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MtnGoat
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 9:38 am 
The other night my wife and I were towing my broken Ford pickup back to the ranch using the tried and true, and hairy, and stupid, and desperate, rope from one rig to another method. I was staring at the back of the Toyota 20 feet ahead of me while white knuckling the big fords wheel and keeping a foot firmly planted near the mostly dead brakes. Suddenly she brakes and the back tire of the toyota is half the distance, I'm standing on the power-less brake pedal with both feet, praying. I close to about 1m, then finally a sigh of relief when I slow enough to create some space. A buck. Four point, standing off to the side in a group of trees, waited until she was almost there and then bingo, jumps right out into the road. So what is up with this deer behavior? Why leave cover and jump INTO the path of an oncoming, scary thing? How can this be a survival instinct? Following an already running herd, I can kind of understand, but a single deer, mostly hidden, decide to break cover and head FOR the danger? I've seen this more than once. Is this what they do with mountain lions or other predators? Wait in cover until the predator is close, then jump out *towards* it? What the heck? So what's the deal here? Opinions?

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Backpacker Joe
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 10:04 am 
Well, cougars don't have head lights! For some dumb reason they do wait until the last second (day or night) to jump out to try and cross the road. I think the difference is that they only seem stop in the middle of the road at night. That has been my experience. I think deer are democrats. Republican deer would be way more conservative about their approach to road crossing. They would give themselves enough time to clear the road before the car came. TB

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Trevor
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 10:22 am 
If you would like to experience deer presenting such behavior, I could suggest driving the Teanaway Rd. at night. On my way back from ingalls I had to regress my speed to about 15-20 mph, for there were deers in the road around every corner. I counted a total of about 20 of them.

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kleet
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 10:43 am 
I think it would be a colossal error for the deer to cross the road. Crossing roads is hard work and many who cross do not pass the global test. Some begin to cross, then flip-flop and return to the side from whence they came. Others make pre-emptive strikes across the road, but a few will choose to take a swift boat across a river instead. Deer like that make me peeved, annoyed, unfocused and fatigued. I just hate their mixed messages.

A fuxk, why do I not give one?
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jenjen
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 10:53 am 
I think they're trying to take selected drivers out of the world along with them. More than once I've driven through the Methow late at night to see deer on the side of the road waiting for the right car to throw themselves in front of. They seem to be very selective about this. Which particular driver a particular deer wants to take out would depend entirely on what party line that deer subscribed to.

If life gives you melons - you might be dyslexic
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Dslayer
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 11:04 am 
My guess is that they're just frightened. Deer tend to cross roads on corners where they can't see anything. To a deer, not being able to see anything means no danger-obviously that's folly to humans. It is also typical for a number of deer to group together when frightened-often that deer you see on the side of the road is one of a group; is scared and wants to rejoin the group for safety.

"The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights is my concealed weapon permit."-Ted Nugent
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touron
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 7:12 pm 
Lots of deer up the Teanaway--see them most of the time I drive it. Also see alot outside of Ronald. Why do the jump? I don't know. Why do chipmunks run out into the middle of the road, and then back, giving you two chances to hit them?! rant.gif

Touron is a nougat of Arabic origin made with almonds and honey or sugar, without which it would just not be Christmas in Spain.
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Trevor
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 7:30 pm 
I encounter the chipmunks often, have nearly hit many of them. I also find myself swerving all over roads like the Mt. Loop Highway, due to the quantity of birds that fly out in front of the passing vehicles. I thought it was odd the other day when I had to swerve out of the way to elude a large pheasant that flew out of a nearby tree and landed right in front of me on the road.

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Backpacker Joe
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 7:50 pm 
Oh brother. Look what I started....... TB moon.gif moon.gif moon.gif moon.gif moon.gif moon.gif moon.gif

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Jeepasaurusrex
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 8:00 pm 
Heh, ever seen the Geico commercial with the two squirrles? Its either that, or they have been reading some of Gary Larsons comics "The Far Side" biggrin.gif

"I would like to see things from your point of view, but I cannot get my head that far up my butt"
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Lagerman
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 8:05 pm 
I think if you dont have deer whistlers on your rig, your an animal hater. chicken.gif

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mgd
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PostTue Oct 05, 2004 8:06 pm 
I was driving through Utah once (so these deer weren't drunk) at a rather high rate of speed over a mountain pass. I came upon 4 deer in the middle of the road. I swerved through all of them. Still can't believe I didn't hit one. eek.gif But for the classic deer story, you have to read this one.
Quote:
It was as if the deer was launched from the Boeing Chicken Gun facility in Tulalip...
I won't spoil the rest of the story--read the link.

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