> I've never driven into one, though once one slammed into the side of my car.

Clearly you weren't using your brakes timely.

Seriously, I don't get the 'holier than thou' attitude here and in other comments when it's clear that even you did not manage to avoid all close encounters with deer. The deer that hit your car in the side could have just as easily ended up in front and you'd have been unable to avoid it. This stuff simply happens and it is obvious that in some cases the driver isn't at fault but the deer is, unfortunately they aren't quite smart enough to understand the situation enough to keep themselves safe. So we humans will do what we can, but accidents can and will happen.