Additional good, powerful driving lights are worth their weight in gold on a deserted road at night. Alternatively, install a bulb with a 100-watt high beam.
Noise-a horn, revving your engine, etc.-may drive deer away. (Don't count on it, though. My son and I recently went out to plink not far from that Sierra Nevada road, and after we set up, a doe and fawn appeared perhaps 30 yards away between us and our targets. I figured they would be gone at the first gunshot, so we fired it in a different direction. They didn't move then or when we fired into the tree above them several times, dropping debris. We finally had to shoo them away.)
Flashing your headlights may break the spell that seems to cause deer to freeze.
Deer and other wild animals are designed to be hard to see. Aside from the flickering white tail of some species or reflection from an eye, they simply disappear. However, this absence of reflected light can also tip you off. A "hole" in a white fence or wall or "missing" roadside reflectors at night might be an animal. A reflector that "blinks" might also indicate an animal.
Don't challenge large animals by approaching them. A buffalo, moose, elk, mountain lion, bear or large, male deer might attack to drive you off. Stay away and consider turning and riding farther away. A rider and his Harley were thrown high into the air by a bison last summer when the motorcyclist tried to ride through a herd crossing a road.
If an animal has been injured, stay away. It may attack or injure you unintentionally.
If a collision appears imminent, do not swerve. Braking hard right up to the point of impact is good, but you want to be stabilized if you do collide, which will give you the greatest chance of remaining upright.
If riding in a group, spread out. That way if one rider hits a deer, he won't take others down with him.
Wear protective gear. As with other crashes, no one plans to hit an animal. The only way to be ready when it happens is to be prepared on every ride. Wearing a helmet for a relaxing evening ride may seem unnecessary, because you are taking it easy, but the deer won't care. A few years ago, a rider told me of a deer leaping over him and catching him hard enough with a hoof to leave a significant gouge in the side of his helmet and wrench his neck a bit. That rider was very pleased that he was wearing a good helmet. A collision with a deer that leaves you lying injured or unconscious on the road is also one of those occasions when you will appreciate reflective material on your gear.
Deer accidents continue to increase. Let's leave them for the cars.-Art Friedman
Send your "Deer Art" e-mails to art.friedman@primedia.com or ArtoftheMotorcycle@hotmail.com