I’ve seen two deer jump into a sunken lane ahead of me while on the bike and the dust and debris that was kicked up during their increasingly desperate attempts to jump back out over high fences. We are seeing more and more small deer on waste ground outside our office window here in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. And I am seeing more and more dead deer by the sides of roads, this morning on the M66 with a red Astra stopped, nearside headlight and wing smashed and a small deer dead on the hard shoulder. What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen? Or cycling at 40 down a hill and a deer jumped out of the hedge in front of you?

What happens to dead deer that the Council collects from the roadside? Incineration or served up in the canteen in a red wine sauce with shallots and mushrooms?

*waits for somebody to post that video of a South African cyclist hitting a deer*

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen?

Your windscreen crumples, as does your roof. You crash into a hedge, you walk away. Your car is a write-off.

Well, that’s what happened to my mum – YMMV…

Be worried. We had a local killed by one a few years ago down here in East Sussex. A few months before that I was in a taxi which hit one (£300 of bumper/front-end damage only). Lots here at dusk. Lots of bits of roads though woods where I drive more slowly at dusk/dawn and try to take a defensive middle line where possible.

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen?

I guess the deer would die and you would be at least seriously injured.

I remember reading that is a serious problem on Islay or one of the other Scottish Islands.

We’ve got one in our freezer courtesy of it’s final interaction with a vehicle… straight to the butcher…

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen?

once the police had worked out the speed pre-impact you would probably be charged with careless or reckless driving or some such offence… 😯

once the police had worked out the speed pre-impact you would probably be charged with careless or reckless driving or some such offence…

For hitting a deer? I think that plod have a little more on their hands than working out speed of someone hitting a wild animal.

A colleague at work has a house in Oban, and has a deer whistle fitted to his car, swears by it. Sounds like snake oil to me…

nobeer – having seen a few similar in my youth when staying out in the countryside, the police are often there given the state of the car afterwards… 2 daft mates were charged for their excessive speed at the time (Howwood- Lochwinnoch back road)

A fair few round here, came within 6″ of hitting the rear of a stag as it skated across the road during a night ride a few years back and kept pace with a pair as they ran away from me down a sunken road more recently.
Then there is the tail of our old neighbour finding one recently deceased on the road so took it home for the pot but didn’t have a sharp enough knife to let the blood – chainsaw did the trick though

nobeer – having seen a few similar in my youth when staying out in the countryside, the police are often there given the state of the car afterwards… 2 daft mates were charged for their excessive speed at the time

Trick is to only slam your brakes on once you’ve slowed down to 60 mph 😉

Chainsaw is a decent tip…

I lived in Northern Newfoundland one winter and Moose-related-accidents were the issue there. They are fast and stupid and the lazy way to get one was to cruise in your pick-up truck, lights out at dusk, and shoot them from the cab. But they were so big that the only way two people could get them in the back was to use the chainsaw they invariably carried in the back for getting firewood. Lots of big roadside pools of blood and guts…

nobeer – having seen a few similar in my youth when staying out in the countryside, the police are often there given the state of the car afterwards… 2 daft mates were charged for their excessive speed at the time (Howwood- Lochwinnoch back road)

Police had a little more time on their hands 50 years ago… 😉

It would be worth reporting the deer seen outside your offices to the Countryside Service of your Council. Are these muntjac deer? They’re the size of a cocker spaniel and have tusks, not territorial and prolific breeders.

Perhaps cutbacks have reduced culling?

Waits for ninfan to see this thread.

deer numbers are increasing all the time. as a result the range of different species of deer will spread.

if you live in the countryside you’ll understand that to barrel along an a road at 70 at dusk or at night with your head in the clouds thinking nothing’s about as there are no cars on the roads could end up with serious consequences. often you can see their eyes lit up in the distance. often there will be others about even if only see one.

responsible landowners will be culling deer. the FC culls thousands, they all go into the food chain. a decent local census/ cull will limit the number of road casualties. as well as benefitting the local woods, habitat, crops.

what you’re experiencing is probably that you’re just noticing more dead deer etc, things haven’t necessarily increased that fast.

good to be aware though and raise awareness even on here.

nobeer, aye, very good 😀

Seen two cyclists hit deer in the chiltons one needed a few stitches the other a new wheel.

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80

You can’t modify the deer’s behaviour but you can modify you’re own.

Hitting a deer on your bike might be where your problems start. The kicking you get as you try and untangle the bike from the antlers is what you want to worry about- friend of mine looked like he’d been through a threshing machine.

A colleague at work has a house in Oban, and has a deer whistle fitted to his car, swears by it. Sounds like snake oil to me…

Nah- snake oil makes more of a hissing sound

cinnamon_girl – Member
It would be worth reporting the deer seen outside your offices to the Countryside Service of your Council. Are these muntjac deer? They’re the size of a cocker spaniel and have tusks, not territorial and prolific breeders.

Not sure why the council would be interested in deer numbers? A couple on waste ground is hardly cause for concern… Muntjac do have small tusks, but you’d be hard pushed to spot them at a distance as they just look like an slightly longer canine tooth and are mostly covered by the animals lips (except for very old and mature bucks).

And they are very territorial btw. That’s one of the reasons they spread (along with the prolific, year round breeding) – same for several species of deer – once the does are about to drop the fawns they kick last years young out of the territory. Usually happens late spring for roe and why you often see more deer killed on the road at this time of year, as they start to wander looking for new territory.

Perhaps cutbacks have reduced culling?

Again, nothing to do with the council. Private landowners are responsible and I’m not aware of any council who has an active culling programme, as they don’t tend to have high numbers of deer on their land.

In general, deer numbers in the NW are lower than many places in the UK – one theory is that the canals have slowed the spread (they can easily swim rivers, but struggle with square edged canals). But deer numbers generally on the increase in the UK.

As for chainsaws… 🙄 You can fully butcher a deer with a single, small knife – that’s not a Bear Grylls type of brag, it’s just that I can’t think of a more inappropriate way of chopping up a deer!

You’ve more chance of being smashed up in RTC than hitting a deer.

Nah- snake oil makes more of a hissing sound

😆

There has been a vast increase in deer numbers around Glasgow in the last 50 years. Seeing deer around Milngavie/Mugdock Country Park area was an extremely rare event in the 1970s. I only saw them a handful of times before leaving school.

Back living in the same area now they are everywhere. I see deer in the small park beside our house which is surrounds by houses albeit 300 yards from open country.

I’d be interested to know why. Are smallholders and farmers less likely to shoot them for the pot now meaning numbers have increased? My grandfather had a 30 acre holding near Strathblane from the 1940s onwards. My dad only remembers him shooting a deer a couple of times. And that was a guy who shot and snared hares and rabbits for the pot.
If deer had been common he’d have been shooting them

This link suggests red deer numbers have increased from 100’000 post WW2 through 278’00 in 1978 to 380’000 now. I’d guess other deer species have shown similar increases.

A brief history of ‘the deer problem’ in Scotland

Solution? Kill more of them and eat them. I love venison. But as deer are cuddly and start life as Bambi’s will the public go for it?

Loads round here (West Berkshire). See them pretty much every road ride, mainly Muntjac.

We had one guy t-bone a baby non-muntjac on a early evening ride, dislocated his clavicle and put him out of the Lejog he’d been training six months for. Deer was stunned but got up and stumbled into the bushes later.

I remember reading that is a serious problem on Islay or one of the other Scottish Islands.

Can’t be Islay. It’s hard enough getting up to 40mph the roads are that bad!

But even hitting a deer at 40 would make a mess.

Whenever I’ve seen a dead Red Deer on the side of the road in the Highlands It’s usually accompanied by bits of car.

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen?

you’d get what you deserve I guess?

The road from Ullapool to Inverness is something else for deer crossing the road at night, proper red deer, in numbers, keeps you on your toes though!

What would happen if you were driving back late at night at 80 and a deer came through the windscreen?

I hit a large red stag at 60 along the side of Loch Lubnaig on way home from hogmanay party three years ago.
Massive swerve to wrong side of road meant that its head hit the pillar and passenger edge of windscreen. It cracked the screen, left dent in pillar and dents/scratches down every other panel of the car. Middle_OAB was in the passenger seat at the time – rest of family_oab was asleep in the back.
Amazingly, the stag, erm, staggered off, and I couldn’t find it.
Stupendously lucky in my view – if I hadn’t swerved so hard, or the beast had been a few cm more further out it would have been head fully on windscreen and would have come through…
Around the highlands, it is common to see them, sheep and cattle on the road, and usually you are driving slowly enough to stop. The real issue is faster roads alongside woods, where they can jump out with little warning.

I’d be interested to know why. Are smallholders and farmers less likely to shoot them for the pot now meaning numbers have increased?

It’s mostly roe deer you’re seeing around glasgow. Compared to reds they’re really difficult to shoot, but also as the outskirts become more built you running around with a rifle becomes less practical

irc – Member

I’d be interested to know why.

In simple terms, no primary predators any more and changes in farming / forestry practices. For example, massive increases in Roe numbers following all the coniferous plantations in Dumfries and Galloway in the 60’s. Previous farming uses in the area didn’t support high (any?!) deer numbers but the forestry allows them to thrive.

Basically they breed faster that they die / are being killed, so their geographical range is also spreading.

Compared to reds they’re really difficult to shoot,

How do you figure that out?? They have different habitats and behaviors, but it could be argued that they’re easier to shoot than reds. Certainly no harder.

The point about controlling numbers in urban environments is a good one though.

At considerably less than 80 (B road) both the deer and the car were write-offs. the deer didn’t fit through the windscreen so I was ok.

I think that fifty years ago there were more people actually working on the land, more likely to spot resident deer and with access to rifles.

I’ve been told that mature females can be followed by calves, so be aware of the risk of another, a second or two behind.

I believe fallow deer are currently calving, the calves currently stay parked in patches of nettles. I don’t know abot others.

bull bars.

shoulda kept your landy globalti

I must say I’ve never even come close to hitting one but then im aware that i live in an area where deer are common and so drive accordingly.

like nobeer a few of my colleagues swear by the deer whistles.

Personally, I would go for a 50% plus reduction in deer numbers. #passmeagun

I’ve hit 2 in the car in 6 months (rural commute), one a write off the other a glancing blow

I saw a large Suzuki once that had hit a deer while going down the A68 at night. The fork stanchions were bent back so that the tyre was almost hitting the radiator but there was very little other damage. They’d been going so fast that they’d actually cut the deer in half.

The smell from the bike a couple of days later was outstanding though 😳

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y85asfrxBo[/video]

The road from Ullapool to Inverness is something else for deer crossing the road at night, proper red deer, in numbers, keeps you on your toes though!

Try the next 40 miles north of Ullapool… They lie hidden in the roadside ditches and jump out suddenly, so it is a road for taking your time on (or letting the North Coast 500 racers take them out for you).

#passmeagun

Reintroducing Lynxes would probably help as well.

Shirley the STW answer (according to the walking up Cannock DH track thread) is that you should only be driving at a speed that you know you can stop if a deer jumped out at you without hitting it.

Reintroducing Lynxes would probably help as well.

If you reintroduce them from Europe would they be Axes?

The road from Ullapool to Inverness is something else for deer crossing the road at night, proper red deer, in numbers, keeps you on your toes though!

Try the next 40 miles north of Ullapool… They lie hidden in the roadside ditches and jump out suddenly, so it is a road for taking your time on (or letting the North Coast 500 racers take them out for you).

A north coast surf trip some years ago, small hours of the morning in the later stages of the eight hour hike up there, end of June and the road must’ve still been warm from the day as they were lying on it and we literally had to drive right up and push our way through…

loads of roe round us and I think I’ve seen fallow. Rode right up on a roe the other day and, concentrating on staying on the bike, couldn’t quite process what it was as from behind it looked like some kind of bald alien blob on two legs (I may be losing it). Until it turned and jumped over a shoulder high wall from standing.