It’s all about survival in the animal kingdom, whether you’re a predator striving to find your next meal, or a prey animal, trying to keep yourself off the dinner plate.
And deer seem to have it exceptionally rough. From the time they’re born, they are a primo meal option for most predators. Weak and completely defenseless, yet a still sizeable serving of protein, fawns are a popular target of mountain lions, bears, coyotes, wolves and more.
But as they mature, it really doesn’t get much easier. Still on the menu for the aforementioned predators, they also have to worry about harsh climates, scarce food sources, diseases like CWD, hunters, or even getting mowed down by a vehicle on the highway.
And while they can maybe throw a few front kicks in desperate situations, their main attribute for survival is speed. You know, the ol’ “if you can’t fight, just run away” kind of mentality. And they’re fast as hell.
With quick bursts of speed and agility, they are able to run at speeds up to about 35 miles per hour for short distances. But more than just quickness, they can jump FAR. Reaching height of 8 feet, they can clear most backyard fences pretty easily, but it’s the length that will surprise you. An adult whitetail can leap a whopping 30 feet… we’re talking clean over a roadway (and yet we still hit them every day).
This buck in New Jersey recently showed off its impressive hops, but the circumstances are perhaps even funnier than you’d think. A man by the name of Jay Vaughan shared this video that was captured on his home security cam.
Jay was trying to sell his mint condition Chevy Silverado, and when a potential buyer pulled up to kick the tires, let’s just say it wasn’t 100% mint anymore.
A deer comes flying into the shot, jumping clean over two cars, and almost clears the truck for sale, but unfortunately for Jay, lands smack dab in the bed of the truck:
“I list my 2007 Chevy Silverado on FB marketplace and a guy calls from north Jersey and wants the truck 1000% as long as the body is as nice as it looks in the pictures. I assure him that it’s mint and he says he’s driving down with the cash.
Here’s a video of him pulling up in the white Tahoe out front”
OOF…
Incredible, eh?
I mean, what an insane distance to cover. Unfortunately for our truck owner, it wasn’t quite far enough. No worries, though… the guy still bought the truck.
“He bought it anyway anyway, he just saved $1000 thanks to Rudolph.”
Can you imagine losing $1,000 bucks to that?
