Hit my first deer today!

sv61

I have hit two deer.

On Motorcycles.

One, I hit at about 80 mph. Did NOT go down. No talent on my part. Just dumb luck. Saw her at the last second (like always), ducked down and held on. She hit the front of the bike, slapped around and caught my right leg. Good clean kill, hitting her just behind the earhole. Broke her neck, and a little blood comin out her nose, etc. Bout 10:00 at night, on an Interstate about 40 miles outside of San Antonio. Bunch of snot, blood, deer hair hangin out of the front of the FJ1100.

Fast Forward to 1993. Hit another one, about 40 mph. Not so lucky this time. She hit my front wheel turning it hard left. I NEVER saw this one, so when my front tire turned left, the bike SLAMMED down right. I was flying in the air (I THINK I might have looked like Wile Coyote at this point), probably in denial. Once I hit the ground with my face and right shoulder (Thank God for my 1 Month old Kevin Shwantz Replica Arai), I realized that something wasn't quite right. Stopped rolling, sliding, etc, sat up, and realized that something was wrong with my shoulder. Long story short (is that still possible?) got an ambulance ride out of this one. Badly (3rd Degree)seperated shoulder, and the usual bumps and bruises. Bike was a little tore up on the right side as well. 1991 CBR1000F

Too many deer to remember in cars and trucks. This is Texas after all.

rmjg

as far as stayin alive on the road.I live in Utah and the people who drive here are dangerous. i used to say 'when ya ride a bike, just pretend that everybody wants to run you over if you give them a chance' but with all the fools on their cell phones it was getting like they might run you over and never even know it. so now i say 'to stay alive all you have to do is learn how to see 3 seconds into the future. as for deer...i have a theory and twice i have tried it in my truck (85 ford 3/4 ton hot rod 460)and it worked...twice i saw deer in my headlights less than 40 feet in front of me at 55-60 and i stood on the gas..secondarys on carb open at same time trans did a down shift..i think the noise got his attention or the change in noise, cause i should have hit both of them...as for on a bike and if i even had the time to think about it..i don't know.i do know my reflex move for debri in the road is 'hit it hard, fast and square' and that got me over one 4x4 and several 2x4 s but not on b bird..it was on an old 2 valve zuki and if i still had that bike, for 50 bucks i would run over another 4x4...it wasn't that much of a deal

PrecisionAndy

Deer suck!!!!! I hit one back in '98 on my new TL1000R had the fricken thing about two weeks, just got my windscreen, and M4 full system on it....wich I orded about a month before I got the bike...

I was going ruffly 90 to 100mph ya I know kinda fast, but I was trying to get back to gratten raceway before they closed the gate on for the lunch break...and I was doing good theat day in the sprint races on my 97 gsxr....

didn't see him till he on top of me....jumped out of the bushes next to the road.....long story short...totaled the bike, it went off in the trees, I got a broken jaw, both collar bones and my right rist.....

Strek

I agree with what Firenspeed is saying here. Even when you are doing everything correct, leaving space to stop etc it doesn't mean that you can plan for every scenario or control what another or even a critter will do. May not even see it if its a critter.
I believe its why they call them accidents even though if it involves humans normally one party is at fault. You can't control the stupid idiot left hand turner that will turn right in front of you. You can be leaving enough space and that idiot turning in front of you eliminates that space and you in the process. You can anticipate it. You can slow down. You can leave space. It means nothing if the other party decides at the last second to take that all away. With motorcycle accidents you often hear the comment I didn't even see them. Friggin cager could be looking right at you and it doesn't seem to register in their mind. If you think its bad on a motorcycle try bicycle riding on public roads. Fun stuff let me tell you. Then add in the cell phones/PDA's. Fun Stuff indeed.

ArmyStrong

So just maaaybe...deer-in-the-road strategy may be to hit the throttle and hold on?? If you have a couple of seconds to react that is, and can't avoid it.

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.

ArmyStrong

A broken jaw??

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.

firenspeed

I dunno about hitting the gas. There have been times where I've spotted them far enough off the road that that was an option, but generally speaking, I think if I might hit them, I'd rather it be at a lower velocity. In a car, it does less damage to the vehicle. On a bike, less damage to my body. In theory.

As for the change in sound, it does have an effect, but I'm not sure which way it favors. I downshifted about 3 gears in one second while braking like a maniac and when the engine started screaming (not the bird) the deer stopped and turned to look at me, JUST to the left of the double yellow. Man, now that I think about it, that was back when my gear consisted of a helmet that didn't fit, jeans or shorts, and a pair of gloves (can't remember if I had purchased them yet). Ah college. I had to save up for the beer money. That one left me shaking. I was a new rider at the time (hence no gear).

CBRRich

I think you hit it on the head. When you develop that "7th sence " of knowing what is going to happen before it does and having a plan in place, your odds of survival increase considerably. I've been riding for 25 years and hitting that deer is the only accidnt I have ever had. I became an MSF instructor shortly after that incident and it taught helped me a lot. For the past 8 years, the close calls seem to get fewer even though the opportunities have increased with cell phones, big stereos, and people too preoccupied to realize they are responsible for the safty of those around them. Yep, we have to think for them because they are not doing it.

ArmyStrong

Things that (fortunately) happen to go wrong while in the cage as opposed (sp) to while riding most assuredly helps w/my awareness while riding!!

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.

DeathWish01

yeah deer ARE that stupid... and we have SOooo many deer here in helena, the city has hired "snipers" to take out 50% of the deer poplulation.... but anyway i was driving home from ft. lewis a couple months ago. I left ft. lewis around 9pm and headed east on I90... got between missoula and helena a little before dawn and FOUR stupid deer jumped out right in front of me.... i was doing around 95-98mph in my car. so I layed on the brakes and horn at the same time and thank god I JUST got my brakes done because I stopped about 5 feet from hitting the first deer... but it was pretty funny cuz if I didn't see their eyes I would have hit 4 deer in row and not have a freakin clue what happened... so yes that answers your question... deer are stupid. If you've ever gone hunting w/ a buddy you'll notice it too... shoot one out of a multiple of deer at 400 yds the other ones wont worry about the sound of the shot but will be curious at why their "friend" just plopped to the ground and will investigate. my buddy and his friend got 2 does and 2 bucks literally on top of eachother cuz they are so damn stupid...... dee dah dee

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Mike Voeller

DeathWish01

man I went through med school at Ft. Sam Houston.... I ALWAYS wanted to see a live armadillo... never did... nor did I see any deer. I did however smear a few possums all over the pavement...
kinda disappointed in san antonio... beautiful place w/ beautiful women and the nightclubs are AMAAAAAAZING... but the riverwalk sucked horribly... i felt like some drunk was going to trip me into the "creek" and I would have been on antibiotics for a couple years... the guadelupe river is a blast tho!!!! i don't know how many times I got puckered while floating... people just throw liquor at you left and right. Of course once i got puckered i spotted a turtle in the distance and well.... i went diving... never caught the dang thing... but then again who cares i was drunk and stupid.

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Mike Voeller

ArmyStrong

Thanxx, man. I needed that.

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.

SilverBrd

Smacked me a bambi today not too terribly far from you. Hit it in the hind quarter and my Bird looked like it punted the poor thing in the ditch according to the guys riding behind me. They seem to think that was funny in which it actually was mainly because I didn't get hurt but it did crack my CF front fender a little...... off to get some epoxy or something....

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02 Silver Bird, Throttlemeister, HID's, Scorpion Carbon Fiber Oval Exhaust, Zero Gravity Double Bubble, Power Commander, Speedohealer, Corbin seat, Lowered foot pegs & more Mods to come!!!

PrecisionAndy

I'm guessing it had something to do with the way I hit the ground with deer on top of me.....

sorry for the delay in getting back to this but I was run off the highway saturday night and in the hospital till yesturday morning....I'm typing one handed cuase my left arm is in a sling.I had a rod, plates and some tempurary pins put in my left fore-arm/rist....my right side is alittle better but they say to wait for surgury till the other side is done healed....so I found something dumber than animals on the roads......some humans.....The XX is pretty bad but worth resaving.....

sv61

Damn, Andy!

Hope that you get to feelin better soon.

Let us know how we can help!

PrecisionAndy

Thanks man!!!! I can tell you that my bird is hurt in a major way, sub frame, rear wheel and swing arm are toast, along with all the body work....but I was planning on just drag racing next year, if the wife will even let me do that...
so it will be a slow rebuild but I'll get her back and badder than ever, just I need to heel fisrt.

Strek

Andy,

Sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better real soon.

sv61

San Antonio is a laid back kinda place, or used to be. Lots of new people around these days, and my living and work allows me to NOT go to SA like I used to.

The Riverwalk is a reason to party, best I can tell, and no, I hope I never fall in the "river" either. I can't tell you the last time I was there. I will say, that if you have, or ever develop a taste for, SA has about the best selection of Mexican food of ANY city I have been to. In a former life, I travelled a lot. That has helped me understand San Antonio's strengths and weaknesses. As for diversity race wise, San Antonio invented it, I believe.

I grew up about five miles from the Guadalupe. I now live about 40 miles from where I was raised, but STILL about a mile from the Guadalupe.

I did not realize that there were some genuinely entertaining roads in this area, until heading Northwest out of San Antonio. Other than State Highway 118 in the Fort Davis area, the Texas Hill Country has the best roads in the whole state of Texas, bar none. It is amazing what the terrain does, just 45 outside of San Antonio.

And yea, there is LOTS of wildlife (possums, deer, fox, deer, dogs, cats, deer, Porcupines, skunks (ewwwww), and deer.



And NOT just at the Night clubs!!!

ArmyStrong

Yeah man, DAMN! Sorry to hear about that. Guess two-legged animals can be pretty stupid too. Heal up soon man! Keep us posted on the progress.(body & bike)

__________________
Murphys 6th law of combat operations:
If it's stupid but it works, it ain't stupid.