You ride at night a lot? Give much thought to deer strikes?

Kristopher · Feb 7, 2015

There are some beautiful summer nights here in Pa. but I've kind of given up on night riding. My fear of deer strikes outweighs my desire to do so I guess. Yes it can happen in the daytime too but I try to reduce my chances. With traffic you can recognize danger zones so to speak and put yourself in a favorable position for your own safety that kind of thing. Anticipate someone doing something stupid because half the time they do! In my experience with deer you're cruising along see a brown blur and that's that.
What are your thoughts?

Guess I should have looked around a little more before starting my thread, sorry! I see there is another about thread about deer overpopulation and deer strikes. So I guess I'm not the only one with this fear.

AKsuited · Feb 7, 2015

It is a very sensible fear.

I live in western New York not too far from the PA border. We had a local killed on his bike last fall. He was riding in the wee hours of the morning and hit a deer.

Harry

marchyman · Feb 7, 2015

By the time the sun goes down I like to be at my destination with beer in hand. If I do find myself out on the road I simply slow down and try not to out drive my (stock) lights. I do have fog/conspicuity lights on the bike which help illuminate the side of the road.

My one deer strike (the deer struck me) occurred about 10:30 in the morning.

akbeemer · Feb 7, 2015

I try not to ride at night because I am concerned about deer, mule deer, elk, antelope, moose, cattle and buffalo strikes. Montana regularly is listed in the top 3 states for the likelihood of having a collision with an animal of some sort. A year or so ago we had a couple hit and kill 4 buffalo less than a mile from our house. They survived, don't think a rider would have been so lucky.

I think PA and WV are right near the top of the list for deer strikes as well.

Rinty · Feb 7, 2015

For me, riding motorcycles is already hazardous enough, without adding another element of risk. Over the years, I've seen too much dangerous stuff laying on the highway: haybales, tractor fenders, four by fours, etc.

Kristopher · Feb 7, 2015

marchyman said:
By the time the sun goes down I like to be at my destination with beer in hand. If I do find myself out on the road I simply slow down and try not to out drive my (stock) lights. I do have fog/conspicuity lights on the bike which help illuminate the side of the road.

My one deer strike (the deer struck me) occurred about 10:30 in the morning.

Yeah all you can really do is slow down and cover your brakes, hug the middle a little bit more. Last year I was out a little late and chose to take a back road home instead of a highway. My thinking being I would rather be going at my own slower pace instead of fifty five down a highway with frequent deer strikes, the lesser of two evils.

I've only hit one in the car (everyone does around here) and was floored by the impact and magician like appearance of the stupid thing.

Kristopher · Feb 7, 2015

akbeemer said:
I try not to ride at night because I am concerned about deer, mule deer, elk, antelope, moose, cattle and buffalo strikes. Montana regularly is listed in the top 3 states for the likelihood of having a collision with an animal of some sort.

That's a large amount of hazards. Cow, moose, buffalo, that would be bad.

tommcgee · Feb 7, 2015

Rinty said:
For me, riding motorcycles is already hazardous enough, without adding another element of risk. Over the years, I've seen too much dangerous stuff laying on the highway: haybales, tractor fenders, four by fours, etc.

Yeah, I can't believe how many ladders I've seen on the highway -- and the crappy rubber straps that broke causing the problem in the first place.

gfspencer · Feb 7, 2015

Where I live deer are all over the place. (Thankfully nothing else.) I try to be in from driving/riding before dark. When I have to drive/ride after dark I slow down.

pglaves · Feb 7, 2015

Here in the Texas Big Bend we have Mule Deer, donkeys, Javelina, Coyote, and the occasional Mountain Lion. The Javelina are particularly insidious because they travel in packs of 8 or 10 or a dozen, or more and when they plod across the road they do it mostly single file. The are also black in color and low to the ground. But they can weigh a couple of hundred pounds. They are hard to see and when in a file across the road they are hard to miss.

Since moving here we pretty much quit riding after dark. I think I did it once in the past nine years.

36654 · Feb 7, 2015

Kristopher said:
There are some beautiful summer nights here in Pa. but I've kind of given up on night riding. My fear of deer strikes outweighs my desire to do so I guess. Yes it can happen in the daytime too but I try to reduce my chances. With traffic you can recognize danger zones so to speak and put yourself in a favorable position for your own safety that kind of thing. Anticipate someone doing something stupid because half the time they do! In my experience with deer you're cruising along see a brown blur and that's that.
What are your thoughts?

Guess I should have looked around a little more before starting my thread, sorry! I see there is another about thread about deer overpopulation and deer strikes. So I guess I'm not the only one with this fear.

I'm in the center of PA and usually ride in the lightly populated and forested north-central part of the state. As such, I usually make sure I'm pretty near home by 5 or 6P due to deer. In the late Autumn, I'm especially cautious during the multitude of early deer hunting seasons.

rangerreece · Feb 7, 2015

I ride in the dark on deer and pig laden roads often. One has to change their scan to accomadate the increased hazard. I can count the number of animals I have hit while driving/riding in my entire life on one hand, (usually something flying like a sugar-baby or cardinal.) I can count the number of animals that have crossed my path while driving or riding in the thousands, maybe even tens of thousands if you include all the buzzards and hawks I have had to avoid while flying. It is really just a training issue. Just in the last two weeks I've had a pig, deer, multiple turkeys, and a fox cross my path while riding, not all of which were in the day.

mikegalbicka · Feb 7, 2015

I prefer not to ride after dark anywhere but it is more out of caution for the two legged animals than the four.

akbeemer · Feb 7, 2015

rangerreece said:
It is really just a training issue.

Maybe true if the training causes you to not ride or drive at all. But once on the road even highly skilled riders and drivers can still be placed in positions where an animal strike is unavoidable. A deer can move from a location where it is out of view to immediately in front of a vehicle faster than a human can react. Training, attention and situational awareness can all minimize the likelihood of an impact, but chance also plays a large and immutable role.

WalterK75 · Feb 7, 2015

Remember Lawrence Grodsky.

txtinman · Feb 7, 2015

Kristopher said:
There are some beautiful summer nights here in Pa. but I've kind of given up on night riding. My fear of deer strikes outweighs my desire to do so I guess. Yes it can happen in the daytime too but I try to reduce my chances. With traffic you can recognize danger zones so to speak and put yourself in a favorable position for your own safety that kind of thing. Anticipate someone doing something stupid because half the time they do! In my experience with deer you're cruising along see a brown blur and that's that.
What are your thoughts?

Guess I should have looked around a little more before starting my thread, sorry! I see there is another about thread about deer overpopulation and deer strikes. So I guess I'm not the only one with this fear.

I live in central Texas and work the night shift so I ride at night 5 or 6 nights a week. I'm constantly on the lookout for deer and other animals. So far no deer strikes, but I've had interactions with 2 rabbits and a cat. It did not end well for the animals. :eek

akbeemer · Feb 7, 2015

WalterK75 said:
Remember Lawrence Grodsky.

For those who do not:

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/ob...ert-on-motorcycle-safety/stories/200604110210

saddleman · Feb 7, 2015

Motorcycles are just transportation for me. They get me from point A to point B any time of day or weather. It's dark when I leave in the morning & it is usually dark about 6 months of the year when I get back home. I see deer & other animals all the time.

Bud · Feb 8, 2015

WalterK75 said:
Remember Lawrence Grodsky.

+1

I've stopped riding at night. Lawrence Grodsky is one reason. The other is reading books by Dr. Gregory Frazier. He's been round the world more than once on a motorcycle. He said that for him it was too great a danger.

I also live in S. IL where deer are very common. :banghead

I used to enjoy night riding here in the summer because it was so much cooler.

bluehole · Feb 8, 2015

Generally speaking, if I am riding an interstate or well traveled highway, I feel more secure than riding a lightly traveled rural road. I know deer can still be present. It seems like the chance is a deer strike is not as great on the interstate. I am not saying it is completely safe...just that the type of road and environment (rural/urban) can be a factor in how safe I feel.

You ride at night a lot? Give much thought to deer strikes?

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