where's my 30.06 when I need it...

[lawnchairboy]

traveling south on NC-24 this morning at 0911, less than one mile from LeJeune's maingate I saw Bambi. NC-24 is three lanes per side and the south bound side is HEAVILY commercial with car dealers, Britt Motorsports, Tattoo parlors and pawn shops and everything else you would expect to find outside the gates at a USMC base. The northbound side is wooded for a short stretch <1 mile. I was going 45 mph and about 30 yards ahead to my right (I was in right hand most lane) A midsize deer decides to stroll across the highway, moderate braking and no problem, although I was about 1/2 second late checking my six and traffic was very light with good road conditions.

 

I would have NEVER expected deer at that particular location that relatively late in the morning. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN.

[beemerman2k]

I've come upon, though never hit, deer when in my car, but I've yet to encounter a deer while riding. I hope I never do, though odds are I won't stay so lucky.

 

One day while leaving Yosemite I was enjoying blitzing on the smooth winding roads and there was a deer standing beside the road. I took that as adequate warning to slow down right now!

[sb955i]

I've hit two deer on two seperate occasions, once with a Toyota Forerunner ( 7k $ damage on a then 18k $ suv ), and second on a Nissan Pickup.. about 3 k damage that time. First time was at 11pm in full darkness and drizzle, in Nov. Second time was at 9pm in December, full darkness again. Both times, the deer were at full gallop coming straight across the two-lane i was headed down. No warning, no time for anything other than the 'oh-sh*t'. They both came straight out of the bush.

 

The first deer ended up on our bbq. Second was finished off by a nice female LEO and probably picked up by a tow-truck operator.

 

I was very lucky once when on a fairly hot ride back when i was young. I was on a VFR, came around a bend up in cottage country doing about 80, and saw what looked to me like a tree in the middle of the road. Turned out it was a Moose, covered in swamp sludge. If it wasn't for a bunch of parked picture takers, i'd have been a tattoo on that particular ungulate..

 

I'v also come across 3 cows on seperate occasions, just meandering down the road during my drive in, in early morning rush-hour.

 

If i see ANY animal now, even the odd horseback rider (or Mennonite), I brake to almost walking speed, cover the brake and rise up off the pegs. I'll idle past horses to try to not spook them. Deer will do the stupidist things. I don't trust any animal now.

 

I don't ride at night now either, and i'm particularly fearful of driving in the late fall.

 

Of course, if it's going to happen, there's not alot i can do about it.

[ADulay]

Deer will do the stupidist things. I don't trust any animal now.

Deer don't make any sense at all when on the road. Why they start instantly for your vehicle is an incomprehensible idea.

AD

[dsl]

Deer don't make any sense at all when on the road. Why they start instantly for your vehicle is an incomprehensible idea.

AD

Pretty simple actually. Technology works much faster than evolution can possibly reprogram instinct.

 

It's been less than 100 years that we've been able to even approach the speed of deer in flight. Prior to that, for hundreds of thousands of years, if not millions, anything that could approach the speed of a deer would be normally aiming for where it used to be...

 

I've always wondered how long it will take for humans to keep hitting/killing deer in vehicle accidents until we eventually weed out this undesirable instinct (for both of us)... certainly not in my lifetime .

 

Get used to it.... it's getting worse: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6835501

[DouglasR]

Living in Wyoming where we have a plethora of road-loving wildlife I have learned to watch everywhere all the time. I'm absolutely paranoid about critters on the road. You can reasonably expect most other drivers to obey the laws and most of the time road conditions are predictable, but the damned critters are absolutely RANDOM. Some areas are worse than others, of course, depending on proximity to habitat, but as you say they can be ANYWHERE at ANY TIME.

 

I love my ABS. And I never ever drive at night unless I'm caught out late. And BTW, it's not only the live ones you have to watch out for, it rather sucks to come fogging around a turn and find 150 pounds of fresh furry hamburger at the end of a greasy slick in the middle of your lane .

 

You'll appreciate why I got such a kick out of this scene, a "two-fer"! And about a mile down the road the truck's bumper was laying in the ditch!

 

 

Doug

[GelStra]

150 pounds of fresh furry hamburger

Great line! Anyone who hasn't should listen to Ron White's (Blue Collar Comedy Tour) bit about deer hunting. TOOO funny.

+1 to being nerved out by the big ol' forest rats. Whilst driving all through Colorado, we saw plenty of them, just lurking on the side of the road. And, every time, I kept thinking of the tales of woe (or is it "whoa!") I've seen here. Guess that about the ONLY thing we don't see on LA freeways!

[Slartidbartfast]

I've always wondered how long it will take for humans to keep hitting/killing deer in vehicle accidents until we eventually weed out this undesirable instinct (for both of us)... certainly not in my lifetime

Hedgehogs in Britain have selectively survived being squashed on the roads. Typically, urban hedgehogs will now run when startled rather than curling into a ball and relying on their spines to protect them.

[sb955i]

urban hedgehogs will now run when startled rather than curling into a ball and relying on their spines to protect them.

______

 

I however, continue to curl into a ball at the slightest sign of threat. Evolution ..shmevolution!

[X_BamaCop]

So, not being familiar with such creatures will the spines puncture a tire? I hit a dead dear at night once. I was doing about 70 on the interstate. I came close to adding poop to the rest of the goo on the road. Quickly stopped as it felt like I was dragging a piece of it a with me. Ends up my rear tire was quickly going flat. I can only assume a bone caused the hole in the tire.

[NORCALP]

I hit a Deer or it hit me in Dec. of last year. I was maybe doing 35 or 40. Deer was running fast out of some trees, no chance to avoid. I was pretty lucky just cracked a rib and some black and blue. Deer died and so did my 2002 GS Adventure.

 

P

[DouglasR]

I took a little break at lunch on Tuesday, maybe 11:30 in the morning, clear blue sky and warm already. I rode from my office up to Sinks Canyon for a breath of fresh air and some scenery, about 15 miles total round trip. I saw a very large 4X4 mule deer buck running down the borrow ditch alongside the busy highway just outside the canyon on the way up, and a smaller 2X2 white tail buck ran across the road in front of me just as I approached my office on the busy 4 lane road. Noonish, busy roads, two deer on the roadways in two widely separated areas. They can be anywhere at any time, just watch out!

[Slartidbartfast]

So, not being familiar with such creatures will the spines puncture a tire?

I doubt it. They are not very big animals (About the size of a guinea pig, maybe - and with spines like a porcupine only much shorter/thinner). Don't think they are in the US - I have certainly never seen one here.

[W. Mazelin]

I was longing for one of my center fire rifles as well. . .when Carrie & I were on our recent trip to Canada, we saw a number of wild critters (deer being the most numerous). We travel on 2 bikes and we are equipped with Autocoms. It's very nice to be able to make an audio alert to your companions about those damn hooved rats. They blend in so well when on the side of the road it's nice to be warned of the bogeys even if you cant see them right away.

[sb955i]

Incredibly lucky! Glad you were ok. Can't imagine what that felt like, deer can carry a lot of momentum.

[gottago]

We came upon a small deer on the road trying to climb the steep cliff while coming down Big Sur. Have no idea where she could have come from. Steep cliff to the left, drop off to the sea on the right. We slowed way down as she ran alongside us for a short bit. Didn't see where she eventually went but it was the last place we expected to see a deer.

 

Gary's pretty good at spotting deer alongside a field or woods. Harks back to his hunting days. He looks for a horizontal line(deer's back) where everything is vertical.

[sb955i]

That's a good idea !

 

I saw yet another one yesterday at noon.. bambi.. waved down a fellow headed towards her on a harley.. thought about this great forum.

[flounder]

almost got one last weekend in the texas hillcountry, he cut accross the road at an angle and fortunately my fiancee saw him coming and shook the hell out of my shouldrs in time fro me to hit the brakes. he passed about 2 feet in front of the bike, thank god for the abs and her eyes.