I've had many way too close calls with deer, but fortunately, have only actually hit one. Clipped it's head with the front edge of the car when it darted out onto the road. It killed the deer outright. We loaded it into the trunk and took it home and butchered it since the only body damage was to the head.



A few weeks ago, my son and I saw a deer down right on the edge of the road late in the evening. Still alive but unable to get up. We had nothing in the car with which to dispatch it, so I called 911 and asked for Animal Control. Within 15 minutes, an animal control officer was there to put the deer out of it's misery.

A number of years ago I hit a Barred Owl that was gliding just at the height of the roof of my car. I stopped. It had a broken wing and scooted into the brush across the drainage ditch when I approached it. This was before the days of cell phones. I noted the place and then drove about 6 miles on to the first convenience store, which also happened to be a game checking station, so they had the number for the game warden. They called the game warden for me, and I drove back to the place where the owl had entered the brush and waited for him. He met me there 30 minutes later, captured the owl, and took it to a bird rehabilitator.

True story, with a little humor.

While driving along a country road some 35-40 years ago, I encountered a number of chickens. I hit the brakes and honked my horn and they scattered to either berm of the road. I had slowed to under 15 mph and had almost made it through the flock when one white hen darted out in front of my VW Beetle. I heard the thump, and looking into my rearview mirror, saw, with considerable consternation, the hen flopping about in the middle of the road.   On my right was an old farmhouse down a relatively short driveway. I pulled into the drive and got out of the car. As I approached the house an elderly woman in a cotton housedress stepped out onto the front porch. I told her I had just hit what I supposed was one of her chickens up on the road, that it was flopping about, and I didn't know if it was dead or not.

"That's too bad, honey," she replied, absolutely serious. "But has told and told them chickens to stay out of the road, and they just won't listen. It ain't your fault."