DEER FIXES TRUCK !

By: Ray Hansen

It happened again as my wife and I were returning from town yesterday evening. A deer ran into the side of her car not far from our home along the Escanaba River here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We were going along about forty miles per hour when two of the sleek animals suddenly jumped across the road in front of us just fifteen or twenty feet away. A third darted out of the heavy woods, but began to turn around as we passed it. It seemed that its rear hoofs banged the side of the Honda as the deer wheeled about. I caught a glimpse of it running back into the low cedar growth so it seemed alright. The car was not damaged either, so the outcome of this “meeting” was not bad.

It’s that time of year again. The early fall season when deer start roaming around more. A time when they are often found in fields near roads as they forage heavily in anticipation of upcoming cold weather. In November, the annual rutting season will arrive and bucks will be chasing does and as a result, paying less attention to safety. All this means an increase on car/deer collisions. Driving slower and remaining watchful is very important now.

Hitting a deer can cause major damage to a vehicle, and can even result in injured people. Sometimes drivers will swerve to avoid deer and lose control of their vehicles. Once in a while they will hit another vehicle while trying to miss the deer. As I said, this is a time to drive slower and stay alert.

Once in a while a humorous story comes out of car/deer accidents. One such incident happened to me. I had a 1996 Dodge truck at the time. The driver’s door was slightly damaged from someone backing into it in a parking lot. Each time I opened that door it made a loud “clunk” because the hinge was not aligned properly after the accident.

During the November rut season I was driving this vehicle to a friend’s home along a country road in the Upper Peninsula. Several deer jumped across the road in front of me at a distance, so I had plenty of time to slow down. As I neared the place they crossed, a smallish four-point buck stood in the ditch, looking off in the direction the others had run.

I came to a complete stop and simply watched the buck. In a few seconds he bolted directly toward me, then ran headfirst into the driver’s door with a loud bang. Bouncing off the truck’s side, he stumbled off the road, recovered for a few seconds, then ran into the woods in the direction he had come from. The animal seemed alright, and I simply continued driving to my friend’s home as a slow pace. I laughed at the thought of the story I had to tell – the deer had run into me, I didn’t hit him - but the best was yet to come!

When I parked in the driveway and opened the door to get out of the truck, it no longer clunked! Not believing what I heard (or more correctly did not hear) I opened and shut the door several times. It did not make the annoying noise it made prior to the buck running into me. He had repaired my truck! And at no charge! What a mechanic! I wish they were all like that.

Seriously though, most stories about deer strikes are not going to have happy endings like this. Be more watchful at this time of year, and slow down a little. This practice helps avoid a lot of trouble.

Copyright Ray Hansen, 2008