I rode home Thursday night from the local bike ride at about 11 pm. The next morning as I left the subdivision, there was a very dead dear right across from the entrance on the shoulder. I know it was not there the night before as it was very obvious.
The speed limit on this road is 30 mph which means that most people go 40 or so. This is a built up area with very few woods around for them to hide, but there are a few unsold 1-2 acre lots across the street they can probably hide in. Also, in Fla. all the new subdivisions have to have retention ponds for rain run off so there is no shortage of available water.
This is the third upended deer I have seen in the last month. My neighbor saw a large buck not three feet off the road (right between two subdivisions) at 6 am the other morning. All this leads me to believe that the deer population is getting ready to overtake us.
If you believe the videos on U-Tube and people I've talked to, you have about zero change of avoiding hitting one as they dart across out of your side field of view. By the time you see them, it is too late to react. Probably the only thing you can do is slow way down...especially at night....and hope to survive the impact.
Just a heads up. Ride carefully.
Jim