SR20 PLT STRUCK A DEER WITH THE BOARDING STEP WHILE EXECUTING A GAR FROM A RURAL ARPT AT NIGHT.

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THE CIRRUS SR20 ACFT I WAS PLTING COLLIDED WITH A DEER DURING LNDG. I ESTIMATE THE ACFT'S ALT AT THE TIME WAS APPROX 4-7 FT AGL; ON THE CTRLINE OF RWY 4. IT WAS A DARK NIGHT WITH OVCST AT 7000 FT AND VISIBILITY OF 10+ MI. WINDS WERE CALM AT THE TIME OF THE COLLISION. AS I TRANSITIONED FROM THE APCH TO THE LNDG FLARE; 2 DEER BEGAN TO CROSS THE RWY. THEY WERE NOT ON THE RWY; BUT WERE TO THE R OF IT IN THE DARK AND WERE FIRST SEEN BY ME AS THEY ENTERED THE LNDG LIGHT BEAM XING R TO L AT A RUN. AS I CLOSED ON THE FIRST DEER; I BEGAN TO PULL BACK ON THE STICK AND ADVANCE THE THROTTLE TO FULL PWR. THE ACFT CONTINUED TO DSND AS THE PITCH AND PWR CAME UP. I REMEMBER SEEING THE SECOND DEER AT THE 1 O'CLOCK POS LOOKING LIKE IT WOULD BE BOUNDING UPWARD IN ITS RUN. AS THE ACFT PITCHED UP; I MOVED MY HAND TO THE FLAP LEVER AND I LOST SIGHT OF THE DEER UNDER THE COWLING. I THEN HEARD A LOUD THUMP AND KNEW WE HAD HIT THE DEER. THE ACFT DID NOT CHANGE ITS PITCH OR YAW AS A RESULT OF THE COLLISION. I SEEMED TO KNOW INSTINCTIVELY THAT THE DEER DID NOT HIT THE PROP OR FORWARD PART OF THE PLANE. THE THUMP HAD SEEMED TO COME FROM BEHIND ME. I PUT THE FLAPS TO 50% AND CONTINUED THE CLB. THERE WERE NO UNUSUAL SOUNDS OR VIBRATIONS DURING THE CLBOUT. I COULD NOT SEE ANY DAMAGE TO THE STABILIZER AND POSITIVE CTL OF THE ELEVATOR AND TRIM WAS CONFIRMED. IN LEVEL FLT; I NEEDED NO RUDDER INPUT OR ANY CHANGE IN ROLL TRIM TO KEEP THE ACFT FLYING STRAIGHT. FROM THIS; I CONCLUDED THAT THE MOST LIKELY IMPACT POINT WAS THE SIDE OR BOTTOM OF THE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE PAX COMPARTMENT. NOT KNOWING THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE; I WANTED TO GET THE ACFT ON THE GND ASAP. I PERFORMED A LOW FLY-BY OF THE RWY; AND LANDED THE ACFT UNEVENTFULLY ON THE THIRD APCH TO RWY 4. AS I EXITED THE ACFT; I NOTICED THE STEP ON THE PORT (PLT) SIDE WAS BENT AFT ABOUT 30 DEGS. CLOSER INSPECTION CONFIRMED THAT THE SHAFT OF THE STEP HAD BEEN BENT; BUT THE BASE WAS NOT TWISTED; THERE WAS NO SIGN OF DEFORMITY IN THE ACFT SKIN OR FRAME AT THE POINT WHERE THE STEP IS ATTACHED TO THE ACFT. THERE WAS NO OTHER SIGN OF IMPACT ANYWHERE ELSE ON THE ACFT. AFTER A THOROUGH PREFLT; I ELECTED TO FLY THE ACFT BACK TO ITS HOME FIELD. THE SUBSEQUENT FLT AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL. AN INITIAL LOW FLY-BY OF THE RWY COULD HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTED PRIOR TO LNDG AT AN UNCTLED RURAL FIELD AT NIGHT.