Deer Me
Seriously? Just hours after posting about things that could go wrong, but might not?
Yeah.
I was barreling along at the posted speed limit on the state highway between Beldenville and River Falls in the pre-dawn darkness around 5:20 a.m. yesterday, when a deer ran right into the side of my car door. BAM!
Little did I know, a different deer running across the road in front of me just after I pulled out of our driveway ten minutes earlier, could have served as a warning. I hadn’t seen any deer on my morning commute for months before this.
After passing plenty of fields and wooded areas where deer sightings could be expected, I reached the outskirts of River Falls, where there was a steel business on the right and a cul-de-sac of houses on the left. I wasn’t expecting this activity as the road made a slight bend to the right, distracting advance visibility. A deer suddenly appeared in my headlights from the left and I reacted by pulling my foot off the accelerator pedal.
Before I could move for the brake, a second deer blasted into the door beside me with impressive force.
That was a fine ‘how do you do?’
The shock left me numb for a second and I coasted a little ways before deciding I should pull over and inspect the result of the impact. I don’t know if there were any others trailing along behind the one that hit me, but I didn’t see any more deer than the first two, and they were now out of sight.
I suspect the deer swung around after the initial contact and then smacked the back bumper for good measure. My door was covered with a fair amount of hair. Shedding season, you know.
Fortunately, no glass was shattered, and the function and seal of the door are still good. It’s going to be almost a month before my body shop can get to me. They are still backed up with appointments from ice and snowstorm damaged vehicles from the winter that didn’t want to end.
The estimator said mine was the first of the spring deer damage incidents they’ve seen this year.
Aren’t I the lucky one?
.
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Funny you should write about deer this morning: I had an encounter with a herd of 3 deer that crossed the street just in front of me, yesterday. They were following a bike path that borders a rail line that courses through a very urban environment — with a little underbrush along the way. We are talking about in the city — near Cedar lake. And this was mid-day. They looked like juveniles and had the thin, end-of-winter look and were oblivious to me and the other cars in the area. They continued along the bike path for a ways and then I saw them gracefully and effortlessly jump over about a 4ft rail fence and continue their journey along the rail line/bike path. Interesting. I do occasionally see a couple of wild turkeys in the same general area.
wtbell
April 26, 2018 at 11:09 am
Urban wildlife! Happy they didn’t crunch your car.
johnwhays
April 27, 2018 at 12:47 am