# One less deer in Saskatchewan last night **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 26, 2015, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395 "2015-12-26T15:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/21 "2015-12-27T00:49:00Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I just don’t get why deer do it, and always in the dusk/early evening. You’d think that the noise and headlights would scare them away. I’m probably wrong (I have no cite), but it’s my understanding that their instincts make them freeze - “if I don’t move the monster can’t see me”. That’s why the noise and lights don’t make them run away. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/22 "2015-12-27T01:08:11Z")
My state, Indiana, doesn’t have (for the most part) huge expanses of forest. Most of the rural part of the state is farm land interspersed with patches of woods, all crisscrossed with roads. This leads to (in my observation) an inordinate amount of roadkill as critters attempt to cross from one patch of woods to another. Almost everyone I know has at least one deer strike or close call. I’m fortunate, I’ve never hit one but have had a few close calls. I knew a guy that had several deer collisions, ON A MOTORCYCLE! I guess I’m trying to say I can relate! Sorry for the deer but at least it sounds like a clean kill. Glad it didn’t cause any harm to you or the family. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/23 "2015-12-27T02:10:42Z")
Thanks for the good wishes, everyone. The flatbed tow-truck got us and the car back home. Dropped the car off at the dealer’s auto body and then dropped us at our house. Three pissed-off cats who went through all the food we set out for them have been fed and grudgingly re-admitted us to fealty with Their Feline Supremes. Pizza has arrived, Cub is watching Star Wars, Mrs P is bundled up with hot tea, and I’m sitting by the fire with hot chocolate and looking at the Christmas tree. All’s well. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/24 "2015-12-27T02:46:12Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Who is in charge of picking up the carcass? Do you have to report it to them, or do they just drive around and deal with what they find? We reported the accident to the Mounties, so I assume they’ll let Highways know about it. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/25 "2015-12-27T04:47:41Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > All’s well. That’s what the vengeful deer herd wants you to think. Good luck, and if we don’t hear from you again, it has been a pleasure reading your posts on the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/26 "2015-12-27T06:08:20Z")
That’s funny, I think I hear something outside. I’ll go check. ---
**Author:** ![Sodalite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@Sodalite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodalite)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/27 "2015-12-28T06:56:22Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > That’s funny, I think I hear something outside. I’ll go check. …and he was never seen again. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/28 "2015-12-28T07:23:42Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Pizza has arrived… Did you order venison as a topping? Slight hijack: my Feline Supremes are getting used to their new cat tree, which Santa brought. ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/29 "2015-12-28T09:45:40Z")
You didn’t take the carcass home? Venison patties for breakfast! ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/30 "2015-12-28T12:46:20Z")
Glad you are okay. Deer collisions can turn ugly. A deer’s natural defense mechanism of standing stock still is not anyone’s friend on a dark highway. (Notwithstanding the fact that I am from Texas, I have only ever killed one deer–in Virginia, with the family’s early-80s-vintage Caprice Classic. Barely damaged the car.) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/31 "2015-12-28T13:27:30Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > You didn’t take the carcass home? Venison patties for breakfast! Even better, having Dad stop to carve up the carcass would’ve been a wonderful holiday memory for Junior. :eek: Didn’t Celine Dion record “One Less Deer In Saskatchewan”? ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/32 "2015-12-28T16:13:30Z")
> [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](#): > > Glad you are okay. Deer collisions can turn ugly. A deer’s natural defense mechanism of standing stock still is not anyone’s friend on a dark highway. > > (Notwithstanding the fact that I am from Texas, I have only ever killed one deer–in Virginia, with the family’s early-80s-vintage Caprice Classic. Barely damaged the car.) Tony and I got clipped by yet another deer a few nights ago on a country road\* - little scratch on the rear driver’s side of the truck, the yearling buck was last seen galloping into the woods. That’s 3 in the Suburban, and one in the old truck, and if you must hit a deer at near-highway speeds? I recommend driving a full-size GM truck. Tony has hit 3 with patrol cars, and Crown Victorias don’t do as well. But the worst damage I ever did in an animal collision? Buick Century versus armadillo at 55mph. Did ugly things to the underside of my car! (Poor dumb critter was the same color as the pavement, it was very dark, and no opportunity to brake at all. The mechanic found bits of his carapace in the unlikeliest places!) \*We were on the same lonely stretch of road on Christmas Eve night, having taken the girls out to see a big light display, and stopped to assist a family that hit a deer in nearly the same spot. A Ford Flex doesn’t handle the impact nearly as well as a pickup. Fortunately, everyone was okay, but the vehicle was totaled. . But the animal you really don’t want to run into around here? A hog. One of the deputies hit an escaped sow recently - about 500 pounds of mass all concentrated at bumper level. There were pork chops and hog jowls everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/33 "2015-12-28T16:34:38Z")
Sorry to hear of your mishap, **NoPi** , but very glad it turned out as well as it did for your family. As much as I’ve driven through rural Ohio over the years, I’ve never hit a deer, fortunately, although I’ve often seen them lurking off in the shadows by the side of the road. And don’t even get me started on the majestik møøse… ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/34 "2015-12-29T00:36:18Z")
My father once hit a deer with a GM pickup, in the mid-70s. To the best of my memory (I was maybe five or six at the time, was in the pickup at the time), no damage to humans or vehicle. The deer wound up in our freezer, then on our table. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/35 "2015-12-29T08:29:08Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > The mechanic found bits of his carapace in the unlikeliest places! This is the guy I feel sorriest for. I’m betting he did not sign on to clean spoiling armadillo bits out of car chassis(es?). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/36 "2015-12-29T14:52:39Z")
Eh, it could be worse: [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/bargrill.asp](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/bargrill.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/37 "2015-12-29T19:08:40Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Eh, it could be worse: [Dead Body on Car | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/gruesome/bargrill.asp) :eek: :eek: :eek: \<– On the true stories recounted in that link. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/38 "2016-02-28T05:02:16Z")
An update: SGI (the provincial auto insurance) did a good job. After dropping off the car, I kept hearing from friends and family about how hitting a deer often totals the car. But, they inspected it and said it was fixable. I credit Mrs Piper, again: a glancing blow to a deer can apparently twist the frame, leading to a write-off, but hitting it full on didn’t damage the frame. Nerves of steel, she has! SGI paid for the tow, because they realised it made sense to bring it home for fixing, rather than leave it 200 km away at SIL’s place and leave me to try to arrange things long-distance. Also, they waived the deductible: apparently deer are Acts of God, so they paid the full cost. And, our additional package policy paid for a rental for the entire time it was out of commission. So, still regret the death of the deer, but we came out okay. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2016, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/39 "2016-02-28T05:05:32Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > Glad you’re all safe, and that it wasn’t a moose. One of my friends had a co-worker who hit a moose. He wasn’t hurt, but the moose came straight through the windscreen and landed right on him. The weight of the moose pinned him completely. Then, as the moose was dying, it … evacuated itself. On him. So he’s pinned there in the wrecked car, with a dead moose on top of him, covered in loose moose dung, waiting for the Mounties to come. :eek: Our little deer episode seems much less worrisome. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2016, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395/40 "2016-03-03T04:20:18Z")
A key life lesson: Things can _always_ get worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-less-deer-in-saskatchewan-last-night/741395.md?page=3)