Is 50-70 lbs saved from bumper weight worth the extra 600 bucks??

[WXman]

They must be shorter.
You hit a whitetail deer here and all your bumper hits is legs.
Even most of the lifted Jeeps pictured in this forum would see the body in the grill. I hit one with my Eagle - and they sit fairly high - and I busted its legs up with the bumper, and the body shoved the fender back to the windshield and my wife couldn't open the passenger door. It was tossed a good 50 feet across a ditch into a yard and her right hind leg was pointing up instead of down.
A friend of mine hit a deer with his Eagle and it went over his roof. He had to replace the hood and left fender.

My bumper is 3 feet or more from the ground. The only time I'd hit an animal in the legs is if it were an elk. I've never seen a white tail deer with a body even with the hood on a Gladiator. That would be a state record deer.

Back on topic.. as far as aluminum, steel, plastic.. Why don't people put winches on the stock plastic bumper? It's a rhetorical question. And why do aluminum bumpers have steel winch plates in them? Again, rhetorical question. Steel is stronger, period. And steel holds up better to accidents, deer strikes, and trail damage. Period.

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[ShadowsPapa]

Been to Iowa?

Why are Iowa deer so big?
Another reason Iowa produces big bucks is because its firearms hunts are held in December, well after the rut. Bucks aren't as vulnerable at this time, allowing more deer to grow older. ... As a result, more deer escape hunters, surviving until the next season to produce more massive antler growth.
From Outdoor Life.

The doe around here can reach apples in the tree without standing on their hind legs.
But whatever - just be wary of driving through Iowa in the fall. It's your truck.
I'm speaking from experience here - just letting people know. (deer in our yard every day, tracks all over the yard daily - I live in the sticks. Our deer are corn-fed)

 

[DanW]

My wife hit a dear a few years back in a Tahoe. It wasn't even a big deer. It was a medium sized female. It didn't touch the bumper, but put a good dent in the forward edge of the hood and then smacked the A-pillar as it was punted.

Deer aren't standing still when they are hit. They are usually in the air, jumping as they run. Most deer damage I've seen has been to grill, hood, and/or windshield. I don't remember seeing much bumper contact with any of them.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My wife hit a dear a few years back in a Tahoe. It wasn't even a big deer. It was a medium sized female. It didn't touch the bumper, but put a good dent in the forward edge of the hood and then smacked the A-pillar as it was punted.

Deer aren't standing still when they are hit. They are usually in the air, jumping as they run. Most deer damage I've seen has been to grill, hood, and/or windshield. I don't remember seeing much bumper contact with any of them.

Yeah, hadn't really given that thought but you hit on another part of the puzzle - according to the DNR here that's right, and they say most hits are deer hitting vehicles.

But in my case - the deer bounded out of the trees and grass right at the edge of the road and hit the pavement just as I made contact with it. I'll never forget the "oh, shit" look it had - and I'm sure the last thing it saw was that same look on my face. My wife saw it jump and just got out the words "watch-o......." SMACK.
0.1 second sooner or later, it would have been in the air still. Bad luck.
They bound as they run. Not like other critters that generally keep at least 2 or 3 planted as they move.

Just for kicks - a sort of checking myself thing, I got really curious and looked up some stats of Iowa deer (YDMV - your deer may vary)
From the Iowa DNR -
Adult males reach an average weight of around 240 to 265 pounds at about four and one- half years of age while adult females average 140 to 160 pounds. The largest deer ever reported in Iowa was a 440-pound buck.

Not saying that's bigger, badder, whatever, I was just curious as to how much weight we are really hitting, or is hitting us, as far as deer around here. I knew they weren't really small, but had no clue as to the typical weight.

 

[AjMac]

Yeah, hadn't really given that thought but you hit on another part of the puzzle - according to the DNR here that's right, and they say most hits are deer hitting vehicles.

But in my case - the deer bounded out of the trees and grass right at the edge of the road and hit the pavement just as I made contact with it. I'll never forget the "oh, shit" look it had - and I'm sure the last thing it saw was that same look on my face. My wife saw it jump and just got out the words "watch-o......." SMACK.
0.1 second sooner or later, it would have been in the air still. Bad luck.
They bound as they run. Not like other critters that generally keep at least 2 or 3 planted as they move.

Just for kicks - a sort of checking myself thing, I got really curious and looked up some stats of Iowa deer (YDMV - your deer may vary)
From the Iowa DNR -
Adult males reach an average weight of around 240 to 265 pounds at about four and one- half years of age while adult females average 140 to 160 pounds. The largest deer ever reported in Iowa was a 440-pound buck.

Not saying that's bigger, badder, whatever, I was just curious as to how much weight we are really hitting, or is hitting us, as far as deer around here. I knew they weren't really small, but had no clue as to the typical weight.

GOD DANG!

440lbs is a big boy.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

GOD DANG!

440lbs is a big boy.

You don't want to hit that fellow regardless of how much bumper you have or how high it's sitting. Kiss your front end goodbye.

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