I put a "Mr. Pickup" grill guard on my 2001 GMC after hitting a deer with my new Accord (miles from nowhere). $4,800 worth of damage to the Honda. I haven't done anything yet on my new Dodge but am leaning more toward something like the Aliarc or Ute bumpers as I think it would offer much more protection. The grill guard would probably protect the radiator so you could drive the rig and not get stranded. But, the factory bumpers are so flimsy that maybe this would not be the case. I would think the headlight protectors would bend back and you would still have body damage.
The replacement bumpers with grill guards are a lot heavier duty and, at the height that they are, would hopefully take a deer head on and vaporize it. One thing's for sure, there's a lot of expensive stuff that can be protected with a sturdy enough bumper. I hate the thought of doing major damage to a brand new truck. Having the truck laid up for weeks for repairs isn't something to look forward to and you tend to loose some confidence in a rig after extensive repairs.
As you can tell, I'm trying to talk myself into spending big bucks for a new bumper. I'm hoping to keep this truck for a long time. If that's the case, a guy should just bite the bullet and install a bumper right away. With my luck, I'll put it off a couple of years or, worse yet, buy a new bumper after a wreck. I live in a small town with quite a few body shops. Deer collision repair business is booming here, even in town.
Bob