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Deer are the most dangerous animals in the US - they kill more humans than any other animal. But it is not that they attack us; it is our reaction to try to avoid hitting them. Slam on your brakes or swerve and you will end up as a casualty. Your brain can overpower your instinct - if you have played this out in your mind before it happens. Hopefully it will never happen - but there is no such thing as never.
One mistake many drivers make with deer is that they watch the deer that crosses the road. The problem is that deer are social creatures. It isn't the one that crossed the road in front of you that gets you; it's the ones behind that deer. Always slow down if you see a deer cross and prepare for a second or third to cross.
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I agree. We have so many around here they don't even react when they see people walking around or half the time when we honk. My grandfather was killed years ago when he crashed trying to avoid a deer. My DH and kids were hit once on the way to school. All three ended up in the hospital. Every woman's nightmare- the call from the hospital that your entire family is in the ER.
I agree. We have so many around here they don't even react when they see people walking around or half the time when we honk. My grandfather was killed years ago when he crashed trying to avoid a deer. My DH and kids were hit once on the way to school. All three ended up in the hospital. Every woman's nightmare- the call from the hospital that your entire family is in the ER.
Sorry to hear about your grandfather and the experience your husband and kids had - hope that it was not too serious.
There are all kinds of human reactions to animals in the road. One of the worse reactions is where the motorist swerves into the oncoming traffic lane. Then you can have multiple people dead in other vehicles. Of course that is not always the case. If your on a road and have great visibility for a long ways and your sure that no one is going to enter the highway in the other lane - spare the animal's life - if you can safely. Just no quick turns; slow down and navigate past the animal.
I was a commercial truck driver, now retired. I drove doubles. If I ever slammed on my brakes; I could have easily killed motorist along side of me. Of course, what they teach us; is to constantly scan the highway to look for and anticipate trouble. That doesn't always work with wildlife and I have had some occasions where I made road paste. Motorist, behind commercial vehicles, should also slow down and increase distances if they see the commercial vehicle hitting a large animal. Commercial vehicles have an Achilles heel - the small brass fittings where our air lines fit into our brake chambers. If bones hit those brass fittings or air lines; the fittings can snap. Air pressure is what keeps our brakes off and it is also used to apply our brakes. Without air pressure; all of our brakes come on and that can happen with one of those broken brass fittings. I always kept my eye on my air gauges after I hit a deer. Once I lost all air pressure; but managed to get off the road.
I agree. We have so many around here they don't even react when they see people walking around or half the time when we honk. My grandfather was killed years ago when he crashed trying to avoid a deer. My DH and kids were hit once on the way to school. All three ended up in the hospital. Every woman's nightmare- the call from the hospital that your entire family is in the ER.
Need to add--thankfully just scared from impact and air bags and out of breath and some bumps and bruises. But the entire side of the car was caved in. Somehow deer stumbled away and they never saw him again. He must have been big!
We don't have actual squirrels in the desert area I live in. They have them in the city and up around Tahoe, but we have to go high to find them here. None in the valley. We do have chipmunk like lil' dudes we call "ground squirrels". Like a minimunk. Harmless, cute and easily tamed down. They offer no nuisance, and I don't molest them. They like sunflower seeds, and a couple of them will jump onto my shoulder when I'm sitting outside asking for them. I oblige. We have pack rats too, which will chew on stuff if its made available, like horse tack, but some simple precautions prevent that. They look like Guinea pigs. Fluffy, short tail, flat nose. Don't mess with them either.
However, my non aggression pact with them does not superscede my alliance with the bull snakes. They tangle with the snakes, that's their problem. I won't intervene. The snakes also take care of mice, which are a pest and I despise. So, they have free rein in patrolling my AO. If they take a packy or minimunk, such is life. Thus it is with the hawks and such as well. Shrikes take the minimunks, regular like. But, like the snakes, mice are their main diet. They have a free fly and free fire zone over my place.
It is well to have such alliances. Perhaps some critters covered under non aggression (from me) fall to "friendly fire". Thus is the way of things. My allies have their own treaties and pecking orders. That is none of my affair.
We don't have actual squirrels in the desert area I live in. They have them in the city and up around Tahoe, but we have to go high to find them here. None in the valley. We do have chipmunk like lil' dudes we call "ground squirrels". Like a minimunk. Harmless, cute and easily tamed down. They offer no nuisance, and I don't molest them. They like sunflower seeds, and a couple of them will jump onto my shoulder when I'm sitting outside asking for them. I oblige. We have pack rats too, which will chew on stuff if its made available, like horse tack, but some simple precautions prevent that. They look like Guinea pigs. Fluffy, short tail, flat nose. Don't mess with them either.
However, my non aggression pact with them does not superscede my alliance with the bull snakes. They tangle with the snakes, that's their problem. I won't intervene. The snakes also take care of mice, which are a pest and I despise. So, they have free rein in patrolling my AO. If they take a packy or minimunk, such is life. Thus it is with the hawks and such as well. Shrikes take the minimunks, regular like. But, like the snakes, mice are their main diet. They have a free fly and free fire zone over my place.
It is well to have such alliances. Perhaps some critters covered under non aggression (from me) fall to "friendly fire". Thus is the way of things. My allies have their own treaties and pecking orders. That is none of my affair.
You made me laugh, NV Plumber! My old standby is Tennyson's, "Nature is red in tooth and claw." But yours is funnier.
When we were camping at Yellowstone the ranger kept scolding my DH about his trailer being on the grass. And we'd sit in the evening and watch those stealthy little ground squirrels pop up here,, then there, snatch a mouthful of grass and duck in again. Wasn't long before we figured out who the real enemy of their grass was. Wondered if we should report them to the officials.
We live in an old Victorian home that has seen many reincarnations. Yet few found it necessary to do a good job of insulating until we came along.
There must have been a period of sheer torment for some who lived here. For when we tore up the attic floorboards to lay down insulation there must have been at least a thousand walnut shells tucked away up there. Talk about ghosts in the attic! If they had children it must have scared them half to death at night.
You made me laugh, NV Plumber! My old standby is Tennyson's, "Nature is red in tooth and claw." But yours is funnier.
When we were camping at Yellowstone the ranger kept scolding my DH about his trailer being on the grass. And we'd sit in the evening and watch those stealthy little ground squirrels pop up here,, then there, snatch a mouthful of grass and duck in again. Wasn't long before we figured out who the real enemy of their grass was. Wondered if we should report them to the officials.
We live in an old Victorian home that has seen many reincarnations. Yet few found it necessary to do a good job of insulating until we came along.
There must have been a period of sheer torment for some who lived here. For when we tore up the attic floorboards to lay down insulation there must have been at least a thousand walnut shells tucked away up there. Talk about ghosts in the attic! If they had children it must have scared them half to death at night.
Tennyson lived with nature, but, his take on things was, as to his time, more....serious. One, such as me, cannot afford such seriousness. To emotionally taxing. When observing nature, and deciding to live WITH it, one can ill spare such feeling. Makes no sense. Things are as they are. Should my buddy munk , taking seeds from me, fall afoul of Mr. Bull snake, it was his destiny. So be it. It is not my affair to say otherwise.
Non aggression and alliance are two very different things. I'm glad you found mirth in my musings. If we cannot see things thus , we are poor in spirit, surely. For this IS the way of things.
We don't have actual squirrels in the desert area I live in. They have them in the city and up around Tahoe, but we have to go high to find them here. None in the valley. We do have chipmunk like lil' dudes we call "ground squirrels". Like a minimunk. Harmless, cute and easily tamed down. They offer no nuisance, and I don't molest them. They like sunflower seeds, and a couple of them will jump onto my shoulder when I'm sitting outside asking for them. I oblige. We have pack rats too, which will chew on stuff if its made available, like horse tack, but some simple precautions prevent that. They look like Guinea pigs. Fluffy, short tail, flat nose. Don't mess with them either.
However, my non aggression pact with them does not superscede my alliance with the bull snakes. They tangle with the snakes, that's their problem. I won't intervene. The snakes also take care of mice, which are a pest and I despise. So, they have free rein in patrolling my AO. If they take a packy or minimunk, such is life. Thus it is with the hawks and such as well. Shrikes take the minimunks, regular like. But, like the snakes, mice are their main diet. They have a free fly and free fire zone over my place.
It is well to have such alliances. Perhaps some critters covered under non aggression (from me) fall to "friendly fire". Thus is the way of things. My allies have their own treaties and pecking orders. That is none of my affair.
Good post. We can't stop nature from being natural. Balances of give and take have been worked out long before we humans came on the scene.
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