Jumpin Wally!
Have you ever seen the “deer in the headlights” look up close, say about 6 feet. Although I’ve never been hunting for mule deer in the Black Hills of South Dakota I ‘tagged’ my first deer this season. Burned onto the walls of my memory is the ‘dreaded’ look from an 8 point buck staring my Ford Ranger down on Sheridan Lake road. I usually give big bucks the benefit of the doubt about not getting in the way. After all they must know something lasting all the past hunting seasons. In my precious few moments I named the gravity bound cousin of Rudolph the reindeer, Wally. Wally was surprised, when I came buzzing around the corner about 40 miles an hour, and stutter stepped like a lame MC Hammer passing the point of no return. I slammed on my brakes wide eyed and leaned towards the windshield in hopes of missing Wally as I veered to the left. That’s when I got ‘the look’ from Wally.
The ‘look’ reminded me of the feeling I have when I get caught hiking through the bushes in the dark. Being a tall man, I frequently run into things that I don’t see coming! I’m smart and keep wide eyes watching the trail and yet almost every time I find a branch, SMACK, that comes out of nowhere! I HATE THAT BRANCH!
I’m sure that I have no fan in my 8 point nemesis, Wally, even though we do have the post ‘incident’ reminders in common. A decent bruise, scratches, and loose debri in my hair along with a bad attitude fired up for revenge on the branch. Wally made his mark. He broke my headlight, blinker light, cracked my fender, dented the hood and dented my passenger door.
Quote of the day: If a branch knocks you off the trail, get up and keep going. If its a Ford Ranger…hope it’s not going over 40!
Have fun out there!
This isn’t my video and this didn’t happen to me….and you should definitely try to avoid deer.
Places to avoid if you are hunting for deer with your Ford in the Black Hills.
- any small 2 lane roads
- Highway 79
- Highway 385
- Sheridan Lake Road
- Highway 44
Remember that mating and migrating seasons for deer are October - December, also deer hunting season begins 
According to State Farm Insurance, South Dakota isn’t ranked in the top ten for deer accidents. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Georgia round out the top five. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people hit deer with their vehicle causing about 150 deaths a year and over 1 billion dollars in damage
Posted under Videos, Whacky Stories & Thoughts
This post was written by Ken on November 19, 2008
No luck…no luck at ALL!
Glad to see the Ford ‘tough’ Ranger up and runn’n again! Sucks about the deer though. 
Now your NEVER gone get your money out of that beautiful pink workhorse when you sell it. lol :):):)
She is a beut, with a new clutch now too. Got some giddy up…to at least 55 on the hills
booya