Effectiveness of deer alerts.

[edonthenet]

I had a set of deer alerts on my pickup about 15 years ago and was convinced of their effectiveness. Since that time I have yet to ever hit any animal, due to what I feel is my defensive driving nature.
A friend hounds me on the fact I have to get deer alerts on my LT ASAP and every day without them is a lethal gamble. I've considered installing them as they are small and unobtrusive, plus it is an added farkle that can be admired at most parking spots. But there's the "that jerk will buy anything" aura that these whistles emit, might as well have a pet rock with me, too.
I've looked around the net and can find no specific proof these whistles work, but maybe the peace of mind outweighs the cost. But would that add a false sense of security as well?
Does anyone use these devices and do you have anything positive besides "they're chrome" that might substantiate their purchase?
Ed

[docwagner]

I talked with a couple of guys when we met at the IronHorse campground a few weeks ago. They had 'em. I think Dave Dragon said he notices deer definately picking up their heads and looking as he approachs. I have one on my bike, but fortunately haven't seen many deer. I guess the only way to prove it works is to not hit a deer. I think for the cost it is cheap insurance. I have the electronic style not the passive wind kind.
Dave or someone else mentioned that is seems that birds are attracted to the sound and he had some divebomb his bike. You might want to drop him a PM and ask directly unless he pops in here.
Hope that helps.

[motorhead]

Use the passive type ( Non Chrome )
Installed some Screen over them to keep bugs from plugging them.

Scott

[DarrellM5]

I've read a lot of stuff about deer alerts including a few studies. None of them were ever able to show that they were effective. Even if they did scatter the deer, there's no controlling which direction they would run. They may run away from you or they may dart across in front of you. One thing the deer alert studies did determine was that if you can't hear the whistle, neither can the deer. Deer have hearing in almost exactly the same frequency spectrum as humans. Based on everything I've read, I'm of the opinion that they are worthless.

[ATFLT]

I have deer whistles on my 91 ST. I had it out Friday evening. Four deer crossed the road ahead of me. None of them paid me much attention. The fourth deer didn't pay me any attention. It was strolling across the road like there was no reason to hurry until I hit the horn. Then it started scrambling on the pavement and lost its footing with its front legs and went down to its front knees. It looked at me then like it knew it was in trouble but I was going slow enough by then that I just laughed as I went by. Too bad I didn't have a movie camera to catch it. I guess it was a little deer payback. Obviously the whistles didn't do much good then.

[surfran]

I don't know of any studies, but my father was truck driver for over 40 years and a few years before he retired, one of the companies he was working for added those to their trucks. Not long afterwards they took them back off as they were hitting more deer than in the past. His opinion was that they startled the deer and tended to make them move and thus potentially into your line. He always believed that if you don't change the sound of the vehicle as it approaches then your chances are much better as you don't startle the deer.

He also said if you come up on one standing in the road to hit the horn before you get to it as "hopefully" they will fall where you can run them over instead of hitting them broad side.

I'm not sure it would make much difference on the bike, but laying down you probably have a better chance to get over it than standing broad side.

Just one man's opinion, but this is how I have always believed as it makes sense to me.

[BecketMa]

Baseball cards with clothes pegs worked good on my bicycles.

Might work on the LT.

Bob

[Lynn_Keen]

Ah yes, the annual DEER WHISTLE thread! And now my unsolicited opinion; Save Your Money! at least for the passive ones that depend on air flow. These seem to be a popular item among gold Wingers, but from what I've seen they mostly mount them where they look good, not where they will get max air flow. They're pretty much in places that are in dead air and therefore they are probably of little value. Don't know too about the electronic ones however but have a feeling that they're also right up there with things like snake oil and the rainbow's pot of gold.

[hawg]

Yeah,
I've got an elephant whistle on mine and I have yet to hit one!!!

[RideIt]

OK - I have proof about the deer whistles. I have been driving for about 42 years (Man, time flys) and have never hit a deer. I don't or have ever had a deer whistle on any of my vehicles. So, this is proof that it is safer to drive without these things :D
Leon

[jpalamaro]

My understanding is that they are as effective as the 'little bell' that many hang somewhere on the undercarriage of their cycles. And, if someone gives you the 'deer whistle' it's even more effective.

[eljeffe]

snort, cough, gag, spit, spew! ROTFLMAO!!! Oh, John, please put a warning on a reply like that.

"WARNING: The following post may cause fluids to transfer from mouth into lungs"

[hschisler]

I can't quote chapter and verse for you, but I've read several places, each citing "studies", that show they have no effect whatsoever.

As a previous respondent mentioned: it's my experience that a tap on the horn of whatever vehicle I'm driving/riding/operating at the moment seems the best means to bring the deer out of the dazed state in which we usually see them in our headlights.

[Jerrod Maguire]

I read in a current motorcycle magazine (in the last month - not sure which one... I get four or five delivered to my home every month) that 1 in every 200 riders will hit a deer this year! Whoa! That's not a very attractive statistic. Of course, I live in the desert (AZ) and I'm personally more likely to hit a large cactus. Furthermore, I too have read that deer whistles are worthless as a security measure against deer. By the way, I get those motorcycle subscriptions really cheap $5.95 a year from www.discountmagazine.com - I have no affliation with the company. Just a good deal. They have Rider, Motorcyclist, etc.

[motorman587]

Here is my $.02 worth. They only time I hit a deer on a motorcycle was in 1997 and that motorcycle was equipped with the deer whistles, which I had bought that way. I too am a believer that if they do work which I do not believe so, you can not control the direction they are going to run.

[rpptn]

The 'little bells' have absolutely NO effect on deer, although they are quite effective in scaring the little gremlins away from your bike while traveling on down the road. I can offer proof positive because I've never ran over a single one in all my 35 years of biking. :-)

[tvguy]

DarrellM5 is correct. Friction Zone magazine did several articles on deer alerts and they don't work because the deer hear at the same frequencies as we do. Also talked to my truck driver friends(who drive truck loads of Yamaha's around to shows) and they have never had any luck with them.... Deer are stupid... they just run crazy!!!

[russte]

You may want to point this question to Stick. He said he hung a set in his garage a while back and it hasn’t had a deer smash into yet;)

[tmgs]

I had a set of deer alerts on my pickup about 15 years ago and was convinced of their effectiveness. Since that time I have yet to ever hit any animal, due to what I feel is my defensive driving nature.
A friend hounds me on the fact I have to get deer alerts on my LT ASAP and every day without them is a lethal gamble.

someone did some type of test for all types of deer whistle's there was no proof at all that they work,

that said, if ya don't hit a deer with them on well then they musta worked <g>

then again I've been riding for 30 years and have never hit a deer, I've clipped a hog, got a dog a couple squieel's and nailed a gator's tail though! (that was less than interesting!) oh yea got a bird and had a dragon fly damn near take me off the bike once, them big ass grass hoppers hurt like hell too!

Tom

[pkpr1998]

Hey Bob, I went through a lot of baseball cards on my bicycle! I wonder how many valuable cards I used a noise makers?

It sure was fun going down the road making that noise!

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving.

[BecketMa]

Guess we need to look for chromed rim with chromed spokes for LTs to try the baseball cards as deer a deterent. Chromed clothes pins?

I've tried a wolf wistle.

BobGuess we need to look for chromed rim with chromed spokes for LTs to try the baseball cards as deer a deterrent. Chromed clothes pins?

I've tried a wolf whistle.

At least during the winter months, we don’t get a lot of reports about rear end failures. Guess they don’t fail as often when the temps hit below freezing.

Bob

[Zotter]

Growing up here in Wyoming, we was all trained that the best 'bumper thumper' defense was your very own pair of Mark-I eyeballs and that fatty, squishy stuff between your ears. And choosing your roads and hours wisely. Dusk and dawn are risky times. Know where they are - avoid 'em.

If you see one - *know* there're more around you ain't seen yet. This includes deer, antelope, elk (wapiti), buffalo (bison), moose and the big dogs folks love to let run loose out in the prairie. Cats are fair game - you'll only see 'em when they wanna be seen (no, I ain't talk'n 'bout no friskies eater. Cougar, Lynx and Bobcats). Bear've been hit on the highways, but it's pretty durn rare. Bird strkes are quite common too. Vultures on road kill, Magpies, etc.

Be ready, be alert, plan ahead, know your escape options - they're all crazy and way too eager to teach others about what not to do. Problem is all the others are also mezmerised by that noisy bright light come'n at 'em and none of 'em ever learn.

In a cage: do NOT hold your brakes until impact!! Slow down as much as you can just before impact, but just before impact - get off the grakes and GAS it - HARD! Some say skip the brake part altogether - just gas it. Idea is to get the nose of your car to rise up rather than dive. It'll tear stuff up, but going over is LOTS better than going under. Last thing you want is to scoop that beast up with your hood and bring it in through the windshile with ya. Messy, messy. messy. You'll likely only ever do it once. Drivers tend to not survive such violent boardings.

But it is pretty tough to get a Camero type car to rise up enough to go over an elk. Even an antelope would be a stretch. Gas it anywyay. You wanna hit 'em hard enough to spin 'em in the air while you (hopefully) go under the body. It's been done, but it's a poor option. Shoulda slowed down and steered around 'em. There's a reason so many sports cars are kept in garages around here...

[banditbiker]

I use them on my cages and on the LT and Bandit I ride
I didn't have any opinion either way until I kept having almost hitting deer on several occasions while going to work. I put the whistles on and noticed the next am. the deer looking my way as I came in sight of them. I have had only 1 close call and the deer didn't move til I hit the horn then he ran in the wrong direction. I now am convinced after riding with them for 7 yrs. and 100k miles that they do work.they also work very well on turkeys and other birds. the area I live and ride in has a very high deer population and there is a very high rate of deer being hit with bikes and other vehicles.within a five mile radius of my home there are 50+ deer hit a year, mostly in the spring and fall.

2003 LT anthracite 31k miles
2001 Suzuki Bandit 46k miles
1969 Triumph Cub 2900 miles

[bob_menton]

If need be, you could try Jim Roche's approach (Dr. Curve) - hit the deer at 130 mph and VAPORIZE it !!

Jim wasn't in the hospital all that long.

- Bob

[airborne]

Boys, that deer whistle is the single most crock or crap to be sold in many a year. By the way, I totaled a 2005 K1200LT on a deer on Sept 29. While hunting deer (on purpose as opposed to hitting one on my LT), I have oftened whisteled at them while they are running and have had them, on a regular basis, stop and look at me when I whistled.

I live in one of the most heavily populated deer areas in the US. The number of idiots who buy those things and subsequently run over deer boggles the mind. They are worthless.

[waycoa]

i got mine at Santa Cruz BMW in Watsonville at one of their events; it is somewhat germanic looking in the fabric upper part and the little cow bell makes a jingle jangle sound when hitting a hellacious pot hole. Luckily i noticed when it fell off on the way to coffeshop this morning and was able to circle around and get it before it got run over by some idiot in a cage. Bottom line: no help with the deer..although must say i haven't hit one ( a deer not a pot hole) in my numerous back back back roads around here.

[mpillis]

Here is an article from last nights news thought I would share:
DEER WHISTLES

Reported and Web Produced by: John Matarese
Updated: 11/22/05 18:23:49

Planning a long drive this holiday season?

Watch out, becuase it'salso deer season!

Every day, some unlucky drivers end up merging with a buck or doe as they head on down the highway.

Is there any way of avoiding a deer collision?

-------------

"It was pretty frightening!"

Shawn Kelly is one of the hundreds of thousands of drivers who every year collide with a deer on america's highways.

"Didn't have time to kit the brakes... thud and it was over."

Luckily, while shawn's car was damaged, he wasn't badly hurt.

But other drivers are seriously injured...Even killed.

As a result, many are buying plastic deer whistles like these, that promise to alert deer that you're coming, and chase them away.


So far so good? So far so good."

Fred Schofield of Minnesota mounted a deer whistle on the roof of his chevy suburban... Before his thanksgiving cross country trek.


"We've been using them for several years...Haven't hit any deer since them...Haven't hit any elephants either!

Fred Brinker of Ontario Canada feels very good about the two whistles on his truck.


"Haven't hit a deer since...guess they work!"


But if you check the research, the news is not so promising.

A number of University studies found no evidence these whistles have any effect!

-------------

We checked study after study by schools, police, and acoustic experts.

--A University of Georgia study found that whistles blown near captive deer produced no response at all.

--The University of Wisconsin determined any sound made by a deer whistle is so weak it's drowned out by the car's engines and tires.

--And the Ohio State Highway Patrol and georgia fish and game department reported no decrease in collisions after whistles were installed on their cars!

Bottom line: A clear majority of studies say deer whistles have no effect...Except on your wallet.


One more concern: Safety advocates worry that deer whistles could lead to a false sense of security!

They say this time of year, drive cautiously, especially around sunrise and sunset.

And if you see a deer, slow down...There are probably more nearby.

[allen]

We were traveling through central texas in a motorhome (with deer whistle). Came upon a big doe "frozen" on the other side of the road, seemingly intrigued by my vehicle (or, I am believe, the sound of the whistle at 55mph). She stayed there but I felt she would bolt at the wrong time so...I blew the horn... that did it - she did bolt, all the way across the highway right into my left front fender. The wheel ran over her, then the trailer bounced around running over her - about $350 in damages (light, etc.). I sincerely believe that the whistle was holding her and that the horn caused her to bolt. For the small cost of the whistles I have had them on all our bikes and can testify to more than one "hold" of a deer on the side of the road (in places like the north part of the Natchez Trace) as I approached and passed without movement by the deer, except maybe running away.

I believe saying that you have never hit a deer and, therefore, that's proof that they are not needed is akin to saying that the "blinking" headlight on our bike has never saved us from a cage driver coming out of a driveway at the wrong time- and that he or she would not have anyway - I know that isn't true!

[CriticalMass]

Heard of "snake oil"?

Think "deer whistles".

[meese]

Cows react the same way to random horn blasts. Been there, done that, but fortunately not on the bike.

Oh, and the deer whistles work just fine, but only if you're a true believer. ;)

[gearman]

:D Tested deer alerts 10 yrs. ago in a state park known for lots of critters. Drove around on my FLHTC and saw one gopher. Put the deer alerts on and drove around again (gopher gave me the finger!) Maybe it was the Harley? Well....left them on for a few years and discovered they also keep elephants, lions and tigers away also!!! just kidding!

[tmgs]

lights will tend to freeze them monentarily, but it seems at the last second when they realize it is some strang thing moving they freak, however those Micro DE's i got from raffy seem to freeze then deer completly, maybe they just like the heat those lights put out <grin>

Tom (who believes there is no perfect way to know what a deer will do)

[docwagner]

OK, I'm going back in on this one since I was the first responder, maybe I can be the last as well. We all accept that deer on or near the road are a danger, they are big enough to put a hurtin' on ya' and dumb enough to be totally unpredictable. I recognize there have studies done that show that deer whistles are useless. Not sure how scientific those studies were, but they were cited by many of my learned colleagues on this panel. Here is my theory, deer, like many critters have better sense of smell, better vision and better HEARING than humans. Ask any deer hunter how he tries to stay downwind and as quiet and motionless as possible. In my mind, if we try to stimulate these senses we will catch the deers attention and the sooner that happens the more distance there is between the deer and your windshield. To me if I see a deer on the side of the road at night with his head down I've got a problem, because he is likely to raise his head, freak out and move. This can be bad because he and I are in close proximity and he can easily run in my path. Now I don't have a way to send my scent a couple of hundred yards up the road, but I can send light and sound. By doing this, in my theory, if a deer hears something out of the ordinary, like a whistle he may raise his head and look in the direction the sound came. Now my light has the opportunity to enter his big baby brown eyes and refect off those big retinas and shine back at me like two red light bulbs on the side of the road. Hopefully this occurs a few hundred yards down the road giving me time to slow down and otherwise take evasive action. The other thing this may achieve is to put the deer in motion. The human eye and brain, in low light conditions can see and acknowledge a moving object faster than a stationary one (I did some research on this in college). Now while a deer probably has as much likelihood of running into the road as into the trees the point is he is moving and this can "catch your eye" and give you time to slow down.
So what options do we have to achieve this? We can install bright headlights, which many have done, we can refrain from bathing for a few weeks and hope you are upwind or we can make noise. Someone suggested blowing the horn, again that needs to be done well in advance of a deer encounter. The alternative is the ever popular deer whistle (electronic please).
In summary:
Does it work? I don't know.
Might it work? Yes.
Should we relay on it to protect us, definitely not, but if it has a chance of making a deer pick its head up to look at me so I can see his eyes shinning and/or causing him to move so I can see him better in the dark and doing all that a few hundred yards down the road instead of a few hundred feet, I'll spend a few bucks and install one on my bike.IMHO

[tmgs]

<snip>
but I can send light and sound. By doing this, in my theory, if a deer hears something out of the ordinary, like a whistle he may raise his head and look in the direction the sound came. Now my light has the opportunity to enter his big baby brown eyes and refect off those big retinas and shine back at me like two red light bulbs on the side of the road. <snip>
In summary:
Does it work? I don't know.
Might it work? Yes.


this was probably the best answer I have seen, good job!
My therory would add if I get them to raise up at night and look into my bright lights it "could" make them freeze in their tracks long enough for me to get my speed down to a crawl and be able to avoid them should they dart at me in the last moment. i say this because I have seen deer freeze when spotted at night, (no I was not hunting illegally)

Tom

[docwagner]

Exactly! Should I put my rationalization on the "big " board?