Just read an article that 10 people were injured and 1 is dead in relation to the Sturgis rally. Most of the accidents were from failing to negotiate a turn or colliding with dear.

I'm a life long resident of South Dakota. I've spent a lot of time in the Black Hills and I just wanted to give people a heads up that riding or driving a cage after dark in the hills is hazardous. There are deer everywhere. I learned long ago to try and be where I'm going to spend the night before sundown. I don't like driving a truck or car there after dark let alone a bike.

There are also many tight curves that can catch a person off guard if your not familiar with the roads.

I think the missed curves and deer accidents are completely avoidable and a hospital visit or death is not what any of us want on vacation.

Again, I'm not trying to stand on a soap box, I just want people that may not be familiar with the area to know that tight curves and deer are very real hazards in the hills. It's my favorite place on earth and I hope anyone attending the rally or just visiting has a safe and enjoyable time in our beautiful state.

Ride safe,
Darrin

 

I don't ride at night anymore mainly due to deer. (unless the blvd at Myrtle or Daytona) I collided with Bambi on the Blue Ridge Parkway 2 years ago and was airlifted more a month in the hospital. About a month ago, we were returning the Blue Ridge on the way home, got dark & we were cruising the Interstate. Came up over a hill & Bambi was standing in the emergency lane. I had heart failure. LOL.

 

way too many deer in the black hills for me to be running

 

Had three deer jump out in front of me at noon Saturday near Hill City. Later that afternoon we came upon an accident near Keystone where a Rice Rocket took a curve to wide and wiped out a Honda Trike.

 

I live in the Canadian flat prairies, not many hills and curves here but I still will not ride outside the city at night because of wildlife. Not worth the risk.
Btw firebike32 saw your bike and trailer a couple years back at a South Dakota rest stop , it is a work of art!
Ride safe all ,lieutenant Winnipeg fire

 

The Texas Hill Country and west Texas are notorious for deer collisions at night. Wise recommendations.

 

Always a privilege to talk to a fellow fire fighter. Thanks for the kind words.

 

Very good info. I do not live there but have visited several times as its my favorite place to ride. Each trip we always make an effort to be back at the house/hotel by dark. It usually mean a little earlier dinner but I had rather that than run into a deer or even worse cows in the road. We usually stay around the Deadwood/Leeds area and there have been several times we have had to stop and let cows cross the road. Could not imagine coming around a turn in the dark with a heifer in the road
Thats not much different that my riding around here, MS has the largest per capita deer population in the US and 2nd to only TX in numbers, riding country roads after dark is not a good move

 

The curves in SD have nothing on the curves here in Tn or the ones over in Ark. Many people just don't know how to ride or live in areas where they never have to learn to negotiate such curves. Deer are another whole different story! Here at home you have to never ever stop looking and have to really know how to look since deer blend into the background so well. I have given up night riding over the past few years because they are just too thick here now. I led a group every week on a dinner ride to some hole in the wall restaurants for many years and we did twisty backroads to and hwys home afterward and it never failed I would have to point out several deer each ride. Somehow I have never seen a deer while out riding around Sturgis but know they are out there.

 

We stayed at Terry Peak last weekend, on the way back from Deadwood Thursday night had a mountain lion cross the road about 30 yards in front of us! Wasn't too worried about the deer after that.