with a kevlar canoe on the top of my car, at, say 60 mph?  I drive a Pontiac Grand Prix, and let's assume the deer doesn't just glance off or go under the car.  If it DID go over the hood and up into the canoe, would the deer just get stuck there?  Would the canoe bend/crack around the tie-downs? Rip off?  I ask because I just about hit three of them on my way up last week, and my friend and I couldn't quite agree on what was the most likely outcome....

Let's also assume it's a large deer.



Carmike

My guess:
Front tie down ropes broken and a deer in your lap. Dented roof from the ropes pulling it down before they break.
Canoe is fine, minor damage because you have a center and rear tie downs to hold it on as you skid to a stop.
Unless the deer in your lap makes you lose control of the car.

Depends a lot on the vehicle, the driver, circumstances, deer ... I guess. I hope my gunnels will rip off before/as the ropes broke, hood crinkled and airbags popped. On the bright side that could slow that mass down enough to prevent entry to the passenger compartment.

Watch Study the shoulders for eyes dusk and dawn - especially after seeing "jumping deer" and "charging moose" signs.

What sort of policy or even rider returns a new canoe? Market value replacement? Fine. New canoe? What an I missing???

not sayin you.....but some people just think "oh look at the deer" as the whiz by at 60mph. ALWAYS assume that it will jump in front of you when you see it, and slowwww down. Some cannot be avoided, sadly, I know for a fact.

I know a guy who "died" three times on the operating table after a deer came through his windshield. His face is disfigured now but he is alive.

I try and drive during the daylight hours......I slow right down at dusk and dawn.

Last year after the WCPP debacle I had a late start after the floatplane extraction of my boat and had a bit of a hard time getting someplace to hole up........even though I was expecting a deer and was on guard I still ended up rolling a fawn up underneath my truck.....felt a bit bad about it but I never swerve to try and avoid critters even though I root for them to get out of the way.