Oh Deer!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (121546)
Gainesville, Florida
October 19, 2021 4:54pm CST
Coming home from work yesterday, I approached a small hill as I was headed east in my truck. Standing in the middle of the road at the base of the hill was a deer (in the middle of the afternoon!). I saw a car crest the top of the hill and thought that one of two things should happen: 1) the deer should scoot out of the way; or 2) the car should slow down. Neither happened. The best I can figure is the car was heading west and staring directly into the setting sun, because it doesn't appear the driver saw the deer. At no point did I see the car try to slow down. As you can see from the photo, it was not a happy ending for either the deer or the car. I did turn around to go check on the driver, and fortunately he was okay.
And while on the subject of deer strikes, I heard on the local news this past weekend that a driver on Main Street in downtown Gainesville hit a deer, and that deer promptly ran across a parking lot and through the doors of an adjacent grocery store, where it made a beeline for the dairy section at the back of the store before collapsing and dying in front of the milk cooler. Totally weird news story!
Not a good day for deer in my neck of the woods.
On a brighter note, this morning on my way to work I saw a beautiful 8-point buck standing on the side of the road like a majestic king. All the morning traffic had slowed to a crawl as people gaped in wild wonder as they passed the deer. And he just stood there looking like the stud he was!
Anybody else out there have any good or bad deer stories from recently?
32 people like this
31 responses
@bluerubymoon53 (3286)
• United States
19 Oct 21
Thank goodness the driver was ok. Poor deer though. They can sure do a number on the vehicle.
One of my daughters hit a deer several years ago. There was some damage to the vehicle but not
enough to where she couldn't drive it until it was repaired .
4 people like this
@bluerubymoon53 (3286)
• United States
19 Oct 21
@moffittjc Awwww Dangit!! Bummer!!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 21
One of my best friends hit a deer a couple of years ago right after he bought a brand new car. He was on his way home from the car dealership when he hit the deer. Totaled his car.
3 people like this
@MALUSE (69373)
• Germany
19 Oct 21
Germany is known worldwide for its industry, but there are also many forests with deer, wild boar, wolves, foxes, weasels and other animals. Every year there are many car accidents - the net mentions between 200 000 and 250 000 - caused by wild life. Especially in autumn and winter when it is still dark and sometimes foggy in the morning and in the evening when people drive to work and back home.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 21
I know it is dark here in the morning when many people are driving to work, and you are right, with the darkness and morning fog, it is difficult to see wild animals in the roadways. I'll be happier once the time changes soon and it becomes brighter in the morning when people are going to work.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
@Fleura I’m sure the animals won’t be doing much talking after they get hit by motor vehicles!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
It's the same here where I live. They breed like crazy and are all over the place. I call them giant rats because there are so many of them! lol
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 21
I'm just so amazed, I live in a city of over 150,000 people, and we have deer all over the place, even in our most dense urban areas.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (51045)
• Canada
19 Oct 21
@moffittjc Our city is large also, almost 400,000 and we have plenty of deer, they tend to gravitate to the river and you see them as a result of that.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (177898)
• United States
20 Oct 21
Such a shame about the deer and the owner's car. I'm glad the driver wasn't injured. No deer stories. Saw turtles, ducks and turkeys on our mini trip.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
How far did you make it on your trip?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Oct 21
@LindaOHio the one where you were going to try to make it to the Keys.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (177898)
• United States
23 Oct 21
@moffittjc The big one or the small one? The big one we only made it to Caldwell, Ohio. We took the mini trip to Erie, PA.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
19 Oct 21
I have had so many near misses with deer around here that I am super cautious when I am driving. I just wish that driver had been a little more cautious as well. I know it's hard to see when you're staring directly into the sun when you're driving, but that makes it all the more important to pay close attention to the road.
2 people like this
@CarolDM (203422)
• Nashville, Tennessee
19 Oct 21
@moffittjc I am glad you are. So true, and any time of the day or night has its challenges.
2 people like this
@much2say (55512)
• Los Angeles, California
20 Oct 21
I've heard that hitting a deer can cause some serious damage to a car - but eek poor deer! We are in the burbs, no deer in our local area. However we did take a drive to a secluded park in the hills recently . . . my son and I caught a glimpse of a deer that pranced away from a shaded area as we passed by - he was super quick!
1 person likes this
@much2say (55512)
• Los Angeles, California
22 Oct 21
@moffittjc Wow - the deer must not be afraid of people and cars out there! I would totally freak out if I saw any deer around here!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Oct 21
@much2say It’s all about finding food sources. They follow the food trail wherever it may lead them.
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
I live in a very urbanized suburban area of our city, and my neighborhood is crawling with deer. I saw a herd of deer not too long ago in the parking lot of our local Home Depot.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471294)
• Switzerland
20 Oct 21
The driver was surely speeding seen the condition of the car. He is lucky that he was not hurt.
Weird story the one of the deer inside the store.
I know that hunting season has started here, I see all restaurants proposing venison.
The firefighters had to recover a deer that fell in a pool not far from us, they saved him.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (471294)
• Switzerland
21 Oct 21
@moffittjc They get near the highways and the gardens, get scared and get into trouble.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
I saw a news story recently of police officers freeing a deer who tried to crawl through a fence and got their back leg stuck somehow. Luckily they were able to free the deer.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 21
@LadyDuck Sounds a lot like me! Haha
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54187)
• Louisville, Kentucky
11 Nov 21
@moffittjc I wonder what it is about headlights that hypnotizes them.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Nov 21
@simone10 I read somewhere about it once, but can’t remember the explanation they gave. But there is a scientific reason behind the “deer in the headlights” phenomenon.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Nov 21
It’s not a good way for a deer to go. I wish they were smart enough to stay off the roads or not “freeze” when they get caught in the headlights.
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (105851)
• Marion, Ohio
20 Oct 21
Poor deer. They dont know any better. Glad the driver was ok
1 person likes this
@wolfgirl569 (105851)
• Marion, Ohio
21 Oct 21
@moffittjc Some seem to learn. But it is breeding season so they are being goofy.
1 person likes this
Yep@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
For such smart animals they sure are dumb.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Oct 21
That’s awesome that it worked! I love deer, but I hate that they eat people’s crops and flowers.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Oct 21
@DianneN You should host a big family reunion for all those deer, complete with acorns and flowers for them to enjoy!
1 person likes this
@DianneN (247186)
• United States
26 Oct 21
@moffittjc Same with me. They are so cute, but bring their entire family to my yard.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44504)
• Staten Island, New York
20 Oct 21
Wow! I wonder what happened that the driver didn't slow down. Getting hit by a deer is no joke.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
I really think the driver was blinded by the sun. He was traveling west staring directly into the setting sun. Makes it hard to see anything.
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 21
@lovebuglena It wouldn’t be an excuse that would have held up in court if you had gotten hit.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (44504)
• Staten Island, New York
20 Oct 21
@moffittjc Once I was almost hit by a car. Driver said the sun was in his eyes. Not an excuse.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
15 Nov 21
i've seen post car/deer collisions never good.
When we went to Maine, we read all about car and moose. Apparently, while there are fewer car/moose collisions, more people are injured in those than car/deer in the state of Maine!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
16 Nov 21
I thought hitting a deer was bad enough, I could only imagine how bad it would be to hit a moose!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
16 Nov 21
@moffittjc 90% fatal to humans hitting a moose, it is really bad. Many fewer moose accidents than deer accidents though!!!!
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
16 Nov 21
@moffittjc i would truly not like that. 400 plus per year in Maine alone.
1 person likes this
@MidnightMunchies (280)
• United States
20 Oct 21
Poor deer. What an a*s for not even slowing down. Kinda like seeing his spirit tho in the morning, like no matter what he's okay and living on somewhere. No deer stories here, thankfully.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
I'm pretty sure the driver could not see anything because the setting sun was directly in front of him. It was probably blinding for him.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 21
@MidnightMunchies I don’t think the person was speeding—the speed limit is 65 on that road—so I think it had more to do with the blinding sun.
@MidnightMunchies (280)
• United States
21 Oct 21
@moffittjc That's exactly my point. I used to drive to work at that exact time and the sun is so blinding it's impossible to drive fast. This dude was reckless.
1 person likes this
@kareng (59050)
• United States
25 Oct 21
I'm glad the driver was okay. So many deer get run over every year. I've been seeing them frequently here grazing on the side of the road in the late evening. I am seeing them more often now that the season is changing and the sun is going down earlier.
1 person likes this
@kareng (59050)
• United States
26 Oct 21
@moffittjc That is true too! I have seen them at the very edge of town before while seeing none along the countryside.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
26 Oct 21
This is the time of the year where you have to be extra vigilant when driving on the roads, especially at dusk and dawn. I’m just surprised at how many deer there are in urbanized areas.
1 person likes this
@RebeccasFarm (89831)
• Arvada, Colorado
20 Oct 21
Oh no Jeff..that is bad.
No no deer stories here.
1 person likes this
@rakski (122069)
• Philippines
21 Oct 21
@moffittjc that is dangerous both for the dear and humans
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
It's mating season, so the deer are all over the place looking for other deer to mate with. And sadly, this sometimes means they are out on the streets and highways where they can easily get hit by passing cars.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
No deer on the Jersey shore?
I was camping with my son a few years ago on Amelia Island just north of Jacksonville on the Florida/Georgia border, and we set up camp right on the beach. Every morning there would be tons of deer down on the beach. Not sure why they would have been there, other than maybe there was some kind of food source there that they liked (seafood maybe?).
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Oct 21
There wasn't much left of the deer, hence why I didn't include it in the photo. Poor thing was a goner.
1 person likes this
@RubyHawk (99405)
• Atlanta, Georgia
21 Oct 21
@moffittjc Oh! That’s too bad but the car looks too wrecked for the deer to get out alive.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (130218)
• Israel
20 Oct 21
@moffittjc
I am very curious when you see a car totaled and the person walks away ok then I wonder. All I can see for the poor car and deer is ouch. The buck sounds very proud and so glad people slowed down and just wanted to look. I have no deer stories now because do not see deers wandering around here. Many years ago that I went cross country I came across a deer. I remember the beady eyes. It was very interesting to see the deer just wander in front of me and nothing happened. The deer went its way and I went mine.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (121546)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Oct 21
You were lucky to have seen a deer and also it was lucky that it was able to safely walk away without being hit.
1 person likes this
