re: #269 Feline Fearless Leader

The rule I was taught when encountering deer at night was to flick the lights at them and blast the horn so that they startle and move - but don’t get “deer in the headlights” syndrome.

One night in 1987 I am driving from D.C. to Pittsburgh on US 40 and I come over a rise in western Maryland doing about 70mph in my pickup truck. There is a herd of 50-60 deer crossing the road between two meadows. So I drop my headlights from high beam to low and blast the horn (while braking as well).

*ALL THE DEER STOP AND LOOK AT ME*

So I end up coming into a herd of glowing eyes at about 15-20mph. Slow enough that I only brushed one of them (no damage to either of us) And they just moved a step or two either way to get out of my way.

I tended to use US 30 and/or the PA Turnpike for that late night run after that point.

Jesus, Rt 30? Don’t you get seasick from the up-and-down?