I like the ARB because I read that it is designed to take a kangaroo hit. Haha. Not many kangaroos in East Texas, but lots of deer, wild hogs, and Subarus.

I have hit one before--deer, not subaru-- (after dodging several in the highway that were apparently standing still, conversing or maybe exchanging recipes) and it made minced meat of a Ford pickup bumper, grill, radiator, hood, windshield... And very nearly ME!

Deer love to just stand there. Lay on the horn and they may walk, slowly, away. I've never understood why camo and urine are necessary to sneak up on them when a blaring horn makes them move like cold molasses. Either that, or they dart in front of you.

 

Yeah I think the TF bumper could take a deer, but the deer would probably destroy a headlight, grill, and possibly the hood (could be much much worse). My Kalahari sits so high vs a stock height D2 that in the event I hit a deer I honestly think it would be deflected under it into the TF front skid plate.

Yeah I know all about deer being from the TX Hill Country. I actually lost my first 97 D1 to a deer (I was young like 23 & saw the deer and thought oh I'll just go off the road around it... WRONG... I went into a 4ft ditch hidden by grass at 50MPH... and rolled multiple times..). After that yep ARB's for me and lots and lots of aux lights so I could try and spot them early.

My brother nailed one in his stock height RRC with a factory brush guard and it did zero damage to the front end, but when it went under his RRC it destroyed his panhard rod, and steering rods.

I haven't hit a deer with an Air Bag compatible ARB before, but if it's designed like the OEM bumper with crush cans it "could" move in some and do some front end damage as well.