I hit a deer !

[auntAgonist]

driving home from work tonight on the same backroad I've been driving on for 5 years. I'm always watching out for them, .. She was there out of the blue! I moved to the left and caught her right flank .. she ran off. I turned to see if I'd hurt her badly, to see if she needed to be put down .. call the cops something .. but she was gone, her prints in the snow just kept going .. Maybe I didn't hit her as hard as I think I did? No damage to the right front of my car ...
I hope she's ok ..

I feel so bad for hitting a beautiful animal.

:cry:

[Archae]

1. Don't feel bad...

There wasn't any way you could have avoided it, the deer blind-sided you and will proably have a good size bruise for awhile, for it's stupidity.

Face it, at times they can be stupid.

[auntAgonist]

13. Poor thing is probably wondering what hit her

They just race right out there!

[MrScorpio]

2. It's not your fault. You didn't mean for it to happen

:hug:

It'll be alright

[auntAgonist]

10. thanks MrS!

Hugs are good things :hi:

:hug:

[alittlelark]

12. You are a sweet guy, and you are giving sage advice on

dealing w/ it.

[Not_Giving_Up]

3. If you didn't damage your car, you must not have gotten her too badly

Unless you drive a tank. Two words....DEER WHISTLES I had them on my old car for years...any animal would shy away from the road when I was coming...dogs, cats, deer, squirrels, you name it. I need to get some for the car I drive now.

[auntAgonist]

9. You know,

I used to drive a semi, had whistles on the mirrors. I never think to get one for my car.

I drive a Grand Am.

going to get one soon.

[Midlodemocrat]

25. I had heard somewhere that they don't work.

I had them on my car for a long time, but haven't put them on my van because I had heard they don't work.

[Thor_MN]

27. Just don't put them on backwards or you will call the deer to the road

Deer whistles are worthless, there is no evidence that they have any effect on deer. I know someone who has hit several deer, the last couple with deer whistles on the car. If you live in a rural area where deer cross the road, sooner or later you are going to hit on or have a near miss - and deer whistles aren't going to change that.

[thecai]

4. I'm Sorry!

It sounds like she might be ok. You were being as careful as you could. I know it's hard to avoid deer, sometimes they just "drop out of the sky" or "appear out of nowhere", I've often heard. I feel bad just scaring them out of my yard, like I did a few minutes ago when I went to see what my dog was barking at. They are such gorgeous creatures.

[Archae]

5. They taste good too...

:evilgrin:

[auntAgonist]

7. I don't mind deer at all

if hunted properly. But hitting them with a car just seems so ... :(

[RebelOne]

22. Not funny.

[auntAgonist]

6. .. there's a herd that eats and

grazes on our property. Maybe 6 or 8 of them. I guess I feel like they are 'mine'

sigh.

welcome to DU :hi:

[thecai]

14. Thank You For The Welcome!

And I feel the same way about the deer, here, too. "They're my pets".

[alittlelark]

8. Bro-in Law hit 2 in 2 mo's - for X-mas (2 years ago)we got him this-

http://www.safehomeproducts.com/SHP/SM/Hornet_Deer_Repeller.asp?source=google#V120


No problems since... there are many similar products on the market.

PS - I've had 6-8 near-misses.... scares the sh*t out of you.

[auntAgonist]

15. it really is scary ...

I worried that I'd hurt it badly and it was suffering...

I'm so watchful of them.

darn :(

[alittlelark]

19. given the limited damage to your car, I would guess that

you got it at an angle. They are tough creatures, and quite agile. I am amazed I have not hit one yet - 1 encounter was a 360+ spin in my car. We have a place in Pagosa Springs, and the road between Durango (airport) and Pagosa is a deer haven.

If you had hit it badly your car would show it. It may be suffering from bruises, but they will heal.

It's OK.... believe that it is.:hug:

[Tracyjo]

11. If the car's ok

the deer's probably ok too. When I hit "my deer", I was able to slow down enough to only do $1700 worth of damage to my car. It really cracked up the front end pretty good. To bad for the poor deer though. It was lying in the road, kicking it's legs and trying to get up. I was able to drive to the police station and report it. The main reason I even reported it was because I wanted someone to get the deer out of the road. I didn't want anyone else to hit it. It's been a few years ago now, but I can still remember the deer in the road. I hated it. Poor thing. I hate feeling like a murderer.

[auntAgonist]

16. I was really lucky ..

A friend totalled his van when he hit a buck. No damage to my car though. Thank goodness.

[uppityperson]

17. You have to watch for the 2nd deer that jumps out unexpectedly

Frequently you see the first deer and are busy avoiding it when the 2nd one, the one you didn't see yet, leaps wildly at the car hoping to avoid it. I have had a couple of these sideswipe experience, and found 1 badly injured fawn in the road. Took it to the vet with the wildlife center but it was too broken to live.

[auntAgonist]

18. that's so sad!!

You're right though, where there is one there are usually more. Most nights when I come home there are at least 4 if not 6 in the front yard and driveway. They seem to scatter every which way when they see the car ...

[Historic NY]

20. Don't feel bad...it happens too much..if she ran away she is probably

okay. I in my job have to put them down lots of time....and I just hate it,they seem to sense whats coming. I am always glad to find out that they ran away and think perhaps they will learn to stay way from that black hard surface we call a highway. I know how you feel I love watching them.

[auntAgonist]

21. that's terrible

I'd hate to have to put them down. I'm sorry you have to do that.

[sandnsea]

23. One hit me once

Leaped at me from the side of the road. It's a very weird memory, I'm thinking it must have been one of those slow-motion things where you remember it different than it happened. But it was really scary because my daughter was just 8 and it broke the door glass all over here and really banged up the car. Big MT mule deer. The one good thing, she has always worn a seat belt because of that. Even in her teen years.

[auntAgonist]

24. I saw one run into the side of a semi once ..

You were lucky !

[madison2000]

26. I think in certain areas its pretty hard to avoid hitting one eventually-

I haven't yet but I've come close. I ran over a rabbit on the highway last year during a snowstorm- that was the first animal I've hit. Would've caused an accident if I had swerved to avoid the animal.