Hit a deer tonight ...

[aspeck]

6 pt buck. Big deer. Never saw it before it was too late, never lifted the foot from the gas ... worst part, I was driving the Fire Department Tanker returning from a call! YIKES! No one was hurt. Deer was DOA. Antler hit the windshield in front of me. Bumper damaged, grill destroyed, some other front end damage. Worked to get the Tanker drive-able for another call till we get it fixed properly.

My first mark on any rig ... guess I was due.

 

[Don S]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

I know how that feels, had a 4 point hit me. Just behind the left front tire, caved the side of the poor old 65 Tempest in, knocked the side mirror off that got me in the forehead. Bad part was the guy behind me was driving a VW Bug, went over him.
After we both stopped, we went to get the deer (Food!!!) and it got up and ran off. 2 beat up cars (and 4 shook up people), and the dear got up and left. :facepalm:

 

[rbh]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Bleed it out, that's good food, check road kill cafe for recipes!

 

[aspeck]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Believe me, if there had been enough left of it, it would have been in the freezer. But it was a MESS! 3000 gallon Tanker v deer is not a pretty match. To bend the bumper takes QUITE a hit. I don't think there was an unbroken bone in the deer. :blue:

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Well at least you got dinner......





Didn't you????

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

tenderised ....... yummy

glad ya ok and the truck was red so just hammer out the dents and no one will notice.

 

[beardeddone]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

What, no pictures, glad no one was hurt..

 

[aspeck]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

...and the truck was red so just hammer out the dents and no one will notice.

Hard to hammer out fiberglass! :facepalm:

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Where's the pics?

LK

 

[sasto]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

I'm glad you were in the Tanker, Art. I would have not liked reading this had you been in your car with your family. Glad all turned out well for all onboard.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Glad to hear you are OK.

 

[Tyme2fish]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Can you sue the deer for being uninsured?

 

[FlaCowboy]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Last year a snake...now a deer...:facepalm:

I hope no one from PETA reads these boards...

The truck can be fixed...good to hear you are okay.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Can you sue the deer for being uninsured?

LOL Several years ago I hit an Elk(the Irony is that I was enroute to Elk Camp), when I went to report the accident to the State Patrol a couple days later I told the desk Officer that I was involved in an accident with an uninsured undocumented alien, he almost fell off his chair....

We kept on going with it after I told him the story, he told me they sent out a pre-emptive spec-ops strike, we made so much noise laughing his Commanding Officer came out and eventually joined in! $7000 damage to my Dodge Ram and the Elk lived to become somebody elses Dinner, last I saw of him he was walking uphill about 100 yards from where I stopped, Lucky SOB, if it had been Rifle Season instead of Bow Season....

Very Happy your ok Art!!

 

[dwco5051]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

The estimated number of road killed deer in Pennsylvania is between 40,000 to 60,000 per year for an average of 100 to 150 a day year round. I guess it was just your turn Art. To the best of my memory my total is somewhere between seven and nine over the years.

Had a friend who used to deliver newspapers in our end of the county early in the morning. He welded some brackets on the front of his old station wagon and mounted an old steel bed spring on the front. Sort of redneck version of the roo guards our Aussie friends have on their tractors for their road trains.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

I'm glad the only damage is the tanker and your deer strike record. When I lived in PA I was lucky to never have one hit me. Close a few times, My brothers wife hit two one night and after the truck was repaired she hit one more the next time out. My bro was not a happy camper. Deer are everywhere up there.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

worst part, I was driving the Fire Department Tanker returning from a call!

I had a whole herd waltz out in front of me when I was driving our tanker. When I stomped on the air horn you should have seen them scurry. Several paniced so bad they fell down. Missed em all and one kicked the front bumper. Thank you air horns!

 

[eaglejim]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Those deer know when I want or need a newer truck/work van the last 3 newer to me vans have been because of those deer

 

[Alwhite00]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

Last one i hit (7th) did 4,600 damage to my truck, i hate deer other than for dinner.

LK

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Hit a deer tonight ...

[h=1]Aspeck - Read this........ and a Fire Truck is NOT a legal weapon for deer hunting - You are a rouge hunter!!!!

Pennsylvania Game Commission Advises Motorists to Watch For Deer[/h]

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl G. Roe today advised motorists to slow down after sundown and before sunrise to reduce their risk of having a close encounter with a white-tailed deer.
Deer collisions are an annual occurrence that will continue through Thanksgiving week and begin to slow down in mid-December. For the sake of public safety, the Game Commission is urging motorists to drive cautiously after dark for the next several months.
"The personal tragedies and property losses that are caused by deer-vehicle collisions touch the lives of Pennsylvanians statewide," Roe said. "It's an unfortunate and often painful consequence of living with white-tailed deer.
"It's also a shame to see whitetails killed on highways in the weeks before our biggest deer seasons. Obviously, many of these accidents are unavoidable because deer do step into the path of fast-moving vehicles. But driving defensively, or, at the very least, alertly, can give a motorist an edge in many instances."
Roe noted that being knowledgeable about deer can help Pennsylvanians stay out of harm's way. He said that some deer aren't paying close attention to what's going on around them during the fall breeding season, commonly referred to as the "rut."
"During the rut, deer are moving about more than usual," Roe said. "It's a time when deer become preoccupied with finding the opposite sex or staying a few steps ahead of rival suitors. It's a time when this summer's fawns – left alone while does follow nature's calling – sometimes naively wander into troublesome predicaments. It's a time, quite frankly, when deer don't seem to maintain the distance that typically keeps them from dangerously interacting with Pennsylvania motorists."
Roe also noted that drivers shouldn't assume trouble has passed completely when a deer successfully crosses the road.
"Deer frequently travel in family groups and single file," Roe said. "Just because one has crossed, doesn't mean the threat is over. Its crossing could be a signal that others may follow, which they sometimes do blindly."
Some bucks are beginning to chase does. Sometimes these bucks follow closely; other times they pursue with their heads to the ground nosing a scent trail. Also, research conducted by the Game Commission and Penn State University indicates many yearling bucks will be traveling more during the fall.
"After tracking hundreds of radio-collared bucks, we know that half or more of the yearling bucks will be wandering away from the areas where they were born," said Dr. Christopher Rosenberry , Game Commission Deer and Elk Section Supervisor. "These animals will travel four to five miles on average, but some may travel as far as 40 miles or more. Most of this movement occurs from mid-October through the breeding season in mid-November."
Roe also noted that with the end of daylight savings time scheduled for Nov. 1, more motorists will be driving to and from work at the peak hours of deer activity: dawn and dusk.
Those who are enjoying the outdoors during this colorful time of year, including hunters, also play a role in moving deer during daylight hours. Hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders and hunters can flush deer from briar thickets, windbreaks and forested areas.
"If you see people in the vicinity of the road you're traveling, it's probably a good idea to slow down," Roe said. "Since most hunters are wearing fluorescent orange clothing, they're usually very visible to motorists."
Motorists also should slow down whenever farmers are harvesting cornfields because deer are often flushed from fields as farm equipment approaches them.
Drivers who hit a deer with a vehicle are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass. To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to provide a free permit number, which the caller should write down. A driver must call within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer.
A passing Pennsylvania motorist also may claim the deer, if the person whose vehicle hit it doesn't want it. Again, the motorist must report taking possession of the deer within 24 hours to the Game Commission.
Antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission.
If a deer is struck by a vehicle, but not killed, drivers are urged to stay their distance because some deer may recover and move on. However, if a deer does not move on, or poses a public safety risk, drivers are encouraged to report the incident to a Game Commission regional office or other local law enforcement agency. If the deer must be put down, the Game Commission will direct the proper person to do so.
To report a dead deer for removal from state roads, motorists can call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.
Other tips for motorists include:

• Don't count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from crossing roads in front of you. Stay alert.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population; where deer-crossing signs are posted; places where deer commonly cross roads; areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
• Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down; blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if the deer stays on the road; don't try to go around it.

Facts about the Pennsylvania Game Commission: While deer-vehicle collisions are on the increase at this time, which falls in line with the deer breeding season, the other time of year when deer-vehicle collisions increase is in the spring, as does separate from other deer in order to give birth to fawns.
Note to Editors: If you would like to receive Game Commission news releases via e-mail, please send a note with your name, address, telephone number and the name of the organization you represent to: PGCNews@state.pa.us
SOURCE Pennsylvania Game Commission