Bud
It is what it is.
Pretty good advice.
Spent my whole life motoring around in 'deer country,' so here's a few suggestions:
1) Before you hit the deer, hit the brakes - HARD! Get on them (ABS a godsend at this moment) and get that bike slowed down as fast as you can - even if you cannot avoid the collison, make it a 30 MPH hit raher than 65.
2) Duck! Lay down on the tank just prior to contact with a large animal - they often catapult over the bike and the windshield does little to blunt the energy of the beast. Sitting upright, as if a 200 lb. animal is going to bounce off of you, rarely has good results.
3) Stay on the roadway - often evasive maneuvering results in secondary collisions with trees, fence posts, barbed wire or guardrails and ends up being worse than those dang forest rats. But if not severely injured post-collision, consider rolling off to the shoulder (or median) ASAP after the drama has subsided, lest an unaware following motorist uses you as a speed bump.
4) ATGATT
But pffog's advice to stay alert and avoid probable times of interaction is the best.
Dusk and dawn - premo moments for deer activity, so slow down if you must oeprate within an hour either way of those times.
Here's a little advice I pass on to BRC students:
When operating during high-conflict times of deer activity on interstates, ride in the passing lane - deer rarely ambush you from the median - they come flying out of the woods. Put some distance between the treeline and you - gives your peripheral vision more time to assist you.
Tuck in close behind a semi rig in the dark - let the 18-wheeler blaze a path thru deer country for you.
Install additional driving lights on your motorcycle - the more ilumination, the better.
Good luck and may we all ride safe this summer.
And we all should print this out and paste it on the wall in front of our bikes as a reminder.
In S. Illinois is thick with wood rats and they are dumb. One certainty you can count on is, if they are running parallel with your direction of travel, they want to cross IN FRONT of you. Has to do with instinct of a prey animal. So slow down and let them cross before they decide to commit suicide by running in front of you.
Ride Well
Ride Often
More Venison
Think I will go to the fridge and get some more smoked deer ham!