An Instructor Pilot took control of the single engine aircraft and executed a takeoff at 50 KTS to avoid striking a deer crossing the runway ahead of their aircraft.

Narrative

Private pilot rated student initiates takeoff roll for night flight. Upon reaching 45 KTS airspeed we observed several deer crossing the runway. After approximately 5 deer crossed the runway the approach appeared to be clear; so we continued the takeoff. A sixth deer crossed directly in front of our aircraft as we were approaching 50 KTS airspeed. I took control of the aircraft from the student; glanced at the airspeed indicator to ensure we had flying speed; and initiated the takeoff early. I would estimate that we overflew the deer at about 5 FT. There was no damage to the aircraft and the remainder of our flight was uneventful. I believe I did everything right considering the circumstances. The aircraft had enough airspeed to safely depart and felt controllable with no indication of a stall. It would have been impossible to stop and miss the deer by the time I saw it. Had we been 5 KTS slower; we would have been left with the option of trying to swerve at high speed or accept the hit - neither of which would be good (I would likely have retarded the throttle and braked as much as possible but doubt I could have avoided the collision - losing control and flipping the aircraft in the ditch adjacent to the runway would have been worse than hitting the deer.) I am making a report to the airport manager and going to check with the FAA to see if there are any other agencies we can get involved with to mitigate this issue. I know this is a continuing issue at this airport and is certainly a risk that exists when operating near wooded areas (our airport is near a state recreational area.) Deer can jump very high; but it might be possible to extend the airport fence to greater than 10 FT to slow down this activity. I also believe continued issuance of nuisance permits to hunt the deer by the Department of Natural Resources is important in mitigating the risk to operations at the airport.