Fun with Deer...

Seanaldinho

Seanaldinho

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Went flying tonight to get checked out in a friends Grumman Cheetah he will be giving me access to. Ive flown it several times with him in the right seat (he's an instructor and has been very generous). Its between 6 and 7 pm local, quite dark at an 8000 foot airport thats nice and quiet most of the time. Anywho, I hadn't flown in a few months because of school but luckily I hadn't lost much. Did a couple laps and landed quite nicely both times. Went around for a third time and landed nicely as well, cleaned it up on the roll power in and as Im pulling back to rotate I see 4 deer lined up nose to tail across the runway. Plane came off the ground quickly and we probably cleared them at about 10' AGL. I kept the plane climbing and made a call to an Air Force PC-12 behind us on the ILS that there are deer on the runway go around. They gave us a hearty thank you and moved on to a different airport. Those deer were right around 2500-3000 feet down the runway and would have certainly done something to that PC12.

Looking back, it was just a matter of luck. Had the deer been further down the runway my night wouldve been just getting started. Had I landed a little longer, not cleaned the plane up as quickly, been a little slower to rotate, etc, etc...

Anyone else got critter stories?
 
Deer look like puppy dogs on a runway. Not like seeing them in a road.
 
The city here spent I don't know how much deer fencing the airport.

Maybe it will help, but they leave the main gate open 24/7 so that's illogical.

I'm very surprised we're not seeing more feral hog incursions. But they're really smart which may be a good thing for us.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Anyone else got critter stories?
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Landing at Copperhill, TN in a Cirrus, afriend's brother was waving us off.

Why?

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Landed long was no problem.

I thought it was nice for him to pose for us afterwards.
 
not really.... the day of my solo there were some turkey vultures hanging out right next to the runway. Had to taxi up close to them and goose the throttle to ensure they backed off before taking off. Nearly hit some bird on landing once. Looked like it passed right under the wing and to the left of my window. I think it barely cleared the prop.

My life is boring.
 
Was doing night landings at a California runway, I think it was Rancho Murieta?
On a full stop taxi back 3 deer crossed the taxiway in front of my C-150 landing light.

I took a deep breath, configured for short field departure, taxied down the runway to about where I thought the deer might be, cleared the area, and then poured in the power and got out of there.

We were doing late night T&G with the Bone. The nose wheel does not touch during a T&G, power up and mains leaving the ground we saw a deer in the lights. We felt nothing but called it in to the SOF. "Deer at about the 6K feet remaining marker."

Yes there was a deer with a broken back on centerline. We did clip it with the mains. We had to wait while they cleared the deer, checked and swept the runway and then back for a full stop and inspection.

It was standard practice for the SOF at Loring AFB, ME to sweep the runway for Moose before the Buffs came back in the middle of the night / early morning before sunrise.
 
BillTIZ said:
Was doing night landings at a California runway, I think it was Rancho Murieta?
On a full stop taxi back 3 deer crossed the taxiway in front of my C-150 landing light.

I took a deep breath, configured for short field departure, taxied down the runway to about where I thought the deer might be, cleared the area, and then poured in the power and got out of there.

We were doing late night T&G with the Bone. The nose wheel does not touch during a T&G, power up and mains leaving the ground we saw a deer in the lights. We felt nothing but called it in to the SOF. "Deer at about the 6K feet remaining marker."

Yes there was a deer with a broken back on centerline. We did clip it with the mains. We had to wait while they cleared the deer, checked and swept the runway and then back for a full stop and inspection.

It was standard practice for the SOF at Loring AFB, ME to sweep the runway for Moose before the Buffs came back in the middle of the night / early morning before sunrise.
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This is a civilian field but the air force sends T-6s, 130s, pc-12s, v-22s, and one other twin trainer there all the time. A U-28/PC-12 outta hurlburt hit a deer here a few months ago. Another incident will certainly bring about some changes.
 
Turkeys happen around lots of the fields I fly to in Maine. Heard a pilot buddy mention that a Colgan King Air took out a deer on landing once at Bar Harbor. Went through the prop while in full reverse, supposedly.
 
One night, doing TNGs with my CFI (I was a student), I touched down, cleaned up the configuration, added power and just as I was about to rotate, a coyote appeared in my landing light beam. "Flaps" my CFI exclaimed, I pulled the "Johnson bar" two notches and we jumped right over the clueless creature who did not have any idea how close he got to being served for dinner at the nearby Panda Express.
Since then, my CFI always used (with a big smile on his face) the code word "coyote" for go-around practice. :)
 
Seanaldinho said:
Anyone else got critter stories?
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Used to be ( new runway now without hump in middle ) at Lee Vinning ( high altitude field with short runway ) when you got half way down the runway you could then see the dogs ( dogs attached to humans via leashes taking a walk ) on the runway. :hairraise:

Local residents felt safer on the runway than on HWY 395 :goofy:

overlook.jpg
 
Landing in Gustavis, AK, had a black bear run across the runway in front of me after touchdown. That would not have been a pretty sight had we connected!!!!!
 
Our local aerodrome spent close to a million bucks (pun intended) to enhance "security" at our non-carrier servered airport with a perimeter fence. There are several spots where you can see deer runs going underneath the fence in areas of ditches. Yeah.... Nice engineering job. So as a result, we still have four legged terrorists out there. Several times I've landed and have seen small groups of them watching me roll out, even in broad daylight. Add to that the sandhill cranes that hang out by the runways. Really have to keep your eyes out.

When I was just starting my flight training I landed and was taxiing back to the hanger when my CFI yells out "holy cow!" Or something to that effect. I thought I had really screwed something up bad. He goes, "there's two eagles sitting on the ground over there!" After I got my heart rate back to normal I said great, and don't do that to me again! :yikes:
 
Things look smaller on a runway. I was on short final to Stead one day when a coyote ran across the numbers. He ran off into the dirt so I continued the landing, but as he ran across I said to my CFI, "There's a cat on the runway". :)
 
tehmightypirate said:
Turkeys happen around lots of the fields I fly to in Maine. Heard a pilot buddy mention that a Colgan King Air took out a deer on landing once at Bar Harbor. Went through the prop while in full reverse, supposedly.
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Sounds messy....
 
I was landing one winter in Noatak, Alaska. It was about 11 am and just getting light enough to see the ground. I had my chief pilot sitting right seat in the Piper Chieftain. As I was on final I saw a moose crossing the runway. I wasn't too concerned because she would be outside the lights when I would touch down.

As I was crossing the end of strip, about 20 feet AGL, Mrs. Moose turned her head and looked directly behind her. I fire walled the throttles to come back and try again. About the time I would have touched down, 2 moose calves ran out of the trees and across the snow covered gravel strip.

After I landed, moose free this time, and after I shut down, the CP asked me, "How did you know..?"

I just replied, "That's why you pay me the big money.."

Actually as soon as Mrs. Moose looked behind her I knew that something was chasing her or following her. Either case I didn't want to be on the ground at that time.

Dealing with critters on the runway is just normal in Alaska. If I initiated a go around everytime I saw an animal near the landing strip, then I would probably never get on the ground.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Anyone else got critter stories?
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I need a deer and goose sticker for the log book.

Smashed a deer's hindquarters with the RH main while landing at dusk. Never saw him and didn't have a clue as to what had happened until we walked back to see. Dead as could be. No damage.

Canada Goose flock took off while I was landing a sailplane off-field. Was not looking forward to having to finish off a wounded goose however he too was dead. A guy driving by beat me to the bird, stuffed him in his back seat and drove off while telling me I was 'in trouble' for landing on some corporation's office lawn. Damage = $500 wing repair.

We went looking for the triple crown by flying into Cedar Key during leaping Mullet season... still trying.
 
These stories remind me I have some more elk sausage to grind, stuff and smoke ... no airplane involved.

However, I do have some buffalo that would make good sausage that did come home via Piper Dakota. She was a good buff and stayed seat belted the whole trip. :)
 
Standard procedures at Phillips Army Airfield (APG, MD) was to make a low pass or two over the runway (especially during rutting season) to try to scare the deer off. I do so on my grass strip as well. My wife has been known to go chasing after them in the golf cart when she sees them on the runway.

Also had to convince the dumbass airpark neighbor to stop feeding them as it encouraged them to come around.
 
Nearly ran over a tarantula the size of a dinner plate scuttling across the runway at Needles, CA. Gross!
 
At least their eyes are reflective, otherwise you'd have no idear you were about to hit a no-eye deer.
 
Deer = 150 pound field mice..... I have no use for them.
 
Was practicing a soft field landing and while the nose gear was still in the air a pheasant flew into it. Bad for him, good for me.
I taxied back, picked it up, and threw it in the baggage compartment and flew back to the FBO. When I walked in holding the bird by the legs the woman behind the desk looked up and said. "Don't. Just don't say anything. I don't want to know."
Tasty.
 
I had a go-around at Ramona, Ca when a cow walked on to the runway. Out of Morrilton, AR I had a buzzard go over my wing about 30 inches on the upwind at about 300. Soooooo lucky on that one.
 
PaulS said:
Deer = 150 pound field mice..... I have no use for them.
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I've had venison 3 times this week already. It's much leaner than beef and yummy.
 
Unit74 said:
I've had venison 3 times this week already. It's much leaner than beef and yummy.
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I never developed a taste for it, maybe I should try it, there are about 20 of them in my yard a couple times a week.
 
About two weeks after I took my me check ride, my cfi and another student had a deer run out onto the runway during their takeoff run. They were just about to rotate when from the left side the deer hit the nose sending it into the right prop. No one was hurt (except the deer). The plane was down for two months for repairs.. The funny part was that they back- taxied down the runway to check for them. Oh well t least they tried...:dunno:
 
I like to practice T&Gs on the long and lonely runway at KBPG, the old Webb AFB, except during the time of the year the sandhill crane are crossing that area on their major flyway.
Too scary to share the pattern with the "ribeye of the sky", as the hunters call them.
 
Only had one real encounter:
At an untowered field where we practice my instructor and I were doing short field work (even though the runway is around 4,000 ft). We were on a 1/4 mile final and he was telling me 'now hold this sight picture, no matter what you are landing' got to about 75 feet from the end of the runway and I noticed lots of not so little dots sitting over and past the numbers. I asked him 'Not even for geese?!' And immediately did a go around. He didn't even see them! We decided to head back for home base. Wasn't too close, but my instructor said geese are no bueno. And where there's one there's surely more!
 
I almost made Gatorade one summer in the Everglades... big ass gator (10 ft or so) crawled across the runway at TNT when I was on short final. Pulled up in time to miss him,but it messed up my approach.
 
I was on short final with my CFI coming back from a flight school group dinner flight. It was night, the tower was closed. One of the other folks that was already at the ramp had his portable on him. He just yelled go around go around. I wasn't about to ask "why", so I just punched it. It was probably deer or coyotes. He saw something walking along the runway blocking the lights as it walked. Glad he noticed that.
 
Coyotes are a pain here as well. They've moved off since winter hit but in the summer even with two patrols a day and firing the noise gun at them they'd still show up in packs around the field. Chasing rabbits mostly. Luckily no one's hit one yet since I've been here.
 
overdrive148 said:
Coyotes are a pain here as well. They've moved off since winter hit but in the summer even with two patrols a day and firing the noise gun at them they'd still show up in packs around the field. Chasing rabbits mostly. Luckily no one's hit one yet since I've been here.
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Reported a coyote on the runway to the Santa Fe, NM tower once. They didn't care in the slightest. Sounded bored and had that "yeah, yeah" tone of voice, like... "You don't come here often, do you?"

Coyote paced me in the 182 throughout the takeoff roll. Just glad he didn't decide to try closer formation work. ;)
 
denverpilot said:
Reported a coyote on the runway to the Santa Fe, NM tower once. They didn't care in the slightest. Sounded bored and had that "yeah, yeah" tone of voice, like... "You don't come here often, do you?"

Coyote paced me in the 182 throughout the takeoff roll. Just glad he didn't decide to try closer formation work. ;)
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The worst part is when I'm out chasing them off in the pickup and the one stands on the far side of a runway light or sign and looks at me with the "oh please, what are you gonna do??" face. Horn honking, revving, they dont seem fazed at all sometimes. The noise gun at least shoots something towards them that is kind of scary.
 
overdrive148 said:
The worst part is when I'm out chasing them off in the pickup and the one stands on the far side of a runway light or sign and looks at me with the "oh please, what are you gonna do??" face. Horn honking, revving, they dont seem fazed at all sometimes. The noise gun at least shoots something towards them that is kind of scary.
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One local airport has a permanent nuisance hunting license from the State to take them out... And the rifle to do it.

They try to hold it as a last-resort kind of thing when the critter gets so head strong it simply doesn't care anymore.

Usually they attempt a capture and relocate first, since there's so many crybabies in the surrounding community who'd rather an aircraft hit one, snap the gear, and everyone on board die in a fire, than allow a critter to be shot.

But there's at least one critter who won't get the message any other way than via high speed lead injection, every year.
 
I was doing T&Gs on a grass strip. The grass needed mowing but I was doing short field work so no problem. On final I saw 3 dark dots that were not there on the previous T&G. Looked like turkeys so landed short. As soon as I touched down 3 kids jumped up off (they were laying down) and ran off the runway. I was flying a UL so it wasn't an issue, had I been flying an RV they would have not been so lucky.
 
denverpilot said:
One local airport has a permanent nuisance hunting license from the State to take them out... And the rifle to do it.

They try to hold it as a last-resort kind of thing when the critter gets so head strong it simply doesn't care anymore.

Usually they attempt a capture and relocate first, since there's so many crybabies in the surrounding community who'd rather an aircraft hit one, snap the gear, and everyone on board die in a fire, than allow a critter to be shot.

But there's at least one critter who won't get the message any other way than via high speed lead injection, every year.
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Apparently we've asked the City multiple times if we could shoot at them but turns out that they don't like the idea. Apparently complaints and near misses dont speak strongly enough for the case. I'm surprised that they got permission and a permit to do it.

One week we had to deal with a huge flock of vultures or something, massive birds that would not leave the thermals over the runway alone. I had to fire 4-5 shots at them before they started moving...directly into the traffic pattern for both runways. And well out of range of my tiny firework gun. Fortunately no one ended up flying through them after I sent out some warnings on the UNICOM but still, eesh.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Anyone else got critter stories?
Click to expand...
I was doing a daylight landing at a local grass strip when I noticed some slow-moving objects on the runway at the approach end. As I got closer, I realized they were deer.

Fly Babies have a lot of wires exposed to the slipstream (20, actually, not including rudder or tailwheel cables) and it generates a pretty good shrrrrrrrrrrr when on approach. The deer could obviously hear it, and hear it getting louder. They were half-panicked, darting left and right, whirling all around to try see what it was and where it was coming from.

Never looked *up*, of course.

Skimmed overhead, poured on the power, and went around. They weren't there on the second approach. Probably lotsa deer poop on the approach end, though.....

Ron Wanttaja
 
Many years ago I was landing at Hilversum in the Netherlands, don't know what it is like now, but back then it was a grass field with sheep grazing on it. Aircraft did not seem to worry them at all. With an aircraft taking off or landings, they would just amble out of the way and leave room for the operation! I have never seen anything like that since!
 
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