Well, there are deer all over the place here in upstate NY. I hit one two summers ago on I-88 just east of Oneonta, NY while doing about 70 mph and marveling over the brightness of my 1 day old 7" Hellas. Deer jumped right off a bank as I was passing by- never saw it (even though I could see over a mile down the road in front of me). Needless to say, there were no winners in that one- killed both the deer and a perfectly good '79 GT. Deer 1, Volvo 1.

The only tips I have for driving at night in deer country are:

1) drive slowly- do not outdrive your lights! You won't get there any faster if you wack a deer on the way.

2) install good lights with a good wide angle beam- most good quality fogs can be aimed to provide excellent side lighting- helps a great deal in detecting deer before they attack your car. I use mine even when using my main beam for this purpose.

3) Practice looking for deer while you're driving- those buggers can be hard to see, especially in the flat light conditions of fall and winter when they blend in with the trees and brush.

4) Support deer hunting in your state.

5) In my experience, deer whistles do not work- don't rely on them to keep deer away from your vehicle. In some cases, they may do more harm than good, as they give people a false sense of security.

No one likes deer hunting by car. Be safe!