Deer

[czechsonofagun]

Going to work early this morning - I still have a jet leg from those two weeks in Prague - and saw a deer on the side of the road. Going too fast to brake I went over to the left lane to make sure I have some space between us. That woke him up and he run away.

I think - and I was wrong before - that light fixed on the deer makes him freeze, but any change will make him flee. That said if you had time to switch high beams to low or turn of headlights for a second, maybe you could avoid hitting the deer.

Opinions?

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Or if you turn your headlights off and can't see the deer, did you really hit it From my experience, there is no way to predict how a deer will react. Some may just step off the road and watch you go past. Others go crazy. I have seen one take off and run straight into a tree. Another ran into the wheel of our truck (we were going 20 mph pulling a loaded hay wagon). Another time two fawns went one way and their mom ran across the road and into the front of my Jeep. They are just unpredictable.

 

[Podunkadunk]

Deer are stupid...


Until the first day of hunting season . Still, I think that Does are dumber than the Bucks, in/off season.

It's my impression that deer become temporarily blinded by the carlights and they don't know how to react. Because they see so well at night (tons of "Rods" in their eyes), those Rods get "washed out" by bright car headlights and they become temporarily blinded and confused. It's a crapshoot on what they'll do during that time.

Podunk

 

[Thomas]

Glad no contact was made..whew.

Deer in the road...that's when I start looking for #2,#3 etc...ready to dart across the road...yikes.

 

[Thomas]

Deer are stupid...
Until the first day of hunting season . Still, I think that Does are dumber than the Bucks, in/off season.

Those dang swamp donkeys aren't much brighter.

 

[czechsonofagun]

Glad no contact was made..whew.

Deer in the road...that's when I start looking for #2,#3 etc...ready to dart across the road...yikes.

I believe my jeep is tall enough with a protective frame not to pick up any bambi hitchhikers to the front seat, but still prefer not to hunt with my front bumper

We have suburbs coming to our rural area and seems like there is a correlation between the number of subdivisions and the deer population.

 

[thcri]

A shining light direct in the deer's eyes will cause them to lock up. If you can make a change it may help but again once they start to move you don't know what direction they are going to go.

murph