The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => General Announcements => Topic started by: Bengt_Phorqs on September 29, 2009, 07:47:27 AM
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Mrs. Phorqs sent me this link that shows the statistical likelihood of a deer/vehicle collision in the lower 48 states of the USA. http://www.statefarm.com/_pdf/collision_likelihood_09.pdf
While it's not too bad in Texas where we live, some states in the upper midwest have very high probability. I think down here we probably have a higher percentage of hitting armadillos and feral hogs.
Let's be careful out there now that the days are getting shorter.
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Not much chance of hitting a deer where i live the last wild one was shot by Robin Hood in 1175AD
Lou
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Bengt and Lou...I've hit 3 deer here in Ohio in 20 years...actually, my last car ("Ruby the Deerslayer"... :) hit them. I begged Ruby not to kill, but she had an unquenchable bloodlust! A few years back I was riding my R90/6 through the wilds of western West Virginia around 10 pm and saw 50 or more deer along US 33...herds of them every few miles...I kept my speed at 45 mph for several miles since they were walking right out into the highway.
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They show New Jersey as 1:182. But I am sure it will get worse. Those deer have now expanded from the farmlands, woods, and county into the suburbs. I live just about 15 miles from New York city, in an area where it is all built up with single family houses on lots that about 75 x 125 feet. Deer are now in the area, eating shrubbery.
At least I am prepared in my truck, with its Bambi Bumper --- steel winch bumper with headlight/hood protection.
k_enn
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They must only have 1 deer in HI.
I wonder why Oregon is sitting there with more deer than the surrounding states. That's weird. I see them all the time.
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Deer aren't as much of a problem here in Arizona, but if you travel about 75-100 miles north, and east of Phoenix, up into the higher elevations, elk are the hazard .
Elk cows average 500 pounds, and bulls 700 pounds .
It's about the same as hitting a cow, or a horse .
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In Parts of Maine moose are a real problem because of not only their weight, but because of their height. their bodies tend to be at windshiels height so they come into the car, not good [smiley=lolk.gif]
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Hmm, I don't know about the NH statistic - I've come waaay too close to deer pile-up on numerous occasions to agree with that low a statistic. Last year I had a herd of them cross the road right in front of me on a dark and rainy night. How I managed to steer through them and keep the 700 pound Kawasaki from going down on the rain-slicked road I'll never know, but I'm grateful that I was able to do it, with some divine intervention I'm sure.
On the other hand, I did hit a deer with my truck while in Vermont a few years ago.
We've also got a fair&growing number of moose here in NH - not as many in upstate Maine, but I've encountered moose both in the woods and on the roads in NH. For some reason, we've also had alot of black bear running across the roads the past year or two. They aren't that easy to see, but they are usually running pretty fast when I see them scooting across the road.
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wildlife & bikes dont mix >:(...we all have had close encounters & for some unlucky riders have met face to face :'(.....but there's one thing i just dont understand with our furry little critters, you spot a animal on the side of the road munching down some grass with his mates etc you see the animal & take action (slow down etc) then the grass eaters leap, run into your path, WHY!!! why dont they run the OTHER way, why do they run into path of danger & not away from it...
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While we're on the subject of animals in the road, do deer whistles, or any other sort of device really work?
My LS came with them installed .
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While we're on the subject of animals in the road, do deer whistles, or any other sort of device really work?
My LS came with them installed .
well if you ask the companies who make them they work 100% of the time, but who really knows, how would they test these device's...its like wetsuits manufacturer's saying "wear our shark repellent suits & sharks wont attack you"....but would you still trust it? me, no way in hell...the animals are going to do what the animals are going to do....
thats my 2 cents worth [smiley=bmw_smiley.gif]
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As to deer whistles, I think that I saw a test on TV concerning them, and they didn't seem to affect the deer in any measurable way. They might or might not hear it - or if they hear them, they may not associate the sound with danger, and continue to do whatever it is that they are going to do.
When I am in the woods hunting, I can hear a car traveling on a paved road a quarter mile away. On a dirt road, sometimes further. Deer can hear much better than I can and I don't think that they need whistles to know that there is something there - they just don't associate the car with danger, and/or cannot determine how far away/how fast the car (or bike) is traveling.
But, the whistles make some people feel safer, and it stimulates the economy. I guess that amounts to something.
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<snip>there's one thing i just dont understand with our furry little critters, you spot a animal on the side of the road munching down some grass with his mates etc you see the animal & take action (slow down etc) then the grass eaters leap, run into your path, WHY!!! why dont they run the OTHER way, why do they run into path of danger & not away from it...
You mean like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL1uFjSbvnA
k_enn
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Yeas ago while living in the NJ / NY highlands there were some nights that you had to shoulder them firmly off the road to make headway. I gave up riding the lake roads at night. It was like being at a crowded subway!
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Deer can hear much better than I can and I don't think that they need whistles to know that there is something there - they just don't associate the car with danger, and/or cannot determine how far away/how fast the car (or bike) is traveling.
I'm sure there are other mammals as stupid as a deer, or more so, but I can't think of one at the moment. Deer (at least our Eastern White Tail species) are about 99% hard-wired instinct and 5% intelligence (and that might be generous). I live in the suburbs, and I don't hunt them (though the thought of a crossbow has occurred to me). Nonetheless, there is a herd of at least 6 that routinely devours everything green that they can find on our property. IMHO, a deer is about as desirable as a 150-pound rat. >:(
I've seen a study indicating that the whistles are useless. The purported reason: a deer will not react to a perceived threat until it receives 2 sensory inputs, e.g., seeing and hearing. Thus, the "deer in the headlights" phenomenon. Another characteristic: deer supposedly will bolt in a more or less straight line in the direction they are facing when instinct tells them to run. If this is correct, then we should never expect a deer to turn/u] and run away.
Our neighborhood is loaded with the pests. (6 years ago our daughter hit a deer with our car (rather, the deer hit her) about two blocks from our house. Fortunately, our daughter was driving extremely slowly, and the deer ran straight into the grill, then ran away. No injury, only a minor crack in the Ford's cheap-a$$ plastic grill.
We've found one technique to be effective. Soon as we see a deer, we slow down (duh) and blow the horn. Not a short beep, but a long, continuous blast. So far, it has worked both on the highway and in our neighborhood. Deer don't like the noise, and they trot in the opposite direction.
Stories told of bucks attacking bikes during the fall rut.
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we have to deal with cows (and pedestrians)..... the reason why I avoid intercity/cross country work unless it is daylight!!!
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I'll have to try the horn thing. Why is it that a deer can hear me snick the safety off of my rifle from 1/4 miles away and take off like a bolt of lightning, but won't move when I'm coming down the road? Rhetorical question not requiring an answer. However, I do know that the venison chili I made last night was pretty darn tasty!
Hmmmm, a chili thread? Might start one of those.... ::)
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Thank you for killing the forrest rats. :-/
TTFN,
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However, I do know that the venison chili I made last night was pretty darn tasty!
I'm sure your chili recipe is good. I've eaten good venison in Germany, but not as chili. But I gotta ask—Do you think some of the flavor comes from the Lyme-Disease ticks (Backwoods Peppercorns)? ;D
BTW, though I haven't tasted it myself, I'm told by lifelong (or in their case, long-life) New Mexicans that the old-time Hispanics make chili with goat meat. Wouldn't mind trying it.
IMHO, the secret to good chile is a good supply of real, full-strength chile rojo. Don't go near this commercial dreck that's in the major supermarket chains; I warrant that it's cut with cornstarch to "Anglicize" it. (This is for benefit of our membership in general. Southwesterners know this already.) One can be a lousy cook, but good red powder will make an excellent chile. A good cook can make a marvel with it. Good chile molida, whether it's mild, mediano, or hot, has a delightful flavor. If it happens to be a hot (picante or picoso) variety, just use less of it (or if you've made a mistake, throw in a square or two of semisweet baking chocolate to take out the heat). In addition to what's in the canister in the kitchen, I'm lucky to have in my freezer three or four 12-oz bags of medium-hot Chimayo (i.e., Northern New Mexican) red, with seeds, hearts and veins removed. (Freezing maintains the flavor longer.) When I run out, I'll know I'm overdue for a shopping trip to the Land of Enchantment. (It occurs to me that any narcs tapping the Net might think I'm talking about other substances.) ;)
A chile thread sounds good to me—on Chit-chat, or Rants, wherever. I'm sure I'll learn from the professionals among us. (After all, anyone hanging out in Terlingua—the Mecca of chile (though New Mex might take exception)—is presumed to know something about it.) ;D
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Ah, a true chili afficianado! Obviously you know your capsicum. IMHO the very best chilis do come from New Mexico. Lived out there for almost three years and I go back every chance I get. To be continued on the chili thread that Mr. Roller started. But please...chocolate in chili? I don't think so!!!
And as for terminating the road rats, I'm only one man but I do my part every year. Interestingly enough, I believe it is Alabama, maybe Mississippi, that has a one deer per day limit during the season. They are so overrun with the critters they must do that to keep them controlled.
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Bengt_Phorqs—<<I'll have to try the horn thing.>>
We had a chance to validate it (again) the other night. Coming out of our neighborhood at dusk (very dim light), we spotted four or five youngsters (spring fawns and yearlings) on a large lawn to our left, looking directly at us. Because they were within range to run at, or directly in front of, our car, we blasted the horn. They took off in the opposite direction at significant speed. Tentative conclusion—it works, at least with young deer. No guarantees in the case of a large, old buck (especially when he has mating on what suffices for his mind). YMMV.
Regarding why deer tend to run toward headlights: I've read several theories, and I'm too confused to buy into any of them. Is it possible that their primitive brains are programmed to run toward light when threatened by a predator because they associate light with open space that would increase their chances of escape? (Remember, deer seem to be programmed to take a linear escape route, relying on speed rather than evasiveness. This might be because they are not as agile as other species, and cannot change direction at full speed, as some African antelopes can.)
Bengt_Forqs again: <<But please...chocolate in chili? I don't think so!!!>>
Perhaps not at the Terlingua, Texico, Chile Cookoff, where attitudes toward chile tend to be fundamentalist. (I remember the controversy a few years ago between advocates of a "soupy" consistency and those of a "canned-dog-food" texture.) I assure you that in southern New Mexico, a modest amount of baking chocolate was a technique for rescuing a batch of chile that is excessively picoso. I've tried it, and I think the idea has merit. I couldn't taste the chocolate, but the potency of the chile was lessened dramatically.
Something to ponder: You question adding chocolate to chile. But in New Mexico I've eaten chocolates laced with powdered chile. Delicious! (But stick to semisweet or unsweetened choc., not milk choc.)
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Something to ponder: You question adding chocolate to chile. But in New Mexico I've eaten chocolates laced with powdered chile. Delicious! (But stick to semisweet or unsweetened choc., not milk choc.)
I think it is the sugar, an acid, that tends to neutralize the capsicum, an alkalai, in the concoction. I don't doubt that the chili coated chocolate is tasty. Where chili is concerned I do tend toward the fundamentalist camp.
Glad the horn worked. I usually am so busy braking that trying to find the blasted horn on the left side controls is seldom successful. I need to practice with the horn more when it's not needed.
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I usually am so busy braking that trying to find the blasted horn on the left side controls is seldom successful. I need to practice with the horn more when it's not needed.
+1 on that! I was writing about an experience with the family cage; on the bike, I generally remember where the horn is, but only after the fact when it's too late to make a difference. I try to practice, but we live in a community (?) that has noise-abatement ordinances, so I can't do too much of it. Didn't have that problem in the Southwest. (But I didn't have a bike then, either. ;D )
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Here in Australia although we have a large deer population in all of the eastern states, kangaroos are the thing to watch. Read with interest some of the comments on Deer whistles. Over here we have similar devices. Ones called a shoo-roo. Works basicly on the same principal. Problem is the device is designed to alert the animal of oncoming vehicles, giving them the chance to move on. However with kangaroo`s they have a tendancey to be very skittish and will more often than not flee in the most openly direction. And as they will be most likey feeding on the nature strip between the road and a fence line, its the road they head for.
No wonder we put our national symbol into dog food ::)