Gophers on the Road?

[Crazyjoker77]

We somehow got on this discussion at work and wondering what beyonders would do?

[kvg]

Keep calm and drive on:thumbsup:

[corsvette]

When my wife was younger she rolled her Blazer trying to avoid a prarie dog on the highway, not good. Best just to ignore them and drive like normal, Farmers hate the buggers anyway.

[MK2MK4Jetta]

I let all my air out of the bags and hope it stays in my path.

[swak]

Survival of the fittest...

I'll drive like normal (if it makes it safely across 2 feet infront of me, it wins!)

[DJ Lazy]

Originally posted by MK2MK4Jetta
I let all my air out of the bags and hope it stays in my path.

http://www.madtomatoe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Facebook-Like-Button-big.jpg

[jsn]

I'll try to avoid it or brake lightly, but I won't go so far as to swerve into another lane or slam on the breaks and possibly cause an accident.

[Benny]

I don't go out of my way to run them over but I don't swerve or jam on the brakes to avoid them either. I give them a fair chance at life, if they get creamed after that it's their own fault.

Rabbits on the other hand, I do everything possible to avoid. I once cranked a rabbit and cracked my front bumper. Fucker... :(

[Maybelater]

Lately I've noticed whenever I see them I don't change my path. The city already has to spend lots of time getting rid of them, might as while do my part.

[Wakalimasu]

What about a Mother Duck and 7 ducklings crossing the street?.. I braked for them the other day. Traffic was light.

[Maybelater]

Originally posted by Wakalimasu
What about a Mother Duck and 7 ducklings crossing the street?.. I braked for them the other day. Traffic was light.

I'd avoid that :(

[Benny]

Originally posted by Wakalimasu
What about a Mother Duck and 7 ducklings crossing the street?.. I braked for them the other day. Traffic was light.


I very nearly rolled the Mustang when I was flying down the highway a few weeks ago and a family of ducks came quacking out across the road. Didn't hit them though. Ducks, and especially ducklings, are a whole different class of animals than gophers.

[BensonTT]

I cringe every time time I drive over something dead on the road... :barf:

[Mista Bob]

Only ever encountered dead ones on the road and those are fairly easy to avoid for some reason.

Although I once saw a city truck swerve to run over a dead gopher just off to the side of the highway. :rofl:

[HomespunLobster]

I've hit a few, I also hit a crow the other day. If they don't move, I don't swerve or slam on my brakes. Anything larger then a mid sized dog is when I start to avoid it

[Panic]

I hit one on the highway going 150 and it broke a peice off my bumper. I was hoping it would move but it just stood there staring death in the face.

[MrSector9]

it depends on the situations, if ther eis someone behind me or traffic is everywhere, sorry little buddy.

If there is no one behind me or far back, no one oncoming and I can safely avoid then I avoid them.

I care about my car/life more then theirs but there is no need to needlessly kill them.

[FixedGear]

I hate seeing things hurt or dying. I hit a squirrel once when I first started driving, and saw it try to run off the road and felt terrible about it. I also once saw a deer on the side of the road that had been hit by a car, and was struggling to stand back up but couldn't, and I still feel sick evertime I think about it. i can't even imagine what kind of pain that thing was going through, and how much it wanted to live.

so yea, I would try to avoid hitting the gopher if I could. that said, I obviously wouldn't swerve out of control and risk my life to do it. :rofl: i definitely wouldn't roll my blazer like the one guy said haha!

[botox]

Gophers are suicidal, you try to swerve and they run into your path again. I found it best just to stay straight and they won't move, if they do oh well at least it's instant death.

[J-hop]

haha, this reminds me of the road out to paintball near cochrane, the gophers like to hang out on the road and soak up the warmth. Sounds like you are driving down a gravel road with all the 'thud' sounds of bodies hitting the undercarriage.

If it's around town in residential areas I will slow down, not because I'm worried about killing them but more that I don't want to clean blood and guts off my front fascia.

[Maybelater]

Originally posted by Panic
I hit one on the highway going 150 and it broke a peice off my bumper. I was hoping it would move but it just stood there staring death in the face.

Suicide Gopher

[Adachi]

On my way to work one day (Around 3am), I was on deerfoot getting off onto 64th and a F*ing skunk just walked right infront of my car, sprayed me, and got squished.
Beats me why the skunk was on the highway.
Didn't leave damage to my car but the smell did stay for a whopping 2 weeks :barf:

[sevewone]

I was leaving Kelowna a few weeks ago and saw the guy in front of me hit a chow chow dog. We were going about 100 and the thing just bolted out of nowhere. Fucking sad though seeing it twitch and shake then die in my rear view mirror :cry: .

[codetrap]

If it's smaller than a pig, run the bugger over.

[Mibz]

Originally posted by Wakalimasu
What about a Mother Duck and 7 ducklings crossing the street?.. I braked for them the other day. Traffic was light. Last week I was on my bike heading SB on MacLeod Tr just past 162nd. It was getting dark. I see roadkill up ahead and just keep my course, if I hit it, so be it.

At the last second I notice that it's a mother duck that's been hit and her ducklings are still alive, crowding around her. Closed my eyes, prayed for the best. Tire was clean so I'm assuming I missed them but I think it's inevitable that they all got hit.

[-relk-]

Its very situation dependent. If its safe to avoid the gopher, I will. If not, well its in the gophers hands then.

Just yesterday I was driving to work on a quiet residential street, and about 100 feet ahead of me I see a squirrel just chilling in the middle of the rode. Noone behind me, so as I approach it I slow down to a stop. The little bugger just stood and we had a stare off for about 5 seconds until he finally moved after I honked my horn. Some are just plain dumb :facepalm:

[Tomaz]

I swear animals are attracted to my car. since Sunday, I have killed 3 gophers and 2 birds. Unless it is bigger that a cat, its gonna get hit if it doesn't move. I always feel bad, but I rather take them out instead of putting myself in danger.

[AudiPWR]

I killed about 90 gophers out at my farm on Sunday... Killed another 10-12 driving home on the highway.. On purpose.. Run the fucks over, does all of us land owners a chore.

[littledan]

anything smaller than a deer and its getting smushed at highway speed. deer or larger then its brake and avoid. same thing they taught me at defensive driver training

[sputnik]

I cringe driving over gophers.

The last one I drove over got stuck between my rim and my brake calliper.

It wasn't pretty after 30 minutes of driving.

[Tomaz]

Originally posted by AudiPWR
I killed about 90 gophers out at my farm on Sunday... Killed another 10-12 driving home on the highway.. On purpose.. Run the fucks over, does all of us land owners a chore.

Where is your farm? I have been looking for land to do some gopher popping.

[Maybelater]

So I take back my earlier post. Today a baby duck was chilling on Highway 9 like an asshole and I had to do some crazy evasive driving. Felt my car lose traction for a moment, but the duck got away.

It was actually pretty scary, next time that duck won't be so lucky because I ain't change my path. :whipped:

[Eleanor]

If you can eat it in one sitting, hit it :thumbsup:

[Mar]

I swerve as much as I can inside my lane but I won't hit the brakes. I'll go as far as to put my tires on the lines but that's it. I hit a duck with my A pillar on the highway once, had to pull over and pick the feathers out of the rubber window trim. :barf:

[KRyn]

Originally posted by Tomaz


Where is your farm? I have been looking for land to do some gopher popping.

Ohhhh! Can I come too!

[Hamann]

Originally posted by Tomaz


Where is your farm? I have been looking for land to do some gopher popping.

Originally posted by KRyn


Ohhhh! Can I come too!

Lol you guys beat me to the punch asking :poosie:

[revelations]

If its RIGHT in the middle lane, I definitely wont make an effort to avoid if its a gopher, squirrel, bird/duck, etc.

Raccoons, skunk, hare ill gently avoid if I can stay in my lane, or brake.

Deer - they will dart back into the bush from where they came from, even if they are 3/4 of the way across the highway ....so I dont even bother touching the wheel.... just brake.... I've had numerous (dozens) of encounters while I was driving in the bush for work and I have never hit one.

Moose/Elk - brake and duck the fuck down in your seat.

[Mar]

Originally posted by revelations
Moose/Elk - brake and duck the fuck down in your seat.
Better to speed up.

[TE4MFaint]

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2p4yr5BkL1qk3xfy.gif

[shakalaka]

Almost ran over a bunny rabbit the other day. Had to slam my brakes hard, but I knew there was nothing behind me.

[AudiPWR]

My farm is just outside rosebud. You are more than welcome to have my permission to pop some if you like. Just shoot me a PM and I'll give you the information. Just leave the pheasants alone, we released 200 last year on our property last june.. Getting stoked for the season.

[Tarrantula]

Gophers are endangered. You cannot relocate them, so I do my best to keep them alive.

That being said ill murder a magpie anyday.

[colinderksen]

I intentionally aim for them. I execute a minimum of half a dozen a day in the work truck.

[syritis]

Originally posted by Mar

Better to speed up.

not even slightly. mythbusters proved this is a very bad idea.

[JC522]

I always wondered; if you were on a hunting trip and you hit and killed a deer cleanly with your car, could you strap that to your car and take it home or is it illegal?

[n1zm0]

For deer/moose i remember my drivers ed teacher way back saying to aim for the rear legs so the front end mass goes towards the side of your car and the legs are far away from the windshield, just cause you don't want its legs in the cabin of the car at your face when it starts kicking to gtfo if its still alive :nut: imagine that sight.

[J-hop]

Originally posted by Tarrantula
Gophers are endangered. You cannot relocate them, so I do my best to keep them alive.

That being said ill murder a magpie anyday.

I'm pretty sure the species we call gophers is not endangered.

[Crazyjoker77]

Originally posted by J-hop


I'm pretty sure the species we call gophers is not endangered.

Ya what we call gophers are actually richardson ground squirrels and definitely not endangered or even protected.

I work for the federal government and we spend thousands a month in poison traps to kill the cute little bastards.(so I feel its my duty to run over as many as possible in the work truck)

It is just a shame that a few actually endangered species (kangaroo rats and burrowing owls get caught in these traps rarely)


Once a co-worker of mine came into work and had a bumper sticker on his green civic saying "I brake for gophers" so one day at lunch i sneaked out to his car with some green painters tape and put it under the the bumper sticker and wrote "but not for fat chicks". He drove around for over a week before he noticed!

[Kloubek]

Originally posted by jsn
I'll try to avoid it or brake lightly, but I won't go so far as to swerve into another lane or slam on the breaks and possibly cause an accident.

This.

[Tarrantula]

My bad - A co-worker of mine mentioned that to me once. Guess I shouldnt take everything as fact ha ha.

I did know that other species use there burrows occasionally though.