My worst fear: hitting a deer on the bike

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15334624

I have had a close call once and apparently someone told me that you should swerve behind them because they will carry on heading forwards. Not sure how true that is. The worst part is if the animal is badly wounded and you are watching it suffer (assuming you are ok of course)

Just watch out if you are out in the countryside xxx

 

Don't worry - if you knock one over, I'll be right behind you . There's a law in the UK that says that if you knock a deer over, you can't keep it yourself... although the vehicle behind you can have it. Nom nom nom.

 

Hit a deer in the car once doing about 15mph, wrote the car off but the deer carried on...probably more the adrenaline keeping it going though.

 

No doubt it could hurt but certainly won't worry about this, other than reading the signs that might be there I don't think much can be done re avoidance.

 

A deer jumped a high wall and landed right in front of me about 10 years ago, up in Scotland. I have to admit to being a tad over the limit at the time and I was rather relieved when it took one look at me and jumped straight back again - I'd never have stopped in time. But that's the only time I've had one actually had to hit the brakes! Sheep are a bigger problem, quite honestly.

 

Above this on my 'list of fears' are many things inc discovering grey pubes, decorating, having to pee in the night. Oh yeah...& finding I had a friend who was in love with their machine.

 

Please promise to scrape me off the road before you do the deer.

Wow, that is the amazing that that biker managed to stay on and only had minimal damage at that speed!!!!

 

Sheep dont come out of nowhere though, we saw them in Ashdown Forest and in Wales and they just sit there and stare at you.

 

Depends VERY much where and when. Traffic through Ashdown Forest is non-stop, so the animals there, including the sheep, are very much used to the traffic and totally ignore a bike going past 1 metre away. Same goes for the popular biking routes in Wales.

But if you venture off-track onto some of the less-frequented roads they're spooked when a bike comes along - I've seen them sit there nibbling grass ignoring a car then run straight into the road in front of the bike, just because it's unusual. Sometimes they'll even be spooked by the car in front of you and they can run anywhere.

And watch out during the lambing season, you'll sometimes find the ewe on one side of the road and the lamb(s) on the other... what happens then is that when spooked, they'll run towards each other - and meet in the middle of the road right in front of you.

 

Ive had a few close shaves involving deer as Tanya sez Ashdown Forest is a nightmare for them. During the day you dont see many its dusk when they come out. As me and others go out summer weekday evenings we bought some deer scarer whistles to attach to the bikes not sure if they work but worth a go. You really wouldnt wont to hit a deer full on some are huge it would be like hitting a brick wall.

 

But what you are really telling me though.... is that because of some ancient law, I dont get to have fresh lamb for dinner

 

My boss in New York fitted these to the front of his car as he'd pelt down I-95 on Friday nights heading for his farm in Connecticut. I poo pooed them (perhaps foolishly) because they look just like small tubes fitted to the bumper: they didn't even seem to make a whistle as he drove along. Maybe the laugh was on me - he never had even a close shave with a deer, when his neighbours all had stories to tell. (And full freezers, but that's something else). I never had a farm in Connecticut...

Tanya - ask some of your colleagues in the US to check out their L.L. Bean hunting catalogues and send you over a set. At the very least they'll be a talking point!

 

A bunch of US bikers I used to know used to use the deer whistles... they're ultrasonic, AFAIK.

 

Here you go i have two on the CB and one on the blade.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARS-VANS...ssories_Car_Care_Cleaning&hash=item415852853e

 

as supplied by mr blade

and never seen a deer since

 

not dear either

 

I have hit a sheep as well, I came over the brow of a hill on the B2096 and there was about half a dozen in the road, some dozy farmer had left his gate open...that wrote the car off too, thankfully it was a company pool car though...

 

I hit a deer @ just under 60mph on the A14 about a year ago felt the front wheel lift up but i just carried on.......


..........When i got back to the depot i realised my passanger step was missing and thier was blood all over the trailer lucky i was in a 38 ton artic really