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What to do when you see a deer.

Dockworker

Dockworker

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Have you hit or almost hit a deer? Majority of the time it's because the deer jumps out in front of us out of nowhere.
Motorists should always be vigilant for deer and other animals crossing in front of them.

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[*]You can slow down as safely as you can, sound your horn to scare the deer away from the road. It's still possible you may hit it.

[*]Quickly scan for more deer. Deer travel in groups; others may be nearby, but out of view.

[*]DO NOT swerve to miss it, this only makes it worse for you and your vehicle. Just head straight and hit the deer, DO NOT swerve! The saying is "It's better to hit the deer, then to swerve and cause more damage"

[*]If you decide to swerve to miss it, especially if your near road banks, there's a big possibility that you could roll your vehicle,hurt yourself or cause a fatality. The Center for Disease Control reports that one half of motorist fatalities related to deer strikes result from the driver swerving to avoid the deer.

[*]Be more alert in areas of deer-crossing highway signs. These warning signs indicate locations of frequent deer crossings.
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Deer hit by cop doing 90-95 mph! This deer comes out of the right so fast! pause the video to see.

Cop Unloads in an Injured Deer This is probably how they die after being hit. It really had no where to run. We just never see it. I'm not even sure the officer shot it. The videographers were silly at the end.

Do any Truckingboard members have any stories,pictures or videos to share???
 
I have no idea who is riding the cycle but he or she might want to put a helmet on, better to be un-cool with the cruiser/harley group than be cool one second and a vegatable the next..did I mention I'm a helmet advocate?

I forgot to add, a helmet saved my life several years ago, had I not worn one, I wouldn't be here to have my wife and kids, I guess I wouldn't know what I was missing but the thought makes me sick.
 
grocery thrower said:
I have no idea who is riding the cycle but he or she might want to put a helmet on, better to be un-cool with the cruiser/harley group than be cool one second and a vegatable the next..did I mention I'm a helmet advocate?

I forgot to add, a helmet saved my life several years ago, had I not worn one, I wouldn't be here to have my wife and kids, I guess I wouldn't know what I was missing but the thought makes me sick.
Click to expand...

10-4 on the helmet usage.:1036316054:
I tried to ride without one and just couldn't stand the constant bugs and/or grit hitting your face.
I had a rock fly off the tire of a car I was riding behind. It hit my helmet with so much force it freaked me out. I was glad to have been wearing a helmet.
 
I've encountered several deer standing in the middle of the road while driving at night, and all you have to do is safely slow down, and flash your lights at them, or turn your head lights on and off a few times, and they will run away... It's the light that hypnotizes them... Horn works too, but they seem to stand frozen when they see the headlights....
 
necie67 said:
I've encountered several deer standing in the middle of the road while driving at night, and all you have to do is safely slow down, and flash your lights at them, or turn your head lights on and off a few times, and they will run away... It's the light that hypnotizes them... Horn works too, but they seem to stand frozen when they see the headlights....
Click to expand...

The idea is to hit them hard enough to kill them but not make hamburger out of them, or stun them real good and then shoot them. You will go home a big game huntin hero and not have to sit in an uncomfortable treestand, buy deer corn, and wait for the animal to happen by. Coon or possum, now thats huntin, none of that sittin around waiting for something to come to you, where is the spirit in that, people sure are proud of it though..there I go throwin my opinion around, if only I could profit from it...LOL
 
i like it when you sound the horn and the deer do a "burn out" on the highway. guess those hooves aint worth a damn on pavement. legs a movin but not goin anywhere but against my bumper

deerrunning.gif
runningdeer.gif
 
This is a very good topic,its is sometimes a hard decision to make when anyone driving sees any animal in their path.
A lot of women have killed themselves running into ditches,other vehicles,and fixed objects by trying to swerve out of an animals way.

But I've also seen deers get launched by one vehicle hitting them,then they go through the windshields of on-coming vehicles killing that driver.

I remember when Overnite had the (R) model Macks for Road tractors.
A Road driver coming into my terminal had the left front of the hood torn off from hitting a deer on our NY State Tru-way.

So in conclusion I will agree that its much better to stay in your lane slow down,flash your lights,and hope for the best,this is the best safety advice I can offer on this subject.
 
Let's say you followed those rules and slowed down as much as you could.
You still hit the deer and notice that you did not run it over.

You stop the truck, get out and look.
It's front and rear legs are now stuck between your bumper and grill and it's somewhat mangled, bleeding and wiggling around.
It's making frantic panic sounds that you've never heard before.
Your adrenaline and the deers adrenaline is pumping.

What would you do to get it off your truck?
 
the deer bounce right off. if your gonna hit 1 go for the middle of the hood. less damage that way. hit the brakes and go for impact in the middle of the hood. i hit a young calf one night at usfdugan. i was on 36 highway just on the west side of shelbina. went for the middle and i drove the truck back to kc. it did do alot of damage. radatior, air to air, hood, bumper, and somethin else. i wasn't leakin anything so i was good to go. deer runnin over = fun
hitting calves or cows = brick walls / no fun
 
I forgot to add that my scenario above is a true story. This puppy was probably trying to jump away at the moment of impact, resulting in it getting stuck.

I'll post what this driver did to release it later.
 
I scan for more deer and remove foot from the accelerator.I do not blink lights or use the horn,though the horn may be a good idea.Reactions differ from driver to driver and nobody knows their reaction until the first time they encounter the situation.You can tell a newbie not to swerve but until they are put in that situation you will not know their reaction...
 
a9faninnc said:
You can tell a newbie not to swerve but until they are put in that situation you will not know their reaction...
Click to expand...
Exactly the point! It's almost an instinctive reaction to avoid anything negative by swerving.
I know I've swerved a few times and nearly tipped a set of doubles. It scared the poop out of me to see the back box tip so much. I really don't know what I did to correct it from tipping over.

When driving in woody dark areas, I drive a bit slower and keep a watchful eye out for the Bambi's. I have conditioned myself to perform a kamikazee maneuver if needed.
 
Not sure if this car swerved or did a direct hit. Either way the aftermath is disgusting.
WARNING: The below link contains splattered deer pictures. Not for the weak stomachs.
Oh Deer!
 
Do Deer Whistles Work? What do you members think?

The Save-A-Deer whistle and The Hornet Electronic Deer Avoidance System claims they do. google them for product info.

The links below claim none of them work:
Deer-Whistles Ineffective, Says Bioacoustics Researcher 2002 article.


Short answer is NO. If you can find an insurance company to give you
a discount that would cover the cost...go for it...otherwise check
this evidence below.....
Click to expand...
Do deer alert whistles really work? Wiki Answers


Do Deer Whistles Work? YouTube Video!:1036316054:
 
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