In comments to a post regarding near misses while cycling on the road a few of us discussed almost being being hit by whitetail deer. My close call was by a buck, as was one other's I think. A really huge buck may go over 300 pounds.
The collision could result in significant injury to the cyclist, if not him and the deer. Consider that the cyclist may be going 20+ mph and that deer can sprint up to 30 mph when fleeing predators. (I have been over 50mph a number of times while going downhill. Professional riders can surpass 60 mph) These types of hits carry more force than the most vicious NFL tackle. Remember, cyclists and deer do not wear padding. Linemen are larger than a big deer, but they are going much slower. Safeties are going faster than the linemen, though not as fast as the deer, but their weight is about the same as the biggest bucks. We will not factor in the damage from antlers. Even hitting a small deer, 100 pounds, would hurt.
To be hit by a running eland could be deadly. Even hits by linebackers and whitetail deer have killed._ Female adult elands weigh up to 600kg and males can reach 1000kg. That's the size of a small car. Their speed is less than a whitetail deer, reportedly from 15 to 25 mph. (One wiki page said they can reach 43 mph.)
Please be considerate and share the road.
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