More lethal than guns!

[CHARLIE]

Where is PETA?  They should be out there protecting the deer and keeping them off the roads!

Article in Tuesday's St. Paul Pioneer Press

Vehicle, deer crashes on the rise

Crashes between vehicles and deer in Wisconsin rose 5.8% from 2002 to 2003, state records show.

"Everybody wants to solve this problem," said Keith Knapp, director of the Deer-Vehicle Crash Information Clearinghouse at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "We have to keep trying possible solutions."

The 21,666 reported collisions last year caused 792 injuries and 13 fatalities, falling short of the record 1999 toll. That year's count of 847 injuries was the highest figure in 25 years of tracking such crashes, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol.

As of 2003, deer were the 3rd most commonly struck object in Wisconsin, behind another vehicle and fixed objects such as trees and guardrails, said major Dan Lonsdorf, director of the State Patrol's Bureau of Transprotation Safety.

Dane County last year had more deer-vehicle crashes than any other Wisconsin county with 1,135.

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That's a bunch of deer road kill!  I know that Minnesota and Michigan have similar numbers and assume Pennslyvania is up there too.  I believe I read a couple of years ago that the average cost of vehicle repair from a deer collision is about $2000.   I think we are in the wrong business.  

[etat]

Might oughta check with dail_h.  I heard a rumour that he's a thinking about getting CFI back in the roadkill business.

[Woodcarver]

I've hit five. Three that did serious damage to the vehicle I was driving and two that didn't. One destroyed a fender, the grill and the hood on a Chevy Malibu.  That one was in the $2000 range.

I've managed to go five or six years now without so much as a close call.  Hope that doesn't mean my number is coming up again.  

[Furby]

Almost got me a real fine doe last week, but she was a bit too fast for me! :-/ ;D

I'm on the road late almost every night. The 6 miles I travel gets one about two or three times a week.

[TN_man]

A couple of years ago, I hit a deer on my way in to work. 1500$ woth of damage. Two weeks later I picked the car up form the body shop and hit a deer that same evening going in to town--- totaled. I hear ya Charlie and I am afraid it will get worse before PETA hears ya. :

[sprucebunny]

We have moose collisions. They are dark and sneaky. I've hit one--it ran off the road then doubled back and hit me just behind the headlight. Bet it had a major headache.$3000damage. SLOW DOWN.
Around here you will be tailgated if you obey the speed limit and usually accumulate quite a long line of cars in a no passing zone.50 in a 35 is common 75 in a 50 normal What's the hurry? Enjoy the scenery.
Thanks for the chance to rant . I'm sure none of my FF buddies go rudely fast.

[WH_Conley]

    Ky DNR has stocking elk in eastern Ky. Imangine what that will be to hit. Forget the suv, where can you buy an armoured car?

[CHARLIE]

It just amazes me at how many deer are hit by vehicles up here. Over 21,000 per state (and that is just the reported ones) is a lot!!  All my years growing up in Florida, I don't think I ever saw a deer that was hit by a vehicle.  I wish there was someway to scare the deer with mirrors, lights, sound or something. If someone invented something to prevent deer from crossing highways that was not cost prohibitive, they would become a billionaire. Meanwhile, I think PETA should get involved and station their members along all highways and when they see a deer coming they could wave their arms and jump up and down. It is because PETA won't step up to the challenge that many deer are being killed.  :D

[Engineer]

I belong to PETA

People Eating Tasty Animals.   ;D

I've hit one deer with my truck, it was running so fast and so low that I squished it - no damage to the truck.  Had that critter strung up, skinned and dressed inside of a half hour.    

My brother whomped two of 'em with my parent's Buick when he was in high school.  First one, they didn't believe him, they though he might have hit something else.   :(  Second one was two weeks later, he was so mad he threw the whole deer, some 170 pounds of doe, on the hood of the car and drove home with it.   Folks believed him that time.  Deer was still alive when he threw it on the car.  

[rebocardo]

When I last lived in MA (about 2000) they had pretty much done everything they could to outlaw hunting, including deer and leg traps.

Once the beavers started flooding their fancy home lots in Lexington and the middle part of the state, and people started smashing deers with their fancy cars and getting killed, then they started to think hunting might have its uses.

Yea, when you start killing 4x the amount of deer with your cars then you take hunting, you just might have a problem.

[leweee]

Rich folks has to watch out for more than deer !!! :

stuffed Benz anyone ???

PS spotted outside the roadkill cafe !!!

[Timber_Framer]

Earlier this season my neighbor on the forty below hit a moose with his UPS truck. The wrecker took his truck into the shop and then hauled the moose over to Dave's place! You know you're in the north woods when you look up and there's a moose swinging behind a wrecker

[TN_man]

Great story TimberFramer :D
I have seen elk in our area several times since they released some in our county. A 150 lb. deer can do alot of damage, I hate to see it when I run into 1200 lb. bull elk. I know , you guys from moose country will say big deal. With my luck though, I sure dread that day.

[Swede]

I´ve hit 2 deers driving a car. The first one I hit in 40mph with my friend´s Mercedes Benz, just a little touch in the back. Half a bumper, light and some other expensive parts flew together with the deer down beside the road.
The second I hit with my Volkwagen Passat -92, the model looking like a piece of soap from the front. The speed at that time was 70mph. and hit the deer all over. It disapeared right over me and I saw in the mirror how it fell down on the road, dead. Two days later I found that left part of my bumper was moved less than 1/2" backwards. No other damage.  

Just one more reason why I love my old Wolkswagen  :D

Swede.

[Percy]

I belong to PETA

People Eating Tasty Animals.   ;D

I've hit one deer with my truck, it was running so fast and so low that I squished it - no damage to the truck.  Had that critter strung up, skinned and dressed inside of a half hour.    

My brother whomped two of 'em with my parent's Buick when he was in high school.  First one, they didn't believe him, they though he might have hit something else.   :(  Second one was two weeks later, he was so mad he threw the whole deer, some 170 pounds of doe, on the hood of the car and drove home with it.   Folks believed him that time.  Deer was still alive when he threw it on the car.  

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :DHahahahahahahahah Im dying here hahahahahahah :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Percy]

I´ve hit 2 deers driving a car. The first one I hit in 40mph with my friend´s Mercedes Benz, just a little touch in the back. Half a bumper, light and some other expensive parts flew together with the deer down beside the road.
The second I hit with my Volkwagen Passat -92, the model looking like a piece of soap from the front. The speed at that time was 70mph. and hit the deer all over. It disapeared right over me and I saw in the mirror how it fell down on the road, dead. Two days later I found that left part of my bumper was moved less than 1/2" backwards. No other damage.  

Just one more reason why I love my old Wolkswagen  :D

Swede.

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D this has been a great night for funny posts hahahahahahahahahahahah :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

[Erick]

I agree with Chalie

"I thing PETA should get involved and station their members along all highways and when they see a deer coming they could wave their arms and jump up and down."

I believe the PETA folks should step up and take care of their fur bearing friends. When they see a critter in danger of being hit by a car they should run out in the road and scare it away. Of course I guess then folks would complain about all of the PETA collisions with vehicles. Oh well two birds with one stone I guess. ;)

[Roxie]

Nah....PETA is way too busy hanging out down at the Horse and Cattle Auction where we unload livestock.  They actually scream at us if one of the cows comes off the trailer with a nick in it's hide.
One day, when we were backing the stock trailer into the aisleway to unload, one of those PETA ladies had parked her shiney new Acura right up next to the pens.  As we were closing the gap to the gate with the trailer, one of the cows experienced some intestinal distress that shot about 20 feet across the parking lot, spraying Mrs. Peta from the waist to the shoulder and almost completely covering the Acura's windshield.  She was screaming then, let me tell you, and when she approached Cowboy Bob all he did was smile.  She tried insisting that he pay for at least a car wash, and his response was that she was in a location with livestock and was she aware that they didn't come with corks?  Cowboy Bob told me later in the truck that if he could have identified the cow what done it, he would have bought her back!   ;)

[Timber_Framer]

 :D :D :D :D
Nice

[Roxie]

Seriously, Swede's experience with the damage less at a higher rate of speed goes along with what the State Police tell folks here in PA.....if a collision with a deer is imminent, speed the car UP...don't apply the brakes.  They say that most serious injuries and deaths (of people) happen when the deer goes through the windshield.  If you speed up, the deer is more likely to be thrown to the side or over the car.  

[Tom]

I almost hit one coming home from work last night. It was already dark and he jumped out in front of me into the lights and turned and ran down the road.  I speeded up but couldn't' catch him.  He finally found a place to get off into the trees and I wasn't hungry enough to go after him.  Some of them are just plain lucky.

[Norm]

Tom's reply made me remember an old story from back when I hunted down in Warsaw MO with my oldest brother and others. He had cut himself rather badly with a knife while whittling a stick to prop open the rib cage of a field dressed deer. After hauling the deer out for him (we all accused him of doing it on purpose) we took him to the local small town hospital. While in the emergency room stiching him up they brought in a young lady with a broken wrist from a car accident. They were in the same room as this is a one room emergency, soon the local highway patrolman came in to interview her about the accident. She explained how a deer had run across the road in front of her and since her husband hadn't had any luck during the deer season she went in the ditch while trying to run over it. She missed but still managed to bang up her car and herself pretty bad.:D

[Timber_Framer]

This group of four guys I worked with down in Texas webnt up to Colorado Elk hunting and the weather was misserable and after six days they hadn't bagged and elk. On the way back home however they hit one on the highway totalling the suburban! Of course we all accused them of running it down :D

[CHARLIE]

A few years back my daughter was coming to my home late one evening on the interstate. She was doing about 70 mph when she hit a deer that came from nowhere.  It bent the right front fender to a right angle to the vehicle. She came into the house almost in hysterics and crying. My mother put her arms around her to comfort her, then turned to me and said; "Son, go get your gun and put that poor deer out of it's misery."     I replied; " Mom, I ain't going down to the Interstate at 10:00pm and walk around with a shotgun and a flashlight. I just ain't gonna do it."  I'd have been put under the jail. ;D  

[Paschale]

I've hit a couple of deer myself...just minor damage both times.  But my dad--well, he's hit about five deer and a COW!  A big ole beef cow's gonna make a dent.  He was driving around in the country, and came over a hill--the gate for the cows was open, and there was nothing he could do but hit the darn thing.

I was in Colorado this summer, and they have "open range" sections, where the cows just meander wherever they want--including the road.  That's just plain crazy!

As to PETA, and their influence, I heard on NPR about a year ago that in Indiana they were experimenting with injecting time release birth control doses to deer.  Now THAT'S insane, and talk about governmental waste.   :

According to this article, it's at least been put on hold.

http://www.ussportsmen.org/interactive/features/Read.cfm?ID=577