Keith,
You make some good "points" or "observations" but I have first hand experience that can take this post in the opposite direction.
Background on the bike is in my signature...SS spares long cannons that Keith and a few others have heard first hand
Example 1: Karen and I were riding on some nice back roads with some nice sweepers only to come upon a buck standing in the road. I had to come to a complete stop, revved the bike (hard), honked the horn (PIAA) and the buck only turned to walk away.
Example 2: riding with you last summer, shortly after the guy joined us at the rest stop. We approached a mature deer on the shoulder. We all slow down, I rev and rev and reeeeevvvv....nothing till we get right next to it and even then it only moved a few feet.
example 3: Baker City a couple years ago. Karen, Bob and I are riding along. I come upon a pack (?) of three deer. I stop and rev, rev, rev but they just stare at me. NO movement.
I wonder if maybe we take both your theory and my experience and combine it to say "wild" deer are dangerous to us as they are skittish and we really dont know what they will do HOWEVER "wild but domestically exposed" deer are calm and will just stand there and stare as we pass.
I come to this as I think about how many mornings I pass a deer grazing on the side of a very busy road, fwy, or )most recently) streets in my neighborhood.
Huh!
