kind of like always but more so.

In my accident, I was riding about 60 mph around a corner, just came out of it, one deer in the road. Hit the brakes,
missed it but the next one leaped in front of me. Down to about 30mph and we met. She was airborne, the bike
wobbled a bit but did not go down. Deer staggered into the weeds, I stopped and checked for damage. Later found
it was $4,000 front end work. Rode on to work. After work I got home and said "Honey, I need a drink"

 

My advice is to stop riding.

 

I see them both on the Parkway and the interstate. I pretty much just ride the speed limit and try to watch for them. If you have a regular route quite often you'll find them crossing
close to the same area this time of year as the doe are hanging close to where they had the little ones. The problem only gets worse when those little bastards start following their mammy.