Both sides are right on this one IMO. How much of that small brain do you think it takes to do some things extremely well? How much of their brain do you think they're using for their heightened senses. Are you going to say that deer don't have an excellent sense of smell or good eye sight? Ever seen "smart" deer look up in trees? Most of the things that deer are "smart" at are expanded from their instincts and senses. I don't believe that instincts are going to tell them to stay away from roads? Maybe after thousands of years, but not right now. It doesn't take much of a brain for a deer to learn from their experiences. They're not trying to build rockets, just survive. Ever seen how "smart" squirrels can be, trying to figure out how to get to a feeder? That doesn't mean that if hunted hard, they're going nocturnal or are smarter than deer. : ) My point is that it doesn't take a "smart" animal to help avoid being killed, it just means that they're maximizing the most of their senses and instincts and add some learned behavior to the mix as well. That can certainly make for a very elusive animal!