Near miss today

[92Merc]

Went for a ride up to Garrison damn in North Dakota, just north of where I live. It was an eventful ride. But this is the part to remember. Yeah, next time I'll slow down instead of just moving over.

 

 

[DBULL]

Yikes!   Glad you're ok

[duckhawk64]

The same thing happened to me yesterday. 

[92Merc]

What's interesting is that encounter is all of 5 seconds long.

 

1) Hey, looks like something in the road.  I should move over.

2) That looks like it could be roadkill.

3) Looks like something eating the roadkill.

4) I think that's a vulture eating it.

5) Oh crap, it decided to take off in my direction.  Duck and brace for impact.

 

If you don't have turkey vultures in your area, they run about 3 pounds.  At 68 mph, I expect it would have left some damage.

[duckhawk64]

Regular turkeys adults, and then the chicks, also called poults, are roads hazards around Wisconsin. I've had plenty of close encounters. 

[Hosstage]

Flying bowling balls 

[SDCRJohn]

A few years ago, I had a similar encounter, but lost my windscreen. Large buzzard dining on a deer carcass, by the side of the road. I began to slow down as I approached, but didn’t anticipate the buzzards horizontal take off path, directly across my country lane. I ducked as it contacted my AeroFlow windscreen, and literally shattered it. I was shaken, but otherwise OK. I now keep a watch out for roadkill, and the prey that consume them.

[JCtx]

Yeah, same story here. I hit one of those suckers with my helmet several years ago (but barely), even after slowing down quite a bit. I ducked when impact was imminent, so hit it with the back of my helmet; just felt a tiny push. Bird kept flying, so no harm from that slight 'bump'. But man, it looked HUGE!!! Learned the lesson those suckers take off horizontally, AND in exactly our path of travel. Ha ha. Now I honk at them, and they take off much sooner, so that was the first and last time it happened, at least so far. Also had a close encounter with a freaking wild pig; THAT would had been a lot worse.

[6speedTi]

Glad you're OK.