In my opinion the biggest riding risk in the hill country is the overabundance of deer. While they are pretty creatures, they can be deadly. They aren’t aggressive but when spooked by a motorcycle they are apt to run in any direction, including directly into a motorcycle. I have seen deer run across the road in front of me and then suddenly change their minds, do a 180 and bolt back across the road, barely missing me in the process. I guess it has to do with their instinctive nature of avoiding predators to run in crazy directions without any logic or thought whatsoever. It’s probably a great survival strategy when being chased by a mountain lion but it sure can play havoc when they seemingly deliberately collide with a motorcycle.

This little fellow ran across the road in front of me one day when I was out for a ride and then came to an abrupt stop just a few feet from the edge of the road. I figured he was about to run back across the road so I quickly slowed to a stop. Instead of bolting in fear, he just stood there looking at me. I grabbed my camera and took his picture and he just watched me the entire time. And then turned and wandered off into the underbrush. Just one of the little (and risky) pleasures of riding in the hill country.