If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
Road Captain
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 680
Likes: 1
From: Seattle area
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
I managed not to hit one, but the after-sunset ride last year from Sheridan to Buffalo, WY was the scariest piece of road I've been on. I didn't think there were that many sets of deer eyes in the world! Spooky! It took several beers for my neck muscles to finally relax...
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
We have a ton of them around here. Is there anything that actually works to scare them off? What time of day/night are they most active? I always figured dusk, but it seems that all the incidents that I have heard about have always happened late at night.
Intermediate
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
From: Central California
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
While doing Sturgis in '04 we dodged tons of deer through Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. We all really thought it was just a matter of time before one of us hit one.
Much to our surprise, the closest we came was coming home on the coast just north of San Francisco. We were riding staggered at about ~35 MPH and a stupid deer starting running along the side of the road with us. Suddenly this idiot decides he wants to cross the road and he darted right between two of us. We were only 10-12 feet apart. He managed to miss on-coming traffic too and made it across.
They are as quick and unpredictable as rabbits.
Much to our surprise, the closest we came was coming home on the coast just north of San Francisco. We were riding staggered at about ~35 MPH and a stupid deer starting running along the side of the road with us. Suddenly this idiot decides he wants to cross the road and he darted right between two of us. We were only 10-12 feet apart. He managed to miss on-coming traffic too and made it across.
They are as quick and unpredictable as rabbits.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From: Marble Falls, Texas
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
I got one on my '00 shadow aero come around a corner and the streets were slick he was in the right lane me in the left heading right in front of me, hit the brakes started sliding let off tapped the rear brake and held on for dear life no pun intended got him in the neck below headlight he spun around and nailed my leg into the tank (did not dent it) and busted a mac-mini in the saddle bags. Pulled of the road to inspect the damage to he bike to see if it was still in good shape to ride home, bike was ok to ride other than a 3" round dent in the front fender and headlight bezel bent a bit. Walked back to the deer still alive but suffering shot him in the head and drug it off of the road so no one else would hit it and went home to nurse my leg and inspect the bike further. It seemed like it took a long time from when I saw him and it was over with. Bought an '01 RK and with the extra lights up front I can see better off to the sides of the road, living in the hill country here in Texas it is a hazard day or night mostly around hunting and rut season. Saw a gold wing hit one on 281 going into San Antonio one night messed the bike up bad and the driver did not make it but the wife did they star flighted them out to Austin. Hope no one else on a bike hits a deer.
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 162
Likes: 1
From:
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
I had a neighbors dog (German Shepherd) run under my front wheel a few months back. The idiot ran full speed at the bike hell bent for leather andrealized too late he was going too fast, slid under the front fender/engine....I never slowed down until the bike stopped on top of him (speed was only about 5-8 MPH as I just turned a corner). He tucked his tail and ran back to the house, yelping the whole way. Now when I come down his street, he runs to the back yard and cowers in the flower bed....haha! Point is, if I had hit the brakes and tried to stop or swerve (2 up), I probably would have dropped the bike and then I woulda been real pissed! I kept her straight, held the speed I was going and let nature take its course. I don't know what the BEST advice is but I would honestly hold course and speed if it were a deer. If you try to stop too quickly or swerve, you may lose control causing more damage. Them zunsza beaches are vermin and should all be eradicated.....lol
Novice
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 22
Likes: 0
From:
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
I killed a fawn with my 1984 Nighthawk S. I was reallucky that the doe kept moving, but that fawn froze in my headlight. It was at the beginning of a straight sectionon an otherwise curvy mountain road. I was riding with a friend and leading but not going very fast as the road wasn't familiar. My reflex was to roll off the throttle and crouch, staying upright as possible and holding tight on the bars. They are too twitchy to attempt to predict which way they will jump.I think my right fork leg got him in the neck. I dragged him a bit and pulled off the road, the carcass was laying in the road with it's head folded backwards over the body - no blood, no kicking, quick death. No damage to me or the bike, just a little deer fur on my brake caliper. Not a fun experience.
Road Master
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 847
Likes: 0
From:
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
Saw a video on the internet once of a guy on a crotch rocket going pretty fast around a long sweeping curve and a deer ran out in front of him. I don't think he saw it till he was on it. He kept going and the bike wavered a bit, quite a bit when he hit the deer, and the deer split in two and the rider kept going. He didn't go down, but the deer was cut in half
I figure if I have to hit one, I want to be going straight forward, no turning that would cause me to slide or flip sideways, and I would agree that if you aim where he was, then you should only catch the back end that would flip around easily, if you hit it at all.
Now if were an elk...
I hit a deer going 80mph at around 2am one morningin a 67 chrysler new yorker once. Didn't do much at all to the front end of that heavy duty tuna boat car, but that deer was about 100yards down the road in a gut pile, what guts that weren't left on the road where he slid. Looked like a loose bag of deer hide with a head and legs that were all crossed up. I haddriven back to see what happened to him. I just followed the gut and blood trail. I think a good forward motion without falling down would keep you out of trouble best, but who knows.
I figure if I have to hit one, I want to be going straight forward, no turning that would cause me to slide or flip sideways, and I would agree that if you aim where he was, then you should only catch the back end that would flip around easily, if you hit it at all.
Now if were an elk...
I hit a deer going 80mph at around 2am one morningin a 67 chrysler new yorker once. Didn't do much at all to the front end of that heavy duty tuna boat car, but that deer was about 100yards down the road in a gut pile, what guts that weren't left on the road where he slid. Looked like a loose bag of deer hide with a head and legs that were all crossed up. I haddriven back to see what happened to him. I just followed the gut and blood trail. I think a good forward motion without falling down would keep you out of trouble best, but who knows.
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 121
Likes: 0
From:
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
about a month ago a local rider hit a deer 2 up with his wife he managed to keep the bike upright but the wife was knocked off her leg got caught on the saddle bag and he drug her about 100 feet before he could stop bike was fine but his wife was in the hospital a few days lots of road rash
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,853
Likes: 21
From: central florida
RE: If you can't avoid hitting a deer ...
ORIGINAL: ssihogdog
Had a deer bolt accross the road in front of me last week at 2 p.m. Weird in Florida to see this; figured something spooked her. The crotch rocket in front of me locked them up pretty good as did a car directly on his left. Fortunately, everyone missed the deer. It was a amazing how fast she appeared in the middle of the road.
Had a deer bolt accross the road in front of me last week at 2 p.m. Weird in Florida to see this; figured something spooked her. The crotch rocket in front of me locked them up pretty good as did a car directly on his left. Fortunately, everyone missed the deer. It was a amazing how fast she appeared in the middle of the road.
took a ride in ocala ntl forest the other nite and them eyes were everywhere-pretty scary, even saw a bear.