When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I hit a deer yesteday morning at 6:20 am. It rained and roads were still wet. For once I am glad I drove the truck to work. I was doing about 45 in a 50, because I know they are around. I never saw it until I hit it, dead center of the truck. I get estimates tomorrow, I am guessing $3,000 - $5,000 damage to front. The deer ( buck) looked about 175lbs. The truck was damaged but came out the winner. Not sure how thing would have been if I hit it with the bike. Rode in today, but slower and looking in all directions all the time. I was some what nervus.
I too live in rural Ohio and deer are virtually everywhere this time of the year. I've had two incidents recently where I had to hit the brakes to avoid hitting them. Will sure be glad when the corn and beans are harvested, so we can see better. The deer dart out from the crop fields with no warning! Like you, I'm glad I have the ABS on my 08 Ultra. Glad you and your wife made it through without crashing.
Here in southern Ohio it's getting to be the time when the deer are movin' and there is a huge population of them. The wife and I rode the 40 miles after dark from a visit with my father and I said before we left that 50MPH would be the max. No deer hits but I did go right between two crossing raccoons when we were going through Wayne National Forest.
Be careful! From now on until late fall, it's dangerous early morning and right around dark.
It's always dangerous. Don't matter what month. I disembowled ol' Bambi in August one year!
Glad you made it OK, I also have the ABS and hope that I don't have to use them. It is deer season here in OKLa. also and they are starting to play the chase game.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.