Topic: Deer Strike

[Flying Tiger]

hello all, ..

I became a deer hunter this fall, on my CB650. It was getting towards dusk, after work, and I wanted to take atvantage of the excellent weather that we have had in Minnesota. I was out on a blacktop county road doing 60 mph, coming up on a farm place on my left, and noticed a deer running in the ditch on my right, .. I just started to look down the road again and WHAM, .. without ever seeing it, I hit the second one, ..

A couple things, .. dusk in the fall is primetime deerarama, and they tend to run groups, following the leader, .. Soo, knowing this already, it was partly my own doing, getting into this situation, but .. I had no time to react, whatsoever .. I stayed up, .. my left leg started hurting immediately, I think the electrics (fuses) must gone right away, because after I stopped, I couldn't restart .. I checked my leg for support and it seemed ok, in that respect, so I walked the bike back to a farm place of someone I knew. It turned out that I had broke my leg, just below the knee, ... and am now sporting a leg brace. The bike remains to be fully inspected, .. it's still at the farm, .. the blinkers were bent back, the headlight was tipped down, .. I have no memory of the front wheel rolling funny. I'm hoping the forks aren't bent.

To my question, .. a gentlemen who noticed my brace who is a Harley rider was saying how he thinks the louder engine noise is a good deer repellent, and that got me thinking, .. Didn't there used to be deer/dog whistles that you could install on cars? .. Were they disappointing, or what? Any other ideas, other than staying home?

This was funny, .. same guy was saying that he hit a very large racoon on his Harley, and he used a technique that you would use if you feel like a horse you are riding is going to buck you off, for his racoon collision, .. He said it worked great, .. one buck on the bronc, haha .. He cut the racoon in half.

Thanks people, ..

[Bob Wessner]

a gentlemen who noticed my brace who is a Harley rider was saying how he thinks the louder engine noise is a good deer repellent,

Personally, I think all the repellent ideas are myths and tend to promote a false sense of security. We have our share of deer here in Michigan as well. I encountered several this summer, many in the middle of the day (another myth, you seem them mostly at dawn and dusk). This is a particularly tough time of year, archery season then gun season, tends to keep them moving around a lot. Best defense is a sharp eye and slow down a tad, or, stay home. 

[mcpuffett]

sheep and rabbits that 's what we have to contended with the rabbits are not much of a propblem but sheep are heavier than you think   mick.

[carl550k]

had the same thing happen to me. going to work at 2 am. something hit me in the right foot/shin. i was doing 65 with woods on both sides of the road. on my lunch break  i went to check for damage since i didnt stop or get knocked off. the points civer was dented good with brown fur stuck to it.wondered for days what could have happend, just a little slower or faster.

[skamania19]

I live in a very deer-dense area and I don't think the deer whistles work either. I even saw an ambulance almost hit a deer that ran out in front of it while the siren was going.   If that doesn't work I don't see how a whistle could.

Question though: If you were hunting and would have gotten one, how would you haul it out? I'm picturing the rear hooves zip-tied to the rear pegs with the front legs slung over your shoulder and head resting on top of your helmet. I guess gutting, cutting and bundling would be an option...but not nearly as amusing.

[Jonesy]

When I was overhauling my uncle's 750 I noticed the footpeg was bent back about 2 inches. When I asked him about it, he told me how a dog ran out at him from behind some parked cars. He hit the dog in the face, bending back the peg and spinning the dog around in the street on its back like a break dancer. He went back for the (now dead) dog, with a little kid crying and yelling at him that he killed his dog. There was hardly anything he could have done, except lay the bike down, which might have killed him instead.

In riding class, we were taught to get on the throttle right before hitting something (like a small animal.. a deer is a different story). This way, the motorcycle will rear back, taking weight off the front wheel.

[Dennis]

To my question, .. a Harley rider was saying how he thinks the louder engine noise is a good deer repellent, and that got me thinking, .. Didn't there used to be deer/dog whistles that you could install on cars? .. Were they disappointing, or what? Any other ideas, other than staying home?

 

Don't know anything about louder engine noises scaring deer away.

I know of the "deer whistles" you mention, and I think that they are still available, HOWEVER, as Bob said previously they may only "promote a false sense of security". I recall seeing a study quite a few years back (like maybe the early 90's) where a fleet of cars was tested with these devices. Half of the cars with them and the remainder without. Vehicles selected at random. Result, no statistical difference in deer strikes in the fleet (between those with or without the whistles). I do believe that the deer will hear you coming with those devices. I don't think that you can depend on them staying away from the road just because you are using the deer whistles.
I would't use them and there are plenty of deer around here.

BTW the only time I ever hit a deer was at 1 PM on an August afternoon with the temperature in the high 90's. As Bob also said, they ain't supposed to be moving around then. Took out the grille, headlights, fog lamps, headlamp support, hood and one fender on the car. He also gave the passenger side front door a little kick as he left. He jumped into the air as he passed in front of the car and all that damage was just from the hooves. He never went down and just kept on going on his way. Sure glad I wasn't on a bike that day!!

[gregk]

I don't mind dodging around the deer, it's the elk and moose that scare the hell out of me!

[Jonesy]

I don't mind dodging around the deer, it's the elk and moose that scare the hell out of me!

I heard that moose do the damage by falling on the car after the bumper knocks their legs out from under them, crushing the passenger compartment.

So, on a motorcycle you could just hunker down and go under him, right?

[Flying Tiger]

Just kidding about the "hunting" part of my story, ...

Thanks for the replys about the whistles and such, .. I've hit 3 deer now, about that many near misses, my wife has one to her credit, too ...

Here's one other aspect of deer, ... I heard there's more deer in the suburbs now, than there were in the whole US, at the time of the pilgrims, .. There were 20,000 vehicle deer collisions in Minnesota, last year (reported cases) and they estimate 40,000 unreported collisions. Now, .. what's the matter with really reducing the size of deer herds? .. I know the hunters hate the thought of this idea, .. but, .. wow, does everyone has to share in a very real danger because of a sport?

And the Dept of Natural Resources isn't really an unbiased player in this issue, are they? There's more revenue in more deer tags sold, law enforcement needs in managing larger herds, .. and on and on ..

I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone, .. but these numbers suggest that this getting out of hand.

Thanks

[Bob Wessner]

I heard there's more deer in the suburbs now, than there were in the whole US, at the time of the pilgrims,

Ti's true. Back then, most of the territory east of the Miss. River was forest. Deer are by nature more edge or open field types. We humans have done just what they wanted, cleared millions of acres for farms and suburbs. Unfortunately, we also cut neat little ribbons of highway through it all to make it challenging for them.. and us. 

[heffay]

I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone, .. but these numbers suggest that this getting out of hand.

Thanks

good thing... was getting ready to jump all over that

[seaweb11]

Living on a small Island with more deer than people, I can say the whistles suck!

I did read in the local paper recently tha honking the horn at them even if they are just off the road teaches the young ones to get out of the way of car noises aproaching.  Not sure if it works, I guess I will have to wait a few years to see if my irritating the home owners along the road has worked

My recent Deer Accident was no fun http://www.sohc4.us/forums/index.php?topic=1866.0

FULL THROTTLE ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it worked for me

[JonnyHonda]

I remember nearly hitting a stag (not the triumph one the four legged one  ), It was dark and we just browed a hill and in the headlight you could see these glowing eyes and antlers, I thought I'd met the devil himself, talk about poo pants. Screeched to a halt, it just looked at me and ran off.

[dusterdude]

tigers,its not the hunters stopping the deer thinning its the panty waist liberal anti hunters doing it.

[JonnyHonda]

"Anti-hunting", is that where you give the gun to the deer and run like F*&k, or where you give hunt protester an antler hat and say "Stand there!! and Don't move!!"

[dusterdude]

 

[JonnyHonda]

Man of  Few Words or(MoFW)

[needswork]

I've seen deer by the road 4 out of the last 6 times I've taken my bike out. My bike is fairly loud (Jardine 4 into 1 and pod filters) and the deer aren't really bothered by it. So, in my mind, the "loud bike scares the deer" theory is a load of crap. As far as the whistles go, you can still buy them here but I haven't heard anything good or bad about them.

Hey jonesdp, that moose/chevy collision happened here (last year)! I have to agree about the legs getting knocked out from under the moose. The one pictured isn't very big but I've seen some moose with legs so long a car could ALMOST (but not quite  ) drive under it!

Paul

[BobbyR]

A few miles from my home a fellow was minding his own business riding his open piped Harley when he was stuck from the side by a Deer and thrown in front of a large truck. RIP.  When I am in a Deer infested area, I blow the horn like hell. I use a 6v VW Beetle horn which is real loud at 12V and sounds like Wiley Coyote, so far so good.  

[Jonesy]

Hey jonesdp, that moose/chevy collision happened here (last year)! I have to agree about the legs getting knocked out from under the moose. The one pictured isn't very big but I've seen some moose with legs so long a car could ALMOST (but not quite ) drive under it!

A friend of mine who lives near Sudbury sent me those. Incredible!!!

[Bob Wessner]

Coincidentally, just heard on the radio (they were discussing deer herd management here in Michigan) that we, again, Michigan, average 65,000! deer car collisions per year.

[ElCheapo]

I am not anti-hunting type. Machine guns... yea that would fix a few things. Vehicle mounted machines guns coupled with a really big deer I mean snow plow. Remember I went back to kick , beat, swear at, and spit on the deer that T-boned me a few months ago. Now considering a 4X4 with huge killer guard on the front. The kind that kills even houses when I hit stuff, not that I run into houses or stuff often. More like they run into me, well almost. Coming back fom another kill score I had the unfortunate courtesy of sharing the road with some two teef dumbasses (people who's realtives were relatives before marriage) who decided to tow a house afterdark. A machinegun would have been nice there. Maybe a rocket launcher or two.

[dusterdude]

cheapo,i like the way you think

[needswork]

Hey jonesdp, that moose/chevy collision happened here (last year)! I have to agree about the legs getting knocked out from under the moose. The one pictured isn't very big but I've seen some moose with legs so long a car could ALMOST (but not quite ) drive under it!

A friend of mine who lives near Sudbury sent me those. Incredible!!!

Sudbury huh?  My family is from there. What a small world. 
I don't know how true it is but the story I heard was that the woman driving the car managed with few  injuries and her husband was driving behind her in another car and saw the whole thing.