Deer in the Daylight

[Leigh Costello]

Another thigh slapper...

We went to Springfield, MO for a wedding on Saturday. Beautiful wedding, reception, etc. Even the Steak'n'Shake midnite run was good - only 2 rolaids needed. The drive home took only 2.5 hours. Er, well, the time was relevent really. I think we would have made it home in 2.75 ish hours (approx. 150 miles one way).

We stayed all night at a hotel and had breakfast after our previous day's festivities. It was a dry wedding. So hubby can't blame booze, plus I only drove the last 65 miles or so. Anyway, we were rested, no hangover or lingering buzz or even bad weather to report. Then we saw it.

About 12 noon on Sunday, the biggest dang deer we had ever seen. Alive or dead. My daughter, the resident recent high school graduate, top 5% of her class with a stellar grasp of the English language, flew the "holy sh** MOM!" bomb at about 108 decibels.

The years of driving experience that I have accumulated flew right out the open driver's side window - coincidentally, my side. I swerved, slammed on the brakes, recovered by over steering the other way, narrowly missing the said biggest dang deer we had ever seen. Traffic was skidding and honking and somehow everyone missed that deer. And each other thank God. I had no idea that a deer could stand taller than my car at the shoulder! We watched as the deer looked down its nose at every driver as if to say, "Where in the heck did you all learn to drive!" And proceeded to bound away.

I got our car to the shoulder of the highway and contemplated calling 911 to report a pending murder. My daughter just stared out the window with her MP3 earbuds in as if nothing happened. Hubby, wisely, said nothing.

Another driver came over to see if we had perhaps snapped a picture. No such luck. Everyone talked a minute or two and remarked about the size of the deer. Man, I wish I had a picture. The white tail seemed like it was a yard tall as it ran away.

If there is truly a grandaddy deer, and I believe there is, out there, I am positive every hunter in the state will be looking for it come fall hunting season.


postscript: This evening my lovely daughter apologized for scaring me while driving but did I notice how huge that deer was? :p

[Richard M. Wolfe]

What's the line from Candid Camera? "Some day, when you least expect it".... Or something like that.

Several years ago I was using a vacation day in August doing some shop work. I was making some small tables out of pine and using drywall screws to put them together (craft mall stuff). I ran out and went to a hardware store on the edge of town to get some. I got a couple pounds and started back. I was motoring down the road going about 40 when a deer jumped out of the ditch beside and slightly behind me and ran across the road in front of me. I felt a 'tic' and think I probably hit a hind hoof or maybe leg. It was the closest I've ever come to wiping out with a deer. And this was about two o'clock in the afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, the temperature about 100 and inside the city limits.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Leigh,

Here's my version of your happening.


About 7 years ago my co-worker and I are in our company cars enroute to a company Christmas party at our manager's home in Spokane, WA about 110 miles away. I'm following a full-sized van and I'm driving a mini-van. As we came up a long hill on a 2 lane US highway there was oncoming traffic. It was about 6:00 p.m. and dark. The van in front of me hits a deer and immediately swerves to the right and stops. There is on coming traffic. I try to stop but realize I'm not going to get stopped, I have no where to go so I drive right over that dead deer. No damage was done to my company van.

5 years, my MIL traveled out here and it's 4:00 a.m. I'm taking she and my wife to the airport in Spokane to fly back to Illinois. As I came up the same long hill I tell my MIL the story. As I crested the hill, the highway comes out of a cutbank. A buck jumped out in front and I swerved to the left. I slammed on the breaks and the 4 wheel disc brakes did their job. I hit the deer with just enough force to knock his legs out from under him. He lands on the hood of our Honda Accord, jumps up and runs off the road, down the hill and into a farmer's field. I pulled off the road..dented hood...busted plastic grill and broken plasitc headlight molding. I continued our trip and my wife and MIL made their flight. I'm sure my MIL would have taken my word on where and when the previous accident happened!:rolleyes:

[Greg Cole]

This part of the world is full of deer. Literally over full in places....
It is not umcommon to see them in residential neighborhoods (in the middle of the day as you well know) and all over the place.
Fine with me, I hunt.;)

Greg

[Dave Anderson NH]

Well Leigh, it could have been a lot worse. Up here in New England not only do we have lots of deer (my wife has hit 2 over the years), but we have these things called Moose. In NH alone, there have been over 46 people killed in the last few years due to collisions with moose on the roads and hundreds have been injured. While even very large whitetail deer run at about 250 pounds, very small female adult moose start at about 650 pounds and large males can weight over 1000 pounds. It's not just about weight either. With their very long legs, you hit one and the body comes careening through your windshield at high speed. The safety glass in your windshield is no protection at all. Even a near miss is enough to get the old body shaking from head to toe.

[Steve Clardy]

We average someone in our family hitting a deer every year.
The last one was $2700.00 in damages to our crown vic. :(

[Jeff Bower]

Leigh, my wife and I met that granddaddy deer's granddaughter on sunday afternoon....met her head on!! We hit her while she was in mid jump so the damage to the car is cosmetic (hood, grill, headlight and cracked windshield). Our 2yr old daughter didn't even notice it happened. The deer had more damage than our car. Happened just after 1pm...didn't think deer were out that time of day.??