eagle vs 2019 tacoma trd

Has anyone ever come across a golden eagle on the highway that flies right into your bumper/grille??? That happened. Seems like one in a million chance. Now I'm in the market for a new grille and possibly new bumper. I'm looking for something reasonably priced but also an upgrade that looks fly. What are your recommendations!?

 

Hit a great horned owl late at night many years ago with a GMC Sonoma. Got its head stuck in the plastic grill. Drove another 30 or so miles back to camp and his wing flopped up covering the drivers headlight a few hundred yards from camp. Figured deadness, but it was still alive! Used a spud bar to pry apart the plastic an inch or two and it popped out and flew away like nothing happened. I was kidded about 'trap and transfer' of the owl for the next several days of the forestry training seminar I was attending. Well before cell phones and digital cameras, so no pics here - have a few hard copies at camp. Was told by the Pa. Game commission to wear sun glasses when I called them (11:30 PM) as what I should do with it once I got it out of the grill. Sunglasses at almost midnight?? They said the owl would go for the whites of my eyes if it saw them once it got out!! Luckily it didn't but we had shades on to be safe.

You have pics?? Did it live??

 

lmao surely the game warden was messing with you, sunglasses hahaha. or maybe youre being sarcastic. I hope its the latter.

 

Also, looks like a welcome to TW is in order too. Welcome!
Lots of people go with the Pro grill. It’s a pretty easy install, just buy the one that fits right. There are some that the garnish won’t fit right...

 

I have some pics of the damage, but unfortunately it happened where highways merge and too unsafe to stop I was going about 60mph and not sure if it made it. Def wishing I could have stopped, but will probably donate to The Wildlife Rehab Centre. I will try to upload some photos from my phone (on my work computer rn)

 

Some of the damage

 

Wife got me a faux pro grille from MC Autoparts for christmas for $108, added some raptor lights too and it looks slick. Great quality for the price...

https://mcautoparts.com/products/16-19-tacoma-front-grill


End result:

 

I was just a little slow.
I thought it would be worse than it is. Still sucks.

 

Yeah, its not horrible, but the plastic completely came off from inside and its not in brackets on that right side as well as bumper loose.

 

No good there. Depending what you like there is the 20/21 grills which would be different then your ‘19, the pro grills or maybe a mesh style grill.
@Majora has a mesh type with lights built in and it looks good.

 

Still tuff enough to not have the bird in the radiator.

 

That would be a massive bird in the radiator

 

I hit a Turkey at 70 mph several year ago. Needed grille and radiator.
I hit a Turkey (he really hit me) in flight on my mtn bike about 5 years ago. Knocked me off my bike into the brush. Good luck.

 

Absolutely true!!! Owls are predators and have great night vision. Possibly the illumination from the moon would have highlighted our eyes and the owl would have centered on that only as prey.

I was bowhunting in a tree stand years before that in a hemlock bottom and not long after getting situated, I would just turn my head slowly trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness and surroundings. Suddenly something hit the brim of my boonie hat!! Looked over and perched on a branch and looking at my camouflaged face and white eyes (about 4' away) was a large owl - too dark to make out species.
No safety belts or harnesses back then, either. Started to get nervous that it wouldn't leave and might try for another attack but I didn't want to spook any nearby deer by talking/yelling or whatever. Finally, reached out with my bow and shook it towards the owl and it then flew away. Not sure if it thought my head was a racoon or some other critter (dinner) since I wasn't moving any other part of my body but my head for a while.

 

You asked about a bumper, if I were to do a new bumper it would something like this.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-3rd-gen-today.399305/page-8847#post-24303066
hopefully this like take you to the post I am looking at

 

I’ll post a pic later but I nailed a Hawk on I-10 just outside of Phoenix about five years ago. Didn’t hurt the truck but it got wedged in a rack above my cab and wasn’t fun to remove.

 

Turkeys make me nervous when they are on the side of the highway, they tend to go threw the windshield!

 

especially when Im on a motorcycle, that would be like getting hit by a bowling ball! Ive ducked under turkeys twice now in the last 2 years of riding.