Deer country rider here. I just keep an eye out and remain at or under the speed limit after dark. I've had many cross, run along side or stop at the edge of the road.

LED lights and loud pipes save lives!

 

We hit one a year ago in October west of Denver. Middle of the day a small doe jumped out in front of us with no warning. Didn't have a chance to slow down or swerve and there was oncoming traffic, thought to myself this is gonna hurt. She caught the tip of my fender in the head and we rolled over her. Saw her get up and run off with one broken leg in my mirror, luckily nobody else hit her. Tweaked my fender and some chrome, but I was able to bend them back. Added a little character to the bike, be careful out there.

 

Not me but my uncle did several years ago. He was running late for work and running down the road on his Honda at about 70mph. Deer jumped in front of him and he managed to mix Mom but got the fawn following it. Blew the deer in half. His steering shuttered a bit and he kept going. Looked at his bike at lunch and guts burnt all over the engine. Ended up with a cracked frame which I guess is better than a cracked skull

 

I had one a couple weeks back. My first time riding the Angeles Crest Highway i has a doe run out in front of me. I came around the corner and saw her and started slowing down before she came out. Still not submerging I’m used to here in SoCal. Little bit of a pucker factor.

Garrett

 

I've had a few very close encounters with deer in the daytime around here, but I won't ride around here at night. Too many deer roaming the streets at night and early mornings. I've had to stop my truck many times just to avoid hitting one on residential streets.

 

This is my solution to the deer problem:

 

I live in rural Texas and deer are everywhere. In the twenty-two years I have lived here my wife and I have, combined, hit three deer with our cars. In fact, we just got our car back two weeks ago. It cost State Farm $7k in repairs.

Even worse, I hit a deer while riding the bike. It is rare for me to ride when dark but it was 0550 on this morning twenty miles from home. I was in the middle of nowhere where there is no cell service.

The deer came from my right side perpendicular to my line of travel and I did not see it until it was ten feet from me. I was travelling at 55 mph in a 65 mph zone. It's head caught my right passing lamp and legs hit my engine guard. It was like slow motion but the deer swung around me and took out a strap on my right saddlebag. I never went down. If I had, who knows how long it would have taken for someone to find me. If I was a fraction slower or the deer a fraction faster I would have t-boned it. No paint or engine damage. I only sustained a metatarsal fracture in my right foot because I keep the ball of my foot on the highway peg.

Oh, I had to toss out a good pair of shorts, too. I rode home in utter amazement how blessed I was. Close calls? I don't even count them anymore.

 

Bambi tackled me on the Blue Ridge Parkway 3.5 years ago. Lost control & hugged a tree. Broke 11 ribs in multiple places, punctured & collapsed lung, broken right leg, separated shoulder & part of my colon removed. Airlifted to Asheville hospital for a month, a month home healthcare. It sucked. Totaled my '09 Road King. 5 months later, back on a bike. A month after that...developed complications and another effing surgery. Still riding a lot though, I love it so. But not fond of night riding any more.

 

One deer with the car, on the bike several close calls with deer, turkeys even had a cow try to cross the road in front of me, always on the lookout.