First Buck of the season

In my experience a rifle is cheaper and damages a lot less meat. On the bright side, better a deer than an elk or moose - one of them would really ruin your day.

OUCH X 2 !

that sure is a lot of damage for such a small animal..... It always amazes me when I see the damage a deer can cause..

Sure reminds me of my hitting a deer.

Several years ago while going south on M-37 south of White Cloud Michigan traveling at 55 mph (the speed limit) in late October at about 9:30 pm in our 1980 Chevy van conversion 2 deer bounded across in front of us (4 adults and 2 kids in the van). Not a chnce of even being able to hit the brakes as never seen the deer until in our headlights. An 8 point buck and a doe. The buck didn't make it as he smacked right into the van's front bumper between the headlight and the left side of the grill area. Then spun around and hit the driver's side door and dented it in. Of course I slammed on the brakes and stopped. Ya, shookup as it happened so fast and in the dark!

There on the left side of the road about 50 feet back laid the buck still jerking it's legs a little. Several vehicles stopped and I grabbed my cellphone and called 911 to get a law officer to the scene. A sheriff's deputy arived in only minutes and made sure everyone was OK and went over to the deer that was bleeding and had a mangled rear leg area. Withdrew his pistol and put deer out of it's misery. Asked if we wanted it and I said NO! At least 3 of the people said they would take it and one did.

The deputy wrote up his report and gave me one copy and we left for home and you can guess what the topic of conversation was for the next 58 miles of travel back home and the next few days also!

The damage to the van was a broken parking light lens, a busted fog light, blood and hair splattered and stuffed between things and a large dent in the driverls side door. The big chrome bumper was still very good and not bent as the deer hit right at where it was attached and backed by the frame. A couple days later I took the van to a repair place friend and he looked at the door dent, went inside and got a large suction cup and put it on the dent and popped it back out. I didn't even turn it in to our insurance and just bought a new lens and a new driving light and all was good! I did have the written accident report if I needed it. Yup! we sure lucked out plus! Fortunately, the bumpers back in the 80's were real bumpers!!!

Have had good 'ol Bambi's get hit by my semi truck and the cost isn't any cheaper for repair to them as it is w/ cars/pick-ups. Bumper alone around $2,000 not incl labor. Last "hit was around the 7 grand mark. Oh, Freightliner Cascadia. Talked shop mgr into getting deer bumpers. He got 2 full size and just a few 1/2 size ones. I was lucky enough to get the 1st full size and wouldn't you know haven't hit 1 single deer since it was put on!!!!!! Despite having a lot of Cascadia's, shop does not have deer bumpers on all of them. I had heard it was because they cost too much. Really? From what I gather, the bumpers are around 1200-1500 bucks. Guess the company feels it's cheaper to spend thousands to repair 'em VS next to nothing.

To further explain the full size VS half size, the full size has bars that extend up and around the headlights and plower portion of the grill. Half size only protects the bumper and just above it in center by the grill.

Ski Pro 3 wrote:
I wonder why the air bags didn't go off and what it would take to finally do.

Why would you wonder that? A deer isn’t going to decelerate a truck fast enough to trigger bags. That impact was the equivalent of a 5mph fender bender with another car.

old guy wrote:
in Oregon they passed a new law that you can keep the meat. but who wants to eat a deer that is blood shot all through and through

Washington did it too a few years ago.

I think the feds should pass a law requiring all dear in the rut to ware reflective gear. They are very hard to see!

Last year I was driving 65 mph, at dusk where it is dark enough you cant see real well but still just light enough that your headlights aren't doing much good, traffic coming the other direction nowhere to go and the thing ran right into the side of my truck in the front of the front quarter panel. He crushed that in and my forward momentum made him spin his butt hit the rear of the front quarter panel his head hit the pass front door, butt hit rear door and head again hit rear bedside down low over $6k damage. New front quarter panel, front and rear door as well as bedside. Just last weekend put on a new bumper from ARB hopefully it will work as well as the bumper I had on my last truck. Hit one with that one all I had to do was scrape of the hair hit it dead center no damage at all was doing 70mph at that time.

Ouuuuuuuuuuuch...............

Last April I creamed her daughter, about half that size here in PA, with my 15 GMC 2500 a year after it had been repaired from the below. Only the chrome steel part of the bumper and lower plastic insert along with a bent bracket.................$3K damage.

Sorry PBDB, comprehensive is a good thing, thats a $9-$10K or more hit I think. Good Job, proud of you, could not have done better myself :B
This was $9K, but was caused by one of those ever elusive concrete Bambi's. The **** plastic headlight assembly was almost a grand.

Ski Pro 3 wrote:
I wonder why the air bags didn't go off and what it would take to finally do.

Coming to an abrupt deceleration fast enough, which no deer is going to do. Airbags very seldom deploy when deer hunting with pickups, or even when hunting concrete light pole bases with trucks.

old guy wrote:
in Oregon they passed a new law that you can keep the meat. but who wants to eat a deer that is blood shot all through and through

"TENDERIZING" or Deer Baloney, meat sticks, jerky, sausage. Half the work is already done for ya. Just hang it in a cool garage for about 4 weeks to age it.

I wonder why the air bags didn't go off and what it would take to finally do.