Doesn't mean it can't happen.
Posted on 09/16/2014 10:32:02 AM PDT by skeptoid
Minnesota drivers will face a 1-in-88 chance of hitting a deer on the state’s highways this year, according to a report released Monday by the nation’s largest auto insurance company.
State Farm’s annual report estimates that Minnesota drivers will collide with 37,549 deer in 2014.
Minnesota drivers have the 8th highest odds of hitting a deer among the 50 states, according to the report, down from 6th highest in last year’s report.
(Excerpt) Read more at grandforksherald.com ...
“In Minnesota the most frequent months for deer collision are November and October, when hunters are afield and deer are mating and moving more, followed by June, when newborn fawns are beginning to move around.”
In Coastal Californicator land, our best time to get hit by deer starts in August and goes until our first rains.
Summer and early fall, Archery and firearm seasons drive the bucks into the suburbs during the early annual part of “Watchout for Deer”.
Then, as our normal summer/fall drought continues until the first hard rains, usually in November, food for the grazing deer continues to get harder and harder to find.
When our moon nights, reach half full moon to full moon and back to half full moon. At night our roads are packed with deer grazing by the roads or trying to find a grazing spot in the moonlight.
If we go out after dark during this period, we will often see over a dozen deer in our block and immediate roads.
During these nights, Bambi loving drivers learn the hard way, if they don’t kill themselves, to never drive off the road to avoid a deer. Trees and rocks can take a fatal or serious toll on those who do this.
In one year, a soft hearted doctor, drove off the road to avoid hitting a deer and spent a couple of weeks in the hospital. Then he did the same with a bunny. After talking to him, he bought a big Ford Diesel F250 4X4, and according to rumors, he carried a butchering pack in his truck to remove back straps from deer not smart enough to get off the road.
Those things work great!
Mine also prevents volcanoes.
I’m very careful to scan for sets of eyes glowing in the headlights anywhere near the roadway. The deer are so numerous, I know all the “runs” on regularly traveled routes, and they’re not always marked by a state sign. You get so you can sort of “feel” them, I move to the center of the roadway, put my foot on the brake, slow down and coast through those areas if at all possible.
I’ve only hit one, low speed, the remainder of a hurricane was blowing through with wind and a lot of standing water on the roadway, it jump out from behind a large Forsythia bush on the side of the road. Little damage to the car, crazed the paint on the soft plastic bumper, knocked a foglight askew. The deer went spinning on it’s side for about twenty feet, hopped up and leapt off into the woods.
A deer hit me and knocked out my electrical system and bashed in my door. Then had the nerve to stand up and trot off into the woods!
Perhaps it’s time to take down the deer crossing signs, so that the deer will stop crossing near them. /s
Where there’s one there’s usually at least three. Don’t think just because the one you see jumped out of the road that there aren’t more coming.
I guess our deer are illiterate because they don’t use the deer crossings much, just jaywalking all over the place. Why, there ought to be a law!
Doesn't mean it can't happen.
“Where there’s one there’s usually at least three. Don’t think just because the one you see jumped out of the road that there aren’t more coming.”
Exactly. Deer are herd animals. Every year of so with the company I worked for, I submitted a driving suggestion, “If you see one, slow down, as that deer is probably only one of many, since they are herd animals.”
I would win a nice cash prize every time I submitted that response.
Oh deer!
Family members and I have all hit (or been hit) by deer. By the way, Garage the damaged car (w/deer remnants attached til the adjustor arrives).
But best “claim” story I’ve had...several years ago, deer went into neighbors above ground 24 foot round swimming pool (how, we do not know—jumped up & over the wall?). It panicked, kicking the wall out, deer (and 13k gallons of water) rush downward (along w/some bushes) to damage our PARKED in the driveway car.
Took awhile for adjusters to figure that one out.
IH8Bambi !!!
Craziest deer experience I’ve ever had while driving involved very heavy fog. It got so bad I was barely inching along, could hardly even see the traffic light I’d just gone under. I was considering rolling the driver’s side window down and sticking my head out to see the yellow line so I could keep moving, afraid I’d be rear ended if I stopped. Looked over at the driver’s side window to do that and a big buck was right there. Hit the brakes, stopped and was surrounded by a large herd of deer, all peering in the car. Just kept looking in. It was the strangest thing. I sat there for what felt like five minutes, all the while worrying that some fool was going to come piling into me.
Sounds like Idaho elk herds in fog during the late 1950’s and early 1960’s.
They’ve reintroduced elk to the mountains of North Carolina. I’m within sight of the Blue Ridge. I’m not keen on something that huge becoming a road hazard, deer are bad enough. Doubt they’ll get this far in my lifetime.
I was driving along a two lane road at sunrise. I saw a buck off to the left grazing in a field. For some reason, he took off like he was on fire on an intercept course with me. There was nothing else to do but hit the brakes and close my eyes. I heard a small thud on the roof off the car. I opened my eyes and saw the buck hauling donkey up the hill on the right. I pulled over to examine the car. Nothing on the front of the car. On the front of the roof of the car was a small dimple. That stupid deer had vaulted the car! I looked up the hill and there were three other bucks holding up signs with “9” on them. I looked across the road back to the field, and there was another buck chalking up his hooves. Stupid gymnast deer. Got nothing better to do.
It sounds like the bucks were showing off for the females!
So, 1 in 88 will hit a deer...
the rest need more range time.
We know that by experience. Last winter, my sister from Florida visited, and we told her to keep an eye out for the deer because it was just after dark. We were returning from dinner out. Within a few seconds, a deer came into the road. So we stopped. My husband was in the middle of saying, “Where there’s one, there’s more coming,” and then two more came into the road. Then we looked to the side and there were four more grazing.
We are lucky, because we get to see these elegant animals all the time in our wooded backyard, but my sister was thrilled because she lives near the beach. She enjoyed that little surprise very much!
I call them rats with hooves. we have had multiple vehicular encounters with deer including totaling one of our cars. They are like flies here at times in WV.
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