Hit a deer, elk or moose?

[umingmaq]

Hey everyone,

I live up in Wisconsin where the crime rate is pretty low, but the Deer on motor-vehicle assaults are pretty darn high. I was wondering if anyone has hit a large mammal with their FJ and what the results were?
I talked to Woody from the FJ Cruiser trail teams a few months ago, he told me he hit a deer going 65mph with an ARB bumper and it didn't do ANYTHING to the truck! So, what I'm wondering is if anyone else can drop a note about:

1. What you hit.
2. What kind of bumper you have on your rig.
3. What kind of damage you sustained.
4. What kind of vehicle you're driving.

I'm trying to decide if an aftermarket front bumper is necessary for my new FJ. Thanks.

Matt

 

[Schattenjager]

I have not ever hit a critter - thank God.

But you never know if a bumper is necessary until after something happens.

Which brings up the questions: will you be sorry if you have one? Will you be sorry if you don't?

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

Luckily I have never hit one!

A few close calls though.

So here are my tips............

A couple years ago I was heading east to Minn. through Montana on a VERY LONG two lane highway. As the sun was setting very late..........the Deer came out!

There were so many..........and this lasted for 3+ hours..........!

I learned to go no faster than 35mph. At that speed I could slam on my brakes and stop in time.

I also learned how to blast my horn properly.

I found that if I held my horn on for one long duration........the deer got confused and could not tell where the horn sound was coming from. And they would even stand still right on the road in front of me, because it confused them.

So I tried pulsating the horn in mulitiple quick burst's of sound.

This pounding on the horn helped the deer know exactly where I was coming from and they darted out of the way much faster! It was Very clear that this was working!

I hope this little tip can help save somebody out there one day.

 

[LAW]

6 deer:
1 tacoma no bumper (broke grill)
another in the tacoma with bullbar doing about 30 (loosened the bolts and pulled it back)
got t-boned by one on the freeway (minor ding)
and one in a hundai with no doors at 15mph
2 in my ford with ranchhand (damage? the bumper came with fear no deer stickers )

2 cows:
at the same time... (they sideswiped me at a low speed and took out the entire side of the tacoma)

and an emu:
ran into my drivers door when i was going about 10 (no physical damage... came at me full speed with his head aimed for my window which was down)

 

[Northern Explorer]

I've hit two deer in vehicles with stock bumpers. One while in a 1986 Chevy Nova going about 15 MPH and the other in a 1994 S-10 going about 30 MPH. On both occasions the grill was the only thing broken on the front but upon impact the deer swung around and smashed into my quarter pannel/fender area. I don't think any type of bumper could have helped with the damage on the side of the vehicles.

 

[PCRover]

1. What you hit.
Good sized Four Pointer Buck.

2. What kind of bumper you have on your rig.
Safari Gard, with bull bar.

3. What kind of damage you sustained.
Significant...Bent Bumper mounts, Smashed Drivers fender, dented drivers door, dented pass fender, dented hood...

4. What kind of vehicle you're driving.
Land Rover Defender 90

The damage would have been worse without the bull bar bumper, I drove it home no problem. The bumper/bull bar absorbed most of the hit and saved the radiator etc. The truck is still in the shop getting repaired, fortunately my insurance is covering it. Cost will be several thousand to repair.

Get a GOOD bumper, or get real good insurance, with towing. A stock bumpered vehicle would not have been drivable after my encounter.

Hey everyone,

I live up in Wisconsin where the crime rate is pretty low, but the Deer on motor-vehicle assaults are pretty darn high. I was wondering if anyone has hit a large mammal with their FJ and what the results were?
I talked to Woody from the FJ Cruiser trail teams a few months ago, he told me he hit a deer going 65mph with an ARB bumper and it didn't do ANYTHING to the truck! So, what I'm wondering is if anyone else can drop a note about:

1. What you hit.
2. What kind of bumper you have on your rig.
3. What kind of damage you sustained.
4. What kind of vehicle you're driving.

I'm trying to decide if an aftermarket front bumper is necessary for my new FJ. Thanks.

Matt

 

[upcruiser]

I've hit a few deer over the years. With my FJ60 I smacked one dead on while going about 45. I had a pretty stout bumper/brushgaurd from TPI Cruisers on the front of it and aside from some fuzzies and pooh, it did no damage. In my 80, I've hit one dead on in the front with my ARB bull bar, probably travelling around 45 after slowing as well and it did no damage either. Just pushed my hellas back on their hinges. The one that did some damage though was a deer that ran out into the side of my 80 while I was travelling 60mph and that took out the whole right side from the front passenger side door back.

 

[umingmaq]

As always expedition portal guys come through. I really think the MAIN reason for buying an aftermarket bumper is for protection from large mammalian assault. Of course it depends on HOW you strike said Mammal, but it sounds like ARB or stout aftermarket bull bars are a bit of insurance on that front. Keep the stories coming and I especially thank the guys who gave detailed info on thier encounters.

Matt

 

[upcruiser]

The primary reason that I bought my ARB was for deer and wildlife encounters.

One time, while travelling between West Yellowstone and Big Sky, about 3am in the morning in late March, I came across a heard of elk just standing in the road. There was easily probably a hundred of them. They had no intention of moving and I literally had to "nudge" them to work my way through the heard. About halfway through, one cow bit another cow that must have bumped her the wrong way trying to make room for my truck and this created a little sparring match. I felt tiny sitting in my Isuzu Trooper getting bumped by these giant animals who didn't seem all of that intimidated by me. haha I eventually got out the other side after a few tense minutes. As I was pulling away, a big rig came upon the heard and blasted its air horns. That moved the heard pretty quick. Moral of the story, good bumper and some big airhorns and you are set.

 

[DaveInDenver]

The damage would have been worse without the bull bar bumper, I drove it home no problem. The bumper/bull bar absorbed most of the hit and saved the radiator etc.

When Chris from ARB gave his talk to our 4WD club, this is was the main point when he was talking about bull bars. He said the main criteria was that the car remained operational enough to drive. The alternative in ARB's view was being stuck in the Outback, which is a sure death sentence. So the shape, size and dimension of their bull bars is designed to protect vital parts from damage.

 

[Willman]

Nothing....knock on wood!!!

 

[tacollie]

I hit a 600LBS+ cow elk doing 60 in my taco. It tweaked the bull bar just enough for it to stop my tire. I pulled it off and was able to drive home and put another $900 down on a new one. The body shop said it would have been totaled had I not had the arb. They may be bulky and heavy but when you need them it counts.

 

[Doin_It]

Fun stuff - I've hit a Buck with my Harley Wide Glide, bike slide 260', no after market bumper made for the bike, bent the forks, left mirror, left foot pegs, and primary case. Thank goodness only had a sore hip for 6/7 months and wore my leathers right thorugh in a couple of spots, and jeans, stopped at the underwear. I, and my employee's have also hit several moose and deer with different boom trucks while working out in the oil patch up north here.Thing is they all have big 'ol bumpers so no damge to equipment. Hit a bear with my old CJ5 while huntin out in the bush, doing about 5/10MPH, just about stopped me dead in my tracks. Just had a home made set of "bull bars" back in the day, nothing was wrecked, and the bears just kept on going. Other then that. my son hit a deer with the 1/2 ton, new hood fender.

 

[CYi5]

I hit a 600LBS+ cow elk doing 60 in my taco. It tweaked the bull bar just enough for it to stop my tire. I pulled it off and was able to drive home and put another $900 down on a new one. The body shop said it would have been totaled had I not had the arb. They may be bulky and heavy but when you need them it counts.

A story like this makes me appreciate the ARB on the front of my truck even more. I nudged a pedestrian at a stop sign once, but no large animals to this date..

 

[Nullifier]

Well this is the worst I have seen actual pics of. Here is the link if you have small kids on your lap do not open this link cause it is a bloody mess.

http://www.pbnation.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=777869&highlight=%2BDeer+%2BGore