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Critters in the Road.

937 Views 18 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  Longboater, 
Mohawk
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Hey There,

Hi There,

Ho There.
I Owe, I Owe, So Off To Work I go..... :action:

I find myself Dodging Critters more and more as the summer progresses.

And as a city Indian I notice these kinds of things and thought I'd pass them along.

They are building more housing developments where there were corn fields and Golf Courses where there were hay fields so the animals are being pushed into smaller spaces.

I have been seeing more and more animals in the suburbs on my early morning to work rides. I start at 4 AM so I see the tail end of the night Crew and the beginnings of the Day Crew of Critters.

I have discovered I can tell what the critter is by the reflection of it's eye Color. and Sometimes act accordingly.

Now a Fox Eye Reflects a Red Color. and that critter will scoot directly off the road.

Opossum Eyes are also red, But a Possum will wander where it wants at it's own pace so ride accordingly.

A Cats Eye Reflects a Bright White, and like a squirrel or woman they may change their mind 3 times before they get off the road so beware.

Deer also reflect a Bright White to an Orange Yellow and hopefully they see you first. Just toot the horn to provoke a reaction if they just stand there. A Buck will raise his head to look at you where a Doe will lower her head to try to see you under the light.
I believe this is the reason you see more Doe hit than Bucks.

Coyote Eyes are an Orangish Red to me. They like Dogs will change direction to avoid you.

Bear Eyes shine a deep Red, But they will look away quick and lumber off. They may or may not change direction.

Human Eyes are Red, But I have to be quite close and on High Beams to make the reflection. And They have to be looking right at you.

Raccoon Eyes shine Green. They will keep the same sped but may change direction.

Mink and Weasels Eyes Shine Red. Will change speed and will change direction repeatedly.

Porcupine Eyes show up as a Silver to me. And they amble straight along and WILL NOT Change Direction.

The Critters that have eyes that don't reflect are a problem too.
They are MOOSE, Wild PIGS,

I know I am missing some so correct or fill in as required.

Have a GREAT RIDE and Enjoy the Night.

Mohawk
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plainmech
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very informative and interesting read, i'll have to watch this see how it pans out. wonder what they see in my eyes:realshocked::angel2::shock::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1: thanks for info.
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Rudy
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Very interesting.

What about chickens?
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lostinflorida
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Oh to see a big bucks eyes shining in the lights,,,,, :shock:

but that is another story!! :D

It is interesting to see how the different animals eyes look at night and how they react.
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Dubswing
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Awesome observations Mohawk!

Bernie
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BC
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Sometimes if a deer is runnig and you honk the horn, they change directions and run right back across the road that they already crossed. On the way to work today, (left home at 4:00am) I saw deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, possum, dog, and a stupid person walking down the middle of the road wearing a black hooded sweatshirt amd blue jeans. Maybe the herd of humans needs to be thinned a bit.
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plainmech
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BC wrote:
Sometimes if a deer is runnig and you honk the horn, they change directions and run right back across the road that they already crossed. On the way to work today, (left home at 4:00am) I saw deer, coyotes, fox, raccoons, possum, dog, and a stupid person walking down the middle of the road wearing a black hooded sweatshirt amd blue jeans. Maybe the herd of humans needs to be thinned a bit.
Click to expand...
:cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1: i think thats called natural selection :cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::cheeky1::action::waving:
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Foodman
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Interesting information..
Sounds like you take a short cut through the local Zoo to get to work..........
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1-Shot
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Great summary! I find moose often react differently than deer. A lot of them if they are on the road will turn and run down the road away from you for a long ways.

On the highways of BC they have been using some new reflectors in high deer crossing areas. These line the road about 50' apart and are made to reflect your headlights with a red light at 90 degrees to the road. I assume so the deer know where the road is or possibly it scares them? Maybe they think it looks like preditor eyes and makes them turn away from the road? Anyone know anything about this system or if they use it in your area?
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1-Shot
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Answered my own question with a quick internet search: http://www.strieter-lite.com/solution.html
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1-Shot
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Answered my own question with a quick internet search: http://www.strieter-lite.com/solution.html
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Mohawk
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Cool stuff 1-Shot,

I like that Idea. Never seen it around here or in Florida where I lived for 10 years.

Nope Rudy, Never seen any chickens around here,
I imagine any loose ones the Fox and Coyotes got em.

One I forgot is the Skunk. Never seen their eyes glow but they wont change direction or hurry either unless you tag em with your foot.

I have seen gators on the road soaking up the sun warmed heat at night, And their eyes glow, and I believe I remember the eyes were red.

Yup dodging critters is a full time gig here at times.

L8tr

Mohawk
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dwsonar
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Red for gators is correct.
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Mohawk
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I thought so.

It seems to me that most Predators Eyes shine red or redish.

I seen more Wildlife this morning.
I had just turned onto the road where the plant is located and I caught motion out of the corner of my eye.

I glanced over and there was this young girl on the sidewalk motioning to her mouth.

I think she was pantomiming for a cigarette.

But it could have been to puff on something else.

I did a double take and paused in shifting to reply, "Sorry Babe, I got no time"

She looked kinda rough and this was only 3:45 AM.

You can't take any chances on the road guys, You must always be prepared. Grin

C Ya

Mohawk
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R
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deer alerts... what we need is more deer alerts
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Kevin Bozard
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The only road crossing varmint I've encountered so far, was an armadillo. I didn't notice any eye color, but as he came onto the roadway he kept a straight line path toward the other side. I was able to easily swerve around him, because he wasn't moving that fast. He also didn't seem to care that I was bearing down on him at 55 mph.
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morram
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So you know their eye colors, what about a list of best recipes?
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1-Shot
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morram wrote:
So you know their eye colors, what about a list of best recipes?
Click to expand...
Grouse wrapped in bacon and cooked in a frying pan.

Moose done anyway you do beef, but Tacos is one of our favourites.

Venison cut thin and smoked as jerky.......

Mmmmmmmm......
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Longboater
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Interesting report. You did not indicate what your eyes looked like to the Buck or the Doe. Mine get real big. :cheeky1::cheeky1:



Now tell me, do we duck down when passing the doe and stand on the pegs for the buck? :action:



Going up to Michigan on Monday and I will try to remember this report.



Thanks for the good natured laugh too.



Longboater,
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