Deer vs My Pickup. My Pickup Won. Deer Survived.

I've been driving the same road to get to work for seventeen years and today was the first time I made contact with a deer. Actually, officer, the deer ran into me. I saw him coming from the right, trying to run fast enough to get in front of my pickup and get to the other side of the road. He was unsuccessful.

I googled "what to do after hitting a deer", and they had nothing on the top of their list about which bad word to use when impact occurs. But I had one ready.

He hit the right front quarter panel pretty hard. Based on the sound it made, I thought that he was dead. So, I turned around and went back to make sure he wasn't suffering and to drag it off the road so nobody would hit it later. The deer was gone.

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Then I found out that Montana is the state that is the second most likely place to hit a deer. West Virginia is the only other state where you are more likely to run into Bambi.

The Great Falls Tribune did a great article on this subject. In there they urge motorists to not approach any injured animal as they may be dangerous. Watch for wildlife at sun up and when dusk hits. They are more likely to be moving around then.

The big one that everybody stresses is don't swerve. I know it's hard to do when you get surprised by an animal in front of you, but it's extremely important. My dad always stressed that point to me. He would say "If you have to hit the animal, well, that's what insurance is for".

Hunting season starts this weekend, so the deer will be all over the place. Keep your eyes peeled.