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Absolutely! My wife simply can not understand why I insist on cleaning a vehicle the day before departing on a trip. Even if the weather forecast is for rain - I'll still clean it. I tell her that this process gives me one last chance to really look it over to make sure that there are no problems. But, the truth is, "there is something nice about travelling in a clean vehicle.". Most of us here on the Forum have been down the road you are now taking. Excitement, excitement, excitement! And, we still love reliving that. Be safe on the road, relax, get plenty of rest. Delivery day will get you very tired and you simply can not remember all the "stuff" that will be thrown your way. Don't worry about it. The folks at Oliver are just a few steps away for questions, repairs, adjustments, etc.. There is a WalMart and Tractor Supply straight down the street for anything you forgot or need. If you like Mexican restaurants then there is a fairly good one also straight down the street in the little strip mall on your right as you enter the WalMart parking area. Ask your sales contact and/or the person doing your delivery to introduce you to Rodney Lomax and/or Scott Oliver if they are in the area. Both are - like the rest of the gang at Oliver - down to earth and easy to talk to. Finally, we are here for you. If the guys/gals at Oliver have left for the day, you can always post a question here. With this in mind - don't forget to get the "guest" WiFi passcode before the end of the day. Bill

I agree. Back in the day, I thought nothing of throwing the backpack on and heading into the woods through a bunch of snow. Campfires were GREAT as you fried the front and then did the dance around to warm up the back. The critters must have thought we humans were idiots with all that dancing we were doing. But, truth be told, there was a certain "misery" to the whole process. Sure, no bugs and little concern for watching for snakes and/or poison ivy/oak/sumac were welcome as were those clear star lit skies being able to track critters in the snow and, perhaps, even the "challenge" of it all. But, the wet feet, the cold, putting on frozen boots, dropping pants to ........ were certainly not enjoyable after the first few times. Perhaps the simple explanation was that I was getting out on my own without "family" impinging upon my freedom. Or, getting away from chores. I do fondly remember these camping trips and would encourage anyone who has never experienced this to have at it. But, I've grown to like what one might call the comforts of life a bit too much to look forward to eating Vienna Sausage cold out of the can or Dinty Moore beef stew out of the can - let alone having it explode because I didn't poke a large enough hole in the lid. The Oliver gives me those comforts and I'm truly appreciative. Basically the season doesn't mater - its always camping season! Bill

It’s always camping season. Some months the weather may not be to your liking, but it’s always camping season.🥶

I've noticed that on street view, google maps will often "double" parts of a photo. But I want me one of those trucks. I could haul a mill, welder and a lathe as well as everything else we carry.

How can "we" ever be alone with all those voices in my head?😁

Legend has it that Elon wants an Oliver. He is just waiting for the devs to install the Fart Mode system so he can feel at home.

I had to read that twice. First time I read, "No one ever has bears around the microwave."

I watched a few moments but then I had to escape.

Tail gate mat..

Stringing a new cable was the first thing we tried but we couldn’t find an easy path down inside the back wall of the camper. Quite possibly a rookie installation issue on our part but the tool and connectors ended up being just 20 bucks 😄

The main reason I would swap out my Xantrex 3000 to the Victron Multiplus 3000 is Power Assist. https://youtu.be/6lS6IAoxd28?si=18tX8-MGUNBMT4Z2 But for now I’m happy with the Xantrex! 😊

Pessimistic thoughts are like cancer. Spouting statements that have no validity do not help. Oliver has a business plan to make them a force for years to come. Instead of stirring the pot with negative comments, it might be a good idea to have all the facts first. This site is a little more open minded, but comments here and especially on Oliver Facebook, come across like the sky is falling. "Oliver will be another Thor, and this will be the end of Oliver". Oliver isn't going to just set up repair centers and spend the money to train personnel. It has to be a win-win-win for Oliver, RV Dealership, and Oliver Owners (Future Owners). There has to be something in it for the RV Dealership and that is having Oliver's on their lots for sale. Someone in Washington State can go to Portland, OR (or wherever the RV Dealership is located) instead of driving 1,500+ mile to Hohenwald Remember, any Oliver Owner or Future Owner can go to Hohenwald to purchase or have service work done. Things will continue for those that prefer the Mothership. Oliver needs our support. We need to let this play out. As locations come on board, and Oliver shares the sales part, and how the repair work will be implemented, we will get a true understanding of the entire plan. We need to stop with negativity and spewing false comments. As I mentioned earlier this site has been a little more restrained. I personally think this is a win-win for Oliver Owners and Future Owners In the meantime Happy Camping.

Same here. So far, during this year's outings we've never had to fire up the EU2000 because the 200w suitcase (and 340w rooftop array) gets the BBs well into the 90% SOC by keeping the suitcase aimed slightly ahead of the sun. We're planning a late DEC trip to Dallas in a week or so, with low sun angles and possible cloudy WX - the EU2000 may "see the light of day" finally... We'll keep y'all posted. Cheers!

I’m gunna guess it’s on McLaughlin Blvd, west side of the road…. maybe a bit north of the Oak Grove area. Time will tell

That is photoshopped. This, however, was taken off of Google Maps when I was researching the drive to and from Hohenwald.

I have the Victron Muliplus installed in the Navion 24V and associated equipment with three 100 Ah Battle Born batteries. The system has functioned flawlessly. It was professionally installed. v

If you type the words - bike rack - in the Search box at the upper right of this page, it will return several pages of information. Of course, most of this information will be relative to the hitch located on the back of the Oliver. However, even in those threads I'm guessing that you might find information that can be of interest to you. You will also find threads specifically related to you question. These threads vary from talking about mounting bikes on top of a tonneau cover to rack systems attached to the tongue/basket area of the Ollie and others. Good luck! Bill

Probably due to the environment that our trailer live in which includes heat, humidity, dust, dirt and vibration it is not too surprising that the relatively small fragile contacts and/or wires in these data cords go bad. I don't know what the total cost of the tool and the bag of connectors was versus just purchasing a new cable, but, either way your solution now gives us at least two way to skin this cat.🐱 Thanks! Bill

Less than two years into ownership, I made two repairs to the factory-installed metal straps used to secure the Truma water heater and the Dometic furnace. These straps were the typical HVAC metal galvanized hangers, which broke due to stress fractures likely caused by the over-inflated tires Oliver advocated a few years ago; at pickup, my 2020 OLEll Cooper tires sported 80 psi! The water heater strap broke first, repaired, then the furnace, repaired, then the water heater again. With each repair, I used a heaver gauge metal strap, to no avail. After the third failure, I decided to try some other means in hope to permanently fix this reoccurring issue. Aside from reducing the tire pressures to 55 psi, I utilized some cam-lock web straps for the fix. One year in and all good; no more worries of potential damage to the water and gas lines or electrical wires servicing these units from bouncing around while merrily driving down the road! Lines and wires at jeopardy! Cam-lock to tighten strap for optimum securement. Stainless steel self-taping screws and fender washers to fasten strap ends. Starboard strips to insulate web strap from heat and abrasion, secured with cable ties. Excess web strap bundled and secured with a Velcro cable tie.

Hi Everyone We purchased our trailer used a Month and a half ago and we noticed an E9 code on our Progressive EMS display in the attic cabinet. This was a “Data Link Down” message. Through troubleshooting we discovered it was a bad connection at the display end of the (phone cord looking-although it’s not really one) data cable. We purchased a pack of connectors and a crimp tool replaced the cable end with a new one. Also we unscrewed the cabinet wall that the display sits on and found probably 10-20 feet of cable coiled and stowed back there so we shortened the cable to clean things up. Things are working fine now. Understand this is a little random to the subject but we wanted to post it that maybe someone else might have a similar problem and could benefit from this easy fix.

Let us know how THAT works out for ya.😆

Good morning, Question for y'all. We have the compost toilet and I was wondering if anyone has repurposed the water valve behind the toilet for something like a portable washing machine? I just got one from the laundry alternative and planned to connect it to the bathroom faucet but the Manuel says you can't hook to a pull out faucet. So then I remembered the water valve behind the toilet and wonder if I could use that instead? Thoughts?

Good Luck, I just had both cataracts removed. I'm having them mounted as earrings for Tali's Christmas.

Last Spring while upgrading to Timken wheel bearings, I noticed some of the rubber neoprene runners Oliver places between the aluminum frame and fiberglass hull were out of place. After remounting all of the wheels, I crawled under the trailer to further examine in order to devise a fix. I eventually made use of some trigger clamps to help force the runners back, with varying degrees of success. I had similar issues previously with these ‘cushions’ at the tongue frame and was able to use cable ties to hold them in place. However, due to the tightness at the underbelly supports, the best I could do was attempt to reposition them with thoughts of continued monitoring of future migrations overtime. I did find these runners secured on each end with a screw, which lessened any concern of them falling completely out (think added rubber road debris for motorist to dodge!). This is what I found. Note the smudges made first trying to use a rubber mallet to force back in place. I began by attaching a clamp at the outermost points of concern. Then used additional clamps to work the runners moving inwards. Easy, right? Not so much, very little clearance tolerance! Retainer screw at each end. It would have been nice if Oliver would have used adhesive, as well, to keep these runners in place! Cable tie used at frame tongue. No further a problems there at the three points! To conclude, although I don’t perceive this a ‘major’ problem, these runners were factory installed for a purpose and thus, I feel obligated to maintain them to ensure proper support of the hull’s underbelly.

Ronbrink - I had the same issue, and have thought about what it would take to get our rubber moved back between frame & belly. Some areas i was able to do it by hand, although i suspect my efforts would be negated by the forces (wash-boardy roads???) that caused it in the first place. other areas, i could not budge it without having to raise the hull from the frame. I too thought (and JD validated it) of the 2x6 (or 2x8 to dissipate/spread pressure) for (2) hydraulic jacks on the hull, but have not done so yet. It should only take maybe 1/8 - 3/16" upward movement to get enough room to reposition the rubber. I may go a 1/4" to floss out the dirt/dust and apply the "3M Marine Adhesive Sealant 4000 UV " between the frame and the rubber. I guess I should also open a ticket and add pictures. B~Out

Interesting, I haven’t heard of this problem before. Thanks for posting the pics.., Could you use a big piece of wood, like a 2”x4”, and a hydraulic jack under the fiberglass to very carefully take the load off the rubber to allow you to push it back into place? Also, some soapy water, applied liberally to flush out the dirt, would act as a lubricant to perhaps help them move a little easily. Did you check all the big hull mount nuts to see if any were loose? They do loosen, the ones at the jacks especially, and below the propane compartment... I am having a hard time visualizing a situation where these rubber pads would drift out of place if all other factors were normal. This could just be a visual symptom of another problem that remains to be corrected. I suggest that you file a Service Report - they may have other cases like this, and the extra info might lead to a a new technical bulletin. John Davies Spokane WA

John W: For your system and those exactly like your system, that would be convenient. However if your trailer is stored in hard freezing conditions and often not under direct observaion on a regular basis my pea brain has tossed a red flag warning. However many, if not most of our systems are not like yours. So to that group I suggest two cautions: A. Some MFG's say don't do so. So check your documentation or call/email your MFG to verify. B. No manufacturer that I am aware of allows their Litho's to be frozen and charged/discharged. So if your winter location can deep freeze beware. Likely OTT was aware that your factory Litho package has battery heaters. So long as they operate perfectly then it may be OK. And that may be OK is totally dependent on your battery heaters working every time they are needed. Personally I would not assume that each one of them will work every time for the life of the Litho's. Murphy's Law rules. However, I would not recommend that other owners of Litho's without battery heaters assume that their comment applies to them for deep freeze storage. See Items A and B above. GJ

I see it as a huge win for all of us. Especially for keeping the great Service Team and taking some of the work load off them as the number of new Oliver sales has grown so much in the past few years. OTT Service Department fields a huge number diagnostic questions every day. They also financially support this forum at no cost to the OTT owners. Their efforts is leveraged by the OTT owner Pro's who are some of the best in the country. Combined it is hugely beneficial to both OTT and all of us. By having remotely located Service Centers, informed owners using this forum and the Mother Ship Service Experts can get to a dealership pretty well informed as to what needs to be done. This is a win for everyone!

And one looks like it's near Portland, Oregon. That's good news for us! John

Thanks Bill, we haven't decided yet whether we're going to the rally. I would like to go, but we will have just returned from two months in Australia just before the rally starts. Our son lives in Tasmania. Thanks for your comment. John

Bill: Since you and Mr. Ed converse on a regular basis, will the Dealers have an OE2 and maybe an OE at their places of business so that prospective owners can actually see one in person without having to trek to the Mother Ship? GJ

Priced the same - a customer will be able to purchase the camper at either place at the same price. Or, the customer can order the camper at the dealer and take delivery at Hohenwald (or vice versa) at the same price. Yes, this means that Oliver will pick up the tab of getting that ordered Oliver to the dealer where the customer picks it up. At least this is the present plan that came from the "horse's mouth". Bill

I'm rather excited about it, actually. One of their locations (if it's the dealer referenced by @Ollie-Haus a few days ago) is SEVEN and a half hours closer to me than Hohenwald, and I go past it often on the way to North Carolina, and just about anywhere else i go in the north.... And, they have stellar service reviews. (And decent hotels, and restaurants, and an interesting microbrewery nearby.) I really can't imagine Oliver going into this program without careful selection and deliberation. They have almost two decades invested in establishing themselves as the premiere molded fiberglass trailer. I, too, was very perplexed and questioned the whole concept at first, but if it expands the network of quality, trained service, it certainly has some merit. @John E Davies, everyone is absolutely entitled to their opinions. Let's see how it plays out.

Very well stated @ScubaRx on all levels and I agree 💯. Patriot🇺🇸

You're correct, it is a moot point now. So please don't continue to rain down doom and gloom on the rest of us that are still owners. There are still lots of folks that love their Oliver's and many more wishing they could own one. Oliver is working through the same issues that many industries are, but at least they have a long term plan in place that is well thought out, has been years in the making and will succeed. Nobody is being forced to buy from a dealer as opposed to going to Hohenwald. I believe you've mentioned many times about your dissatisfaction of being so far from the factory. These new dealership relations will solve some of those problems. I have an extremely long (fifteen+ years) and close relationship with Oliver trailers as well as the Oliver Family and I can say with confidence that so far, their past business decisions haven't failed them and neither will this one.

Unless water is a very serious "problem" the benefits of a composting toilet can be debated. Over a thousand dollars is a fair amount of money to change the method of how one handles solid waste while handling liquid waste remain basically the same. Bill

My wife said no to the composting toilet. I believe 90% are bought with that option when I talked to Jason E a few weeks ago. We can always do it later, but we like the flush toilet for now. John

Dexter runs the wires through the steel axle, so they will eventually wear through the insulation and and short out, a fix is to run new ones thusly on the BACK side of the tubes (for stone protection): https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2685-how-to-brake-wiring-is-undersized-some-answers-and-partial-solution/ These Auto Adjust brakes are cr@p, if you do have to replace them , consider installing the cheaper and way more reliable manual adjust version. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2778-brakes-auto-adjust-vs-manual-adjust-what-are-the-differences/ John Davies Spokane WA

We use a similar setup for when we can't hang things outside but use these vacuum mounts instead- 4.5″ SeaSucker They hold up to 120lbs and we also use them between our Ollie and TV when the weather is nice enough for outside drying.

After careful adjustment, the next step is to determine the total power going to the four brake magnets. I can think of two ways to do this: 1. IF YOU HAVE SOLAR: Disconnect from TV. Shut off everything in the trailer and note the residual amp draw. Go to the street side bed area and locate the power connection for the emergency activation of the brakes. Using your solar control system, check and record the amp draw causes by parasitic draws (Smoke and propane detectors, stereo, tv etc. Record this amp draw. Should be very low. Pull the break-away and check your solar system control and determine the amp draw. Subtract the two numbers and you will have the power going to your brakes "locked up". It should be right around 12 amps. Reinsert the break away pin to conserve power and avoid overhheating the magnets. If the increased power draw is less than about 12 amps, it likely will be around 3, 6 or 9 amps thereby indicating you have one or more magnets with a problem. If it is near 12 amps, the issue is not with the trailer end of the system. I would then take it to a trailer brake pro, not a RV shop. 2. If you don't have solar, than I would connect Ollie to your TV and having a partner to activate the brakes: Measure the total amperage going to the brakes. Requires a clamp on amp meter. Should read between 11 and 12 amps. This will tell you if one or more of your brakes are not getting the power it needs to fully activate. If low: Test the power going to each side. Should be half of the above (around 6 amps) and equal side to side. If not: Test each of the four lines going into the brake assembly to figure out which one is the problem. If found, determine if it is: Broken/corroded connection, bad ground to that magnet, or a bad magnet. As above, knowing the amp draw at various places allow you to figure out where the problem is. If none of the above works.... get professional help before replacing your controller. Ask prospective shops if they have a plug in testers that connects up to your 7-pin at the TV bumper to diagnose TV brake controller and wiring. Finding a bad connection there would be a lot cheaper than a new controller installation. Hope this helps. GJ

Thanks for your concerns John, No I do not have a electrical certification but have a electrical background, and I am working with a good friend who is a electrician. There is proper clearance on front and back , but time will tell with the heat , I have Govee thermostats that will monitor the space and alert me if its over 95 degrees. Your right we may have to put more ventilation and fans to blow out into garage as necessary. I would like to find room for a small mini split that I installed in my last trailer It was a 12 volt mini split. It was not efficient enough, It was a experiment and I would go with a 120 volt next time. It kept campers one room comfortable 75 degrees below 92 degrees outside. I am looking at upgrading the a/c this winter, have been looking for the best route to go with a heat pump. Yes heat could be a issue. time will tell. That is not a recommended mounting (have looked at many other forums they mounted horizontal with no issues) I did mount my other unit that way and the fan ran full blast when charging the batteries, but never overheated in higher temps. I could program the victron to charge at a slower rate and it was not a issue. I will definately keep eye on temps. 4 years of running my old unit never had a issue in same enclosed space, this unit is only charging 4 batteries and the other unit I had was charging six battleborns. I could run my ac approximately 6.5 hours stopping and starting every 7 to 10 minutes in 100 degree temps. The cover on the bottom and top can be removed for service also. I agree with you on there batteries, thats why I went with battleborn. I trust the BMS in the system. There are smaller, more compact manageable Lithium Lifepo4 batteries out there Lion energy and even batteries that are half the price out there. The BMS is the proof in the pudding , I put my full trust in there technology of BattleBorn . I have 3 x friends with the same Victron system and love it. Warranty is not a concern. I am not retired quite yet another 5 years , we camp from 30 to 45 days a year and that is pushing my time off already. Before I know it the system will be out of warranty. Yes safety should be my primary concern , mounting it that was is unfortunately only option in a oliver, cannot find another proper location that is high enough. This is a learning process , I am learning the oliver Elite II ins and outs and appreciate all of you for posts. Thanks for all your input. Time will tell. Here is a picture of my older first try system. Yes its messy. Definetely could open a can of worms here!

Years ago, "everyone" thought we "needed" a 3000 watt generator, so we bought one. Fortunately, I found an almost new used unit, at a great price, (probably 70 per cent off new.) The 3000 has never gone camping with us. The Yamaha 3000 has wheels, but it's ridiculously heavy, at +/- 150 lbs, even for the two of us, to lift in and out of the truck bed. (We used our atv ramps to pick it up and put it in the garage.) It does not owe us a dime, however, as it has saved our bacon (and frozen turkeys, other food, etc), plus our neighbor's, and charged cell phones and sparked the home gas water heater, in a number of power outages here on Florida's west coast. (One hurricane left us for a week with no power.) I know a few people have heavy gensets mounted to the tongue, but we didn't feel that was a good option for us with a single axle 2008 Elite I. So, we normally charge with a Honda 1000, which I can easily lift with one hand. Still works great, at age 15, with regular maintenance. If we "upgrade", it will be the smallest Honda that can do the job, and still allow me to lift and start it. If we need ac (almost never), we seek out a campsite with power. We also have a Westinghouse 2000-something that we bought to charge and run power tools when we built a pole barn on our camping property a few years ago. Surprisingly quiet, and it ran our small 9500 Houghton, on a test. Though it's a nice unit, I don't think it has quite as pure a sine wave as the Hondas, and of course, it's a bit louder, but not obnoxious. (5 per cent, I think, and I believe my Honda is 3 per cent THD, much like home electricity. ) Harmonic distortion is definitely something to think about, with all the electronics, especially in the newer trailers. Good luck in your decision. I'm obviously in the camp of the lightest unit to do the job, 95 per cent of the time.

When you receive the replacement EMS, I would apply red Loctite to the attachment screws, precisely because we take our trailers "bouncing down the highway." In fact, I now plan to take the cover off the EMS in our Elite II and apply red Loctite to the mounting screws before our next adventure. Thanks for posting.

When I had this happen it was the EMS relay not pulling in once the power was confirmed good. Called Progressive Industries and they sent me a replacement unit to install. Upon additional inspection, it appeared the coil wiring shorted out thereby not allowing the magnetic force to develop pulling in the switch. All was good once replaced. I now carry some 10g Wago 221-612 wire clips with me so I can wire around the relay if it happens to me out on an extended trip. Not idea, but I have a WatchDog power checker I use before connecting to the power anyway. When bypassing the relay one would have to connect L3-->T3, L2-->T2, and L1-->T1 with the Wago connectors to bypass the relay directly under these connections. Once your new unit comes in you would just replace the whole unit. I looked everywhere for a replacement relay to carry with me but the part number on the relay came up empty on multiple google searches. This is the Wago Connector mentioned above. You will need to carry 3 with you to bypass relay, if needed.

If you don't have the front shore power inlet, curbside on the propane enclosure, there won't be a transfer switch. This sounds like your situation. Many possibilities for a cause here. As long as it's working now, periodically check the shore power connections with your hand at inlet and pedestal ends for unusually warm temperature signally a loose/corroded or otherwise poor connection. As long as power is getting to the EMS, the remote display should light up. Even if the (buzzing) relay in the EMS were to fail in a manner that prevented power from getting through to the main panel, this in and of itself would not cause the remote display to go dark.

This happened while camping at a State Park in Nebraska, guess this could be classified as meeting your neighbors. True story. When we set up in a new campground, I like to go for a walk checking out the campground, restrooms, and laundry if the campground has one. The campground was about 1/2 full and had already been told there was also a national camping group meeting there, too. When I tried to inspect the laundry room, the door was locked. After trying a couple times, saw a couple on the floor. They got up putting their clothes back on and opened the door apologizing to me. I told them no problem, sorry I bothered them. Told Debbie what happened and she said we wouldn't be using that laundry room to wash anything, will wait until we find another one. 🙂

Let me preface this story by making it clear that I am NOT a hunter but I do now understand why we SHOOT deer in the wild... I never liked the taste of venison, too gamey or too wild or too something. So, I had this idea ...that I could rope a deer, put it in a stall, feed it up on corn for a couple of weeks, then kill it and eat it. The first step in this adventure was getting a deer. I figured that, since they congregate at my cattle feeder and do not seem to have much fear of me when we are there (a bold one will sometimes come right up and sniff at the bags of feed while I am in the back of the truck not 4 feet away), it should not be difficult to rope one, get up to it and toss a bag over its head (to calm it down) then hog tie it and transport it home. I filled the cattle feeder then hid down at the end with my rope. The cattle, having seen the roping thing before, stayed well back. They were not having any of it. After about 20 minutes, my deer showed up-- 3 of them. I picked out a likely looking one, stepped out from the end of the feeder, and threw my rope. The deer just stood there and stared at me. I wrapped the rope around my waist and twisted the end so I would have a good hold. The deer still just stood and stared at me, but you could tell it was mildly concerned about the whole rope situation. I took a step towards it, it took a step away. I put a little tension on the rope, and then received an education. The first thing that I learned is that, while a deer may just stand there looking at you funny while you rope it, they are spurred to action when you start pulling on that rope. That deer EXPLODED. The second thing I learned is that pound for pound, a deer is a LOT stronger than a cow or a colt. A cow or a colt in that weight range I could fight down with a rope and with some dignity. A deer-- NO Chance. That thing ran and bucked and twisted and pulled. There was no controlling it and certainly no getting close to it. As it jerked me off my feet and started dragging me across the ground, it occurred to me that having a deer on a rope was not nearly as good an idea as I had originally imagined. The only upside is that they do not have as much stamina as many other animals. A brief 10 minutes later, it was tired and not nearly as quick to jerk me off my feet and drag me when I managed to get up. It took me a few minutes to realize this, since I was mostly blinded by the blood flowing out of the big gash in my head. At that point, I had lost my taste for corn-fed venison. I just wanted to get that devil creature off the end of that rope. At the time, there was no love at all between me and that deer, but I figured if I just let it go with the rope hanging around its neck, it would likely die slow and painfully somewhere. At that moment, I hated the thing, and I would venture a guess that the feeling was mutual. Despite the gash in my head and the several large knots where I had cleverly arrested the deer's momentum by bracing my head against various large rocks as it dragged me across the ground, I could still think clearly enough to recognize that there was a small chance that I shared some tiny amount of responsibility for the situation we were in. I didn't want the deer to have to suffer a slow death, so I managed to get it lined back up in between my truck and the feeder - a little trap I had set before hand...kind of like a squeeze chute. I got it to back in there and I started moving up so I could get my rope back. Did you know that deer bite? They do! I never in a million years would have thought that a deer would bite somebody, so I was very surprised when ..... I reached up there to grab that rope and the deer grabbed hold of my wrist. Now, when a deer bites you, it is not like being bit by a horse where they just bite you and slide off to then let go. A deer bites you and shakes its head--almost like a pit bull. They bite HARD and it hurts. The proper thing to do when a deer bites you is probably to freeze and draw back slowly. I tried screaming and shaking instead. My method was ineffective. It seems like the deer was biting and shaking for several minutes, but it was likely only several seconds. I, being smarter than a deer (though you may be questioning that claim by now), tricked it. While I kept it busy tearing the tendons out of my right arm, I reached up with my left hand and pulled that rope loose. That was when I got my final lesson in deer behavior for the day. Deer will strike at you with their front feet. They rear right up on their back feet and strike right about head and shoulder level, and their hooves are surprisingly sharp... I learned a long time ago that, when an animal -like a horse --strikes at you with their hooves and you can't get away easily, the best thing to do is try to make a loud noise and make an aggressive move towards the animal. This will usually cause them to back down a bit so you can escape. This was not a horse. This was a deer, so obviously, such trickery would not work. In the course of a millisecond, I devised a different strategy. I screamed like a woman and tried to turn and run. The reason I had always been told NOT to try to turn and run from a horse that paws at you is that there is a good chance that it will hit you in the back of the head. Deer may not be so different from horses after all, besides being twice as strong and 3 times as evil, because the second I turned to run, it hit me right in the back of the head and knocked me down. Now, when a deer paws at you and knocks you down, it does not immediately leave. I suspect it does not recognize that the danger has passed. What they do instead is paw your back and jump up and down on you while you are laying there crying like a little girl and covering your head. I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away. So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope......to sort of even the odds!! All these events are true, so help me God...An Educated Farmer

NPS put this out on social media, in a humorous attempt to make more people aware of the dangers. Every year, we see reports of folks trying to interact or take selfies with wildlife, with disastrous and sometimes fatal results . None of us, I'm sure.