Modern Vespa

I'm living a charmed life on the road lately: in a previous post, I mentioned that up until this year, I had encountered exactly one deer (a doe, a female deer...damn, that's what happens when Le Wife watches a BBC remake of The Sound of Music with the Sonos system cranked up reeeeealy loud) since acquiring Melody in September of '15, whereas I've encountered two deer in the course of several weeks.

Well make that three deer, in the course of a month, all at dusk: the first being another doe (ray-me-fa-so-help-me, I'm leaving the room if she wants to watch it again...), tiptoeing out into the road before seeing me, briefly giving me that, um, deer-in-the-headlight look, then unhurriedly walking off to the curb; the second was an adult with a serious rack - yeah, that sounded a bit wrong, but there it is - and this one waltzed into the middle of the road with me and a car from the opposite direction converging. We both slammed on the brakes and waited for the deer to step aside; it did, and as I continued my short ride home, the deer started running alongside me. I stopped, lifted my visor up, and was about to yell "Go away, silly, I damn near hit you!", when he seemed to take the hint and sprinted off through someone's front yard. Third time was three days ago, again along my usual route home from the train station in Long Branch. This time, mother young'un, looking set to scurry across the road. I'd already passed a car along the shoulder and was picking up speed when I saw those little eyes reflecting back, and I shut the throttle down fast and signaled the car behind me to do the same. I come up to the deer, which stares at me for a good five seconds before turning tail and hopping off through someone else's front yard.

Three close calls, so close together. And now I get to think about ticks...and I'm working in Gotham right now, meaning I won't get a train outta Penn Station before...let's see, including time for baby-back ribs at Dallas BBQ on West 23rd Street...10:30, putting me back on Melody sometime past midnight. Maybe the deer will be snoozing? Please?

Loud pipe maybe

Nah...I like my neighbors too much.

I don't piss off my neighbors. Light on the throttle till I'm outta there.

Not a deer hunter...some that I know are near-fanatical about deer behavior... but at any rate, did some poking around-classic activity levels are peak at dawn and dusk. There's a chart halfway into the article linked here that shows just how dramatic the spikes are.

Visibility issues aside, you're least likely to run across a deer well after dusk until dawn.

https://ecosystems.psu.edu/research/projects/deer/news/2016/when-do-they-sleep

Research data from my old workhouse! Never expected to see Penn State Ag Science referenced on the modern vespa site.

Even though the spikes show wildly increased activity, the deer move constantly throughout the day. Here in central PA they are a constant risk and my biggest safety concern. I've had a couple close encounters with deer and aside from riding at very slow speeds I have no way to manage their risk. On some days it just feels like a crap shoot.

Plenty of deer have been hit by really loud tractor trailer trucks. No loud pipe will help. I've seen people swear by deer whistle things attached to their vehicles only to have a collision.

Maybe the best approach is prayer...

And regarding ticks -- I just finished several weeks of Doxycycline after a tick bite and big bullseye rash. I hate ticks.

Steve: Believe me, I thought of you after each of my deer encounters. Are you in the clear after all that?

I'm here to help. 8)

For the record, I think amateriat's concern is deer activity at night, though I assume one is NEVER safe. Having said that, not sure I can ever relax as much riding at night as during the day. Besides, ramming a raccoon probably is no picnic either....

Let's leave the tick discussions until Spring. I'm trying to find as many reasons as possible not to lament the passing of warm weather. Though while we're on the subject, I dread them as much as as deer, though in a different way. A former receptionist of mine had chronic Lyme's and used a picc line for several months for antibiotic dosing. Looking at tick distribution maps for the NE and upper Midwest raises the hair on my back. Fortunately, that's only a peripheral issue for scooting....

We use to pile into Dad's car at Dusk and go Deer Watching in Minnesota.
My experience, the Deer move around at Dusk, cross roads and can
be seen in open fields. You can still hit a Deer during the day - just worst at Dusk.

As a Group Ride organizer, I have encouraged my group (On Extended Rides) to not drive out into the countryside at dusk to reach a steakhouse for dinner.

Up here in Frost Bite Fall we experience all sorts of animals on rides.
Most of these critters have been on the side of the road - some have dashed out in front of us - Bears, Deer, Moose, wolves, dogs, cows, wild turkeys.

Bob Copeland
Minnesota

Deer whistles emit ultrasonic sounds that alert deer to impending danger
and scare them off.

Noise is generated by air passing through the whistle mounted on the front of the scooter. Amazon has them for $15.63 to $4.56. They are small and
do not detract from your scooters looks.

Several riders in my group have these mounted on their scooters.

Down side: Even though you can not hear it, every dog cat and critter within
a hundred yards will be nuts. The faster you ride the louder the whistle gets
as the air passes through the whistle.

Bob Copeland
Frost Bite Falls Minnesota

How about just mounting a large cowcatcher (deer) to the from of the scoot? Problem solved.

Joking aside here is a good read.

https://eatsleepride.com/c/222139/a_deer_story_or_how_to_kill_a_bmw_f800r

Yup. I live out in the fields now, but back when I lived in the woods it was pretty common to see rigs dented in the side, not the front grill, as the deer ran into the rig rather than vice versa.

Well, like this Golden Oldie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89-yq2jlnnc

fwiw: my deer hunting days are probably behind me, but I wish I had a trophy for every buck I broke hard to avoid running over on the way out to deer camp.

Deer have very sensitive hearing, as every deer hunter knows. Louder pipes won't make difference with the deer but may make a difference to your neighbors.

You best bet is caution, and more riding skill, you can never have too much of either

Until 15 years ago, when retried and moved to Florida, I taught motorcycle safety, was a certified MSF instructor/coach, in upstae NY... deer country for sure!! Now, very couple of years I take the advanced rider course, under the watchful eyes of a highly trained and skilled MSF instructor, to keep my skill fresh and my muscle memory sharp.

Paul

Sobering advice indeed. Sounds pretty good to me!

When I made it to 50 years old, after having ridden extensively at night for 34 years without an accident or serious deer encounter, I decided the odds were no longer in my favor and stopped riding at night.

My impression is that after 50 my night vision went to hell.

Either that or, in fact, it's always been bead (because, uh, it's dark at night...?) and after 50 my prefrontal cortex finally came on line.

I did night school terminal degree program classes for longer than I care to remember and came through a heavily populated deer area/valley to get home each night. I can say from many, many observations those deer of various sizes and sex, were moving about the road at ~ 10:30 p.m.!
Our farm resident deer tend to bed down in a pasture in mid-daylight and deep night unless coyotes are stirring things up.
And I thought people gave up on deer whistles in the 1990's?
$9 wasted IMO.

I seem to be ok. The antibiotics aren't bad on my gut but man they allow some yeast to grow in the mouth. Have to use Swish to combat that.

So far nothing out of the ordinary that I would ascribe to Lyme Disease symptoms.

We pretty much have ticks year round now. Some times of year are far worse than others. Insects are much worse than I remember as a kid. Now it's ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, black flies, deer flies, yellow jackets and stink bugs. Oh. And bed bugs in motels. Before I retired I was working with a researcher working with bed bugs. She told me which local hotels had them. Man, they're everywhere.

Things I don't want to do anymore:

1. Go in the woods.
2. Stay in hotels and motels.

I agree with the idea of caution when riding in deer country. But even then there's always a risk. Even for experts. I remember when motorcycle expert and instructor Larry Grodsky died in a deer collision.

MOTORCYCLE SAFETY EXPERT LARRY GRODSKY DIES IN DEER COLLISION.

Steve: Ouch...that was a tough obit to read. Not that any obit is "easy."

Glad to hear stuff with you seems good so far. I'm wondering if my mounting deer encounters are a fluke or indicating a trend...?

Riding home the other night turning a bend and there was a wombat slowly crossing the road in front of me. Hit the skids missed it by inches. They are the same colour as the road so hard to see until you are up close and personal. But kangaroos are the worst.
The top 12 animals you are likely to hit (in Australia) in order are;
Kangaroo
Wallaby
Dog
Emu
Cow
Bird
Wombat
Sheep
Cat
Fox
Bush Turkey
Deer
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6445601/Motorcyclist-62-killed-riding-home-swerving-avoid-kangaroo.html

Just piss off everyone else instead?

Damn Sledge-now I gotta Google Wallaby and Wombat-just gonna guess that a Bush Turkey is much like the Wild Turkeys in North Carolina... But a dang Wallaby and a Wombat? What the Hell? Just gotta get out more I guess.

Took the train in together (she drove "Harriet" the Honda CR-V to the station, while I rode Melody), since she had a medical follow-up with her surgeon after knee surgery over three weeks ago. She took an early train back, drove home in evening light...and encountered three deer on the way home. A first.

To quote Blood, Sweat & Tears, something's goin' on...

Where I live 20 years ago the whole area was Cow pastures, Sod Fields, Soy Bean and Corn Fields. I use to see heards of deer everyday just wondering around. Now after 20 years it has thinned out but there are still deer everywhere. Have a few that live in our common area every year once they give birth as it is a quite safe area to hang out during the day.

Riding to work in the AM I hit my horn about every 10 seconds on certain stretches of road to let them know I am coming.

The horn sounds like a good idea, thanks.