To the casual observer, the difference between the white-tail and mule deer is assumed to lie in the comparative length, size and shape of the ears.
It doesn’t. The crucial difference between the two species lies somewhere between them.
| As a cross-country driver of some experience, I’ve always found the behavior of mule deer to be disconcertingly placid. The creatures gather in small groups to graze in the ditches and at the road edge, lifting heads to stare you in the eye with a mixture of bemusement and mild alarm, They’re almost bovine in their behavior, but don’t let that fool you – they enjoy the head game. |  |
Quite unlike white-tails.
The normal mood of the white-tail deer alternates between panic attack and severe clinical depression. To complicate matters, the species is particularly sensitive to “seasonal affected disorder”, the season that affects them most known as “hunting season”.
Which leads me to last Friday morning. I was cruising along the narrow secondary highway about two miles west of Souris, Manitoba when the early morning light was interrupted in a demonstration of just how suicidal this species can become when all three mental states converge.
The flash of movement was four white-tails, running hard in single file. The first deer crossed the shoulder about 75 feet in front of my 2000 Dodge Caravan – a vehicle with a front profile specially designed to scoop large game up from the pavement and deposit it in the driver’s lap.
At such moments, the thought processes that occur during normal decision making are replaced by the road-conditioned instinct that takes over when forced to select from a set of distressingly bad choices.
PRIORIZE.
One …SEMI ONCOMING stay in the damned lane and two BRAKEHARDNOW and get behind that lead s.o.b before he comes through the windshield now three – get outatheBAM!
As is typical of such situations, there was no time for a third priority.
Just as I lifted off the brake to jam down the gas, the second deer smashed into the passenger door, taking out the mirror before rolling down the length of the van.
I suspect three and four probably met their fate intersecting the space-time continuum of the tractor-trailer unit. I don’t know. I didn’t go back to survey the carnage. My van had suffered quite enough of that as it was.
But all things considered, the best outcome possible under the circumstances, with bonus points for coming out of it with a vehicle that’s still drivable. The only question remaining is whether the insurance adjuster decides to write it off, in which case, I may be a bit “SAD” myself. I’ve only had it 5 months.
You live in the best place to hunt deer in the world.
“World Record White Tail Deer that was taken by Milo Hanson of Biggar, SK in November of 1993 which scored 213 5/8”
The Hanson buck is my screensaver, and this time of year (hunting season) it’s all I can think of.
Sask. is a mecca of waterfowling and deer hunting, I’m jealous, and plan to come back hunting again soon.
Throw a couple of those pretenderized eaters in that awful van and you and the dogs dine like kings.
Cal that’s really funny!
Liver and onions for supper. Life doesn’t get any better
Will you change you blog name to “Medium-sized Dead Animals”?
Well the hubby did his part and nabbed a big doe yesterday (filled his second tag, leaving his primary open for his buck), while his hunting buddy nabbed a buck. Two less to run into or rather to run into us, and venison for supper. We also got hit by a big doe last year. She glanced off the side of our Expedition leaving the smallest dent to us. She had a broken pelvis and two busted legs, and had to be put down. We’ve also had friends that were hit by a moose on 2 occasions (no not the same moose) and of course Steven Fletcher hit a moose that paralyzed him 30 minutes from here. It’s dangerous driving this time of year. Glad the minivan and deer were the only casualties!!
Kate,
How fast were you driving at the time?
We have the black tailed deer and you often have them comming right into town here and with them come the moutian lions and there still the occasional roadkills SMEAR OF DEER
About 70mph.
Anyone who has had the slightest contact with this nation’s natural terrain and indiginous fawna knows that deer are natural capitalists…the more agriculture, the more deer….Deer would much rather eat corn than poplar bark and use the excess calories to make more deer…..with the expansion of agrarian terrafoming in this nation we have doubled or tripled the population of deer…particularly whitetail. There are more deer now than when Cabot sighted Canada for the first time.
They ARE a road hazzard…that’s why the signs are up along rural roadways….these are yellow backgrounds so they are a warning sign….not a novel suggesion notice for urban tourists to rubber neck at wildlife. Deer cause 4 vehicle collisions an hour in Canada and on average annually cause 18,000 personal injuries and 20 fatalities. These numbers double when you add Moose, bear and Elk. Insurance companies pay out $100 millon a year in property damage settlements due to wildlife collision.
Ranchers and farmers who must drive these roads on a daily basis have put themselves their families and property at risk for years because of the ballooning deer population yet, when they ask the various provincial wildlufe authorities ( who seem to be staffed with more PETA brownshirts than the conservation officers, wildlife managers and bioligists we once had), to cull the herds, they get curt statist replies that this is too bad but the deer “belong” there…it is the farmer that is the “hazzard”.
It is this pervasive abnormal ideological morass in government that has corrupted the normal scientific methodology for determing cull rates and sound herd management and actually reduced the hunting harvest of these populations….keeping the cull too low ( many rural farming zones should issue a double deer tag)…the reproductive rate of the deer is more prolific than the means to harvest their over production in the agrarian environments.
So next time you schmuck a big Whitetail on a rural hiway smile and remember the provincial wildlife bureaucrats wearing the crispy carrot PETA tee shirt is also smiling….secure in the knowledge their perverted preservationist ideologies have culled another interloping human “blight” to wildlife. At the rate of deer-car collisions the Human “blight” in rural areas will soon be irradicated by these accidents. 😉
Anyone who has had the slightest contact with this nation’s natural terrain and indiginous fawna knows that deer are natural capitalists…the more agriculture, the more deer….Deer would much rather eat corn than poplar bark and use the excess calories to make more deer…..with the expansion of agrarian terrafoming in this nation we have doubled or tripled the population of deer…particularly whitetail. There are more deer now than when Cabot sighted Canada for the first time.
They ARE a road hazzard…that’s why the signs are up along rural roadways….these are yellow backgrounds so they are a warning sign….not a novel suggesion notice for urban tourists to rubber neck at wildlife. Deer cause 4 vehicle collisions an hour in Canada and on average annually cause 18,000 personal injuries and 20 fatalities. These numbers double when you add Moose, bear and Elk. Auto assurance companies pay out $100 millon a year in property damage settlements due to wildlife collision.
Ranchers and farmers who must drive these roads on a daily basis have put themselves their families and property at risk for years because of the ballooning deer population yet, when they ask the various provincial wildlufe authorities ( who seem to be staffed with more PETA brownshirts than the conservation officers, wildlife managers and bioligists we once had), to cull the herds, they get curt statist replies that this is too bad but the deer “belong” there…it is the farmer that is the “hazzard”.
It is this pervasive abnormal ideological morass in government that has corrupted the normal scientific methodology for determing cull rates and sound herd management and actually reduced the hunting harvest of these populations….keeping the cull too low ( many rural farming zones should issue a double deer tag)…the reproductive rate of the deer is more prolific than the means to harvest their over production in the agrarian environments.
So next time you schmuck a big Whitetail on a rural hiway smile and remember the provincial wildlife bureaucrats wearing the crispy carrot PETA tee shirt is also smiling….secure in the knowledge their perverted preservationist ideologies have culled another interloping human “blight” to wildlife. At the rate of deer-car collisions the Human “blight” in rural areas will soon be irradicated by these accidents. 😉
Anyone who has had the slightest contact with this nation’s natural terrain and indiginous fawna knows that deer are natural capitalists…the more agriculture, the more deer….Deer would much rather eat corn than poplar bark and use the excess calories to make more deer…..with the expansion of agrarian terrafoming in this nation we have doubled or tripled the population of deer…particularly whitetail. There are more deer now than when Cabot sighted Canada for the first time.
They ARE a road hazzard…that’s why the signs are up along rural roadways….these are yellow backgrounds so they are a warning sign….not a novel suggesion notice for urban tourists to rubber neck at wildlife. Deer cause 4 vehicle collisions an hour in Canada and on average annually cause 18,000 personal injuries and 20 fatalities. These numbers double when you add Moose, bear and Elk. Insurance companies pay out $100 millon a year in property damage settlements due to wildlife collision.
Ranchers and farmers who must drive these roads on a daily basis have put themselves their families and property at risk for years because of the ballooning deer population yet, when they ask the various provincial wildlufe authorities ( who seem to be staffed with more PETA brownshirts than the conservation officers, wildlife managers and bioligists we once had), to cull the herds, they get curt statist replies that this is too bad but the deer “belong” there…it is the farmer that is the “hazzard”.
It is this pervasive abnormal ideological morass in government that has corrupted the normal scientific methodology for determing cull rates and sound herd management and actually reduced the hunting harvest of these populations….keeping the cull too low ( many rural farming zones should issue a double deer tag)…the reproductive rate of the deer is more prolific than the means to harvest their over production in the agrarian environments.
So next time you schmuck a big Whitetail on a rural hiway smile and remember the provincial wildlife bureaucrats wearing the crispy carrot PETA tee shirt is also smiling….secure in the knowledge their perverted preservationist ideologies have culled another interloping human “blight” to wildlife. At the rate of deer-car collisions the Human “blight” in rural areas will soon be irradicated by these accidents. 😉
About 70mph.
The most amazing part of this whole story is you have no crap in your garage!
Glad you’re O.K.
Best be renaming to bigdeadanimals.com
Anyone who has had the slightest contact with this nation’s natural terrain and indiginous fawna knows that deer are natural capitalists…the more agriculture, the more deer….Deer would much rather eat corn than poplar bark and use the excess calories to make more deer…..with the expansion of agrarian terrafoming in this nation we have doubled or tripled the population of deer…particularly whitetail. There are more deer now than when Cabot sighted Canada for the first time.
They ARE a road hazzard…that’s why the signs are up along rural roadways….these are yellow backgrounds so they are a warning sign….not a novel suggesion notice for urban tourists to rubber neck at wildlife. Deer cause 4 vehicle collisions an hour in Canada and on average annually cause 18,000 personal injuries and 20 fatalities. These numbers double when you add Moose, bear and Elk. Auto assurance companies pay out $100 millon a year in property damage settlements due to wildlife collision.
Ranchers and farmers who must drive these roads on a daily basis have put themselves their families and property at risk for years because of the ballooning deer population yet, when they ask the various provincial wildlufe authorities ( who seem to be staffed with more PETA brownshirts than the conservation officers, wildlife managers and bioligists we once had), to cull the herds, they get curt statist replies that this is too bad but the deer “belong” there…it is the farmer that is the “hazzard”.
It is this pervasive abnormal ideological morass in government that has corrupted the normal scientific methodology for determing cull rates and sound herd management and actually reduced the hunting harvest of these populations….keeping the cull too low ( many rural farming zones should issue a double deer tag)…the reproductive rate of the deer is more prolific than the means to harvest their over production in the agrarian environments.
So next time you schmuck a big Whitetail on a rural hiway smile and remember the provincial wildlife bureaucrats wearing the crispy carrot PETA tee shirt is also smiling….secure in the knowledge their perverted preservationist ideologies have culled another interloping human “blight” to wildlife. At the rate of deer-car collisions the Human “blight” in rural areas will soon be irradicated by these accidents. 😉
I bet they were does. Prancing around without a thought in their heads. You rarely see the Boy deers getting wacked on the road….Just teasing.
Kate, glad to hear you’re OK. Hopefully when you ordered that minivan, you ordered it with the interior roof hook & gambrel option (new for 2006 models).
Deer: The Most Dangerous large animal in North America, kills more people than Wolves, Bears and every other “predator”, combined.
Given the suicide attacks it’s almost to wonder if Al Quaeda has infiltrated the species.
Ten years ago, I was driving on road with 6 inches of heavy wet snow on it.
Suddenly, I see one deer start to bounce across the road. Road conditions were such that I couldn’t do anything to avoid it. What made it interesting was that the one deer was followed by 8 others. Somehow, I drove through that deer conga line without a scratch on my car or on any of the deer.
RE: Dodge Caravan.
I was recently looking at maybe buying one for work. The upstate classifieds always a good selection of them for sale and many are priced less than 5000 dollars. Also I heard a buddy who works at GM say some years and models are much, much better than others.
RE: Hitting the deer.
It seems there are many many places now where there are too many deer and the number of colisions is staggering. In NY state the freakin things are everywhere, even in the cities. I find if the road is open on the shoulders, i.e. fields, I can often see them coming. It is when the trees hug the shoulders and they jump out of the trees where I have had some really close calls. My aunt hit one on a major crowded freeway going 70 and almost bought the farm. They easily jump those 8 foot fences.
Ten years ago, I was driving on road with 6 inches of heavy wet snow on it.
Suddenly, I see one deer start to bounce across the road. Road conditions were such that I couldn’t do anything to avoid it. What made it interesting was that the one deer was followed by 8 others. Somehow, I drove through that deer conga line without a scratch on my car or on any of the deer.
Hi Kate,
My first post here and I must say… looks you’ve been quite busy with your blog and website.
I must confess I’ve never hit a deer, but I did have a posessed bat turn the inside of my car into rodeo while I was driving down the higway once. I took out a sign and ran off into a ditch. Then… the little shit took off before the cops showed up.
The guy didn’t believe me. I noticed my granola bar on the floor with some obvious chew marks in the wrapper, so I showed it to the officer who arrived.
He snickered and told me I was going to have to take a “BAT” test (and I did – twice). He actually wrote the following on the report (“bat”stard…)
Cause: “alledged bat attack”
Passengers: 1 bat
Witnesses: Bat
Witness contact info: Bat left the scene of the accident. No info available.
Description: While driving down S. on Hwy xxx, driver claims he was attacked by a bat causing him to loose control of the vehicle and hit a road sign. Driver claims bat broke into his car and stole a granola bar.
Driver was disgruntled and un-cooperative. BAT test inconclusive.
It cost me $1,500, but I learned not to leave my windows cracked at night…
Hey Kate… I LOVE the helmet with the “moon” shot and I must have one. How can I order one and how much?
Thanks for that tip LikeITontop. Being on the farm I often leave windows open etc. The thought of a bat for a passenger just made my hair stand up straight. Funny story. I know just the people to send it to…
Kate; what’s with all the multiple posts? I noticed you even have a double.
If you want to get a helmet painted, send me an email to kate@katewerk.com
Be sure to put helmet painting or something like that in the subject line, or it may get missed in the spam.
This whole story reinforces the wisdom of owning large vehicles when living in rural areas – I somehow doubt that we’d be reading this post if Kate was driving an urban-chic Smart Car, or a Mini, new or old version.
The Caravan is the smallest vehicle I’ve driven for a very long time. I’ve hit so many deer over the years, I’ve lost count – in full sized vans. The first thing I”d install on my dog truck was a heavy metal grill guard, because you just _knew_ it was going to happen.
But I don’t handle dogs for $$ anymore, and having to foot the fuel bills alone to make trips to the Us east coast and elsewhere forced me to compromise and go minivan. If I had my druthers, I’d be in a 4 door Dodge diesel.
Hey! Maybe it’s time for a pledge drive… let’s see… 1000 readers at $20 each….
First time post. Love the blog. Re deer etc, long and short, the cuddlies/peta/etc have perptuated the “Disney” generation. They walk, talk, cuddle, and are compassionate. Whoops, real world, it’s survival.
They have no natural predators to speak of in any numbers, aren’t scared of humans and civilization, the habitat is excellent, hunters are being legislated into oblivion (relates to no fear thing and civilization), any wonder they thrive and pro-create??
On the flats of the Mid West Sask/Alta prairies beware the new threat, Moose, you think deer are bad, try hitting one of these sweeties.
Coyotes on the prowl in urban areas, cougars on prowl in urban areas, wolves in bush camps, etc. Loss of natural fear a big factor.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for greens and tree huggers that encounter the emboldend wildlife, they should really appreciate what they’ve done and accomplished!
Total disconnect from the real world as it existed and natures laws. TTFN, all the best. Heads up, y’all!!!!
First time post. Love the blog. Re deer etc, long and short, the cuddlies/peta/etc have perptuated the “Disney” generation. They walk, talk, cuddle, and are compassionate. Whoops, real world, it’s survival.
They have no natural predators to speak of in any numbers, aren’t scared of humans and civilization, the habitat is excellent, hunters are being legislated into oblivion (relates to no fear thing and civilization), any wonder they thrive and pro-create??
On the flats of the Mid West Sask/Alta prairies beware the new threat, Moose, you think deer are bad, try hitting one of these sweeties.
Coyotes on the prowl in urban areas, cougars on prowl in urban areas, wolves in bush camps, etc. Loss of natural fear a big factor.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for greens and tree huggers that encounter the emboldend wildlife, they should really appreciate what they’ve done and accomplished!
Total disconnect from the real world as it existed and natures laws. TTFN, all the best. Heads up, y’all!!!!
First time post. Love the blog. Re deer etc, long and short, the cuddlies/peta/etc have perptuated the “Disney” generation. They walk, talk, cuddle, and are compassionate. Whoops, real world, it’s survival.
They have no natural predators to speak of in any numbers, aren’t scared of humans and civilization, the habitat is excellent, hunters are being legislated into oblivion (relates to no fear thing and civilization), any wonder they thrive and pro-create??
On the flats of the Mid West Sask/Alta prairies beware the new threat, Moose, you think deer are bad, try hitting one of these sweeties.
Coyotes on the prowl in urban areas, cougars on prowl in urban areas, wolves in bush camps, etc. Loss of natural fear a big factor.
I don’t have a lot of sympathy for greens and tree huggers that encounter the emboldend wildlife, they should really appreciate what they’ve done and accomplished!
Total disconnect from the real world as it existed and natures laws. TTFN, all the best. Heads up, y’all!!!!
kate…over here in ON, Canada we do KPH…guess y’all out west are already a new state…lol…
Glad you handled the van so well…
Kate wrote: “Hey! Maybe it’s time for a pledge drive… let’s see… 1000 readers at $20 each….”
DO IT, KATE! I’ll be the first in line. Just tell me where to send it…
SDA is the best entertainment going and it’s the gift that just keeps on giving: in this case, a very good thing…
Being a former Prairie Type before moving to the wet coast, I have had my share of run in’s with assorted wildlife, but I must relate one story.
Many moons ago I was driving down a narrow country road in my 55 Pontiac with my fibreglass cartopper boat strapped to the roof racks. The grass and brush was growing right up to the road on both sides about two to three feet high. I’m sure many of you have traveled the same kind of road. It was just about sunset and a Ruffed Grouse flew out in front of me, bounced off the windshield in a cloud of feathers and dissappeared. Imagine my surprise when I got home and got out of the car and looked into the boat and here was the grouse perched on one of the seats having enjoyed the ride. It flew away seemingly unharmed, only missing a few feathers.
Kate:
I suggest investing in a set of animal alert whistles. The good ones work great, The deer freeze in their tracks when you go by. SGI should issue them with plates but body shops don’t like us using them.
Your not alone kate, I hit one on my way home from brother in laws, did about $500.00 damage. I hit another with grain truck, bent bumper. I hit one with GMC,no damage but put deer into ditch. Mom and dad drove up and I was checking it to see if it was okay, the deer got up and darted for the headlights of Mom and Dad’s car and ended up standing on hood. It scampered off and was fine, so was the car and truck.
Driving oil tank truck the fist one past in front of me and like you I hit brakes worried about others and one hit side of oil truck no damage to truck but deer exploded when it went under the tires of an 80000lb oil tank truck.
The worst was hitting one near Kenosee lake with half ton truck at about 100kms/hour took out grill,hood, fender, wheel well, headlights,engine fan , both front signal lights and bug deflector. Truck needed to be towed and damage was about $6000.00. Not one part was fixed all were replaced.
Avro (your brother)
These are just the ones I remember, there has been countless near misses.
Your not alone kate, I hit one on my way home from brother in laws, did about $500.00 damage. I hit another with grain truck, bent bumper. I hit one with GMC,no damage but put deer into ditch. Mom and dad drove up and I was checking it to see if it was okay, the deer got up and darted for the headlights of Mom and Dad’s car and ended up standing on hood. It scampered off and was fine, so was the car and truck.
Driving oil tank truck the fist one past in front of me and like you I hit brakes worried about others and one hit side of oil truck no damage to truck but deer exploded when it went under the tires of an 80000lb oil tank truck.
The worst was hitting one near Kenosee lake with half ton truck at about 100kms/hour took out grill,hood, fender, wheel well, headlights,engine fan , both front signal lights and bug deflector. Truck needed to be towed and damage was about $6000.00. Not one part was fixed all were replaced.
Avro (your brother)
These are just the ones I remember, there has been countless near misses.
Kate:
So… when’s the BBQ?
😉
ps: don’t try this in BC with our moose!
Glad you are OK!
Unpredictability is an inescapable condition of driving which generally varies inversely with both lighting and driving experience and exponentially with speed.
It definitely helped my survival odds that my first vehicle was a ’74 Chrysler Newport battleship – which was an effective answer to lack of experience. It was a more challenging vehicle to control, had less zip than a cup of green tea and had a massive bumper garanteed to win any Alex Colvillesque encounters.
I was talking to someone today and we were discussing deer collisions. His truck was in autobody shop due to a collision just recently he referred to the deer as Ditch Rats.
Some city people are losing their love affair with deer becuase the deer are comming into their yards and eating their folage and leaving a mess in their manicured yards too bad they have gome from bambi to rats with antlers