E1

Comming home at 03:30 in the fog I encountered half a deer in the middle of the road. I guess whatever hit it took the hind quarters with them? Anyway does anyone know if those deer whistle things that attach to your front bumper really work or not. I would hate to beat a dead dears ass for scuffing my paint

4RUNR

I don't have one, and never hit a deer, so they don't work! That's my logic and I'm sticking to it

COYOTA $x$

What are the odds that the whistles will get clogged with bug guts or other road debris and not work "correctly" most of the time anyway ?

about as effective as the Sonic pest eliminators... :rolleyes:

here you go...
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Whistles and Other Noisemakers

Ultrasonic whistles mounted on vehicle bumpers emit a shrill tone when air passes through them as the vehicle travels over thirty miles per hour. Manufacturers claim these whistles are audible to deer (but not to humans) and effective in frightening deer from the roadway. The whistle is about two inches long and bullet shaped. In 1990, according to The New York Times NATIONAL, deer whistles cost about $25, and such groups as the California, Iowa, and Kansas state police were using them on their patrol cars.

While manufacturers contend deer can hear the whistle up to a quarter mile away, no published research verifies the device's effectiveness. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety presented evidence refuting claims promoting the whistles:

Georgia's Game and Fish Department, for example, found that in hundreds of observations from vehicles equipped with deer whistles, deer didn't respond. Whistles on vehicles going 25-30 mph produced no ultrasonic sound, although some ultrasonic and lower frequencies were produced when the whistles were blown by mouth. According to wildlife biologists at the University of Georgia, neither deer nor humans can hear ultrasonic sound. Whistles blown by mouth near captive deer produce no response.
A University of Wisconsin study found that three types of whistle did produce low-pitched and ultrasonic sounds at speeds of 30 to 70 miles per hour; however, researchers were unable to verify that deer responded to the sounds, even at distances well below the distances from which manufacturers claim the whistles are heard. Moreover, deer would only be able to hear the whistles if there were a straight shot between the deer and the whistle. If curves, trees, or other obstacles came between the deer and the whistle, the device would be ineffective.

According to an article called "Blowing the Whistle on Deer Scare Devices" in the Mid-February 1993 Farm Journal, the Ohio State Police installed deer whistles on their patrol vehicles; however, they reported finding no significant decrease in collisions between patrol cars and deer. The same article indicated that a panel of the World Society for the Protection of Animals could find no data proving "that such a device can actually stop an animal crossing the road, which is the main purpose of the device." Finally, Washington State University researcher Leonard Askham felt the evidence tended to favor a conclusion that deer whistles do not work. "Even if the devices were effective," Askham warned, "they would soon become clogged with insects and dirt and stop working."

The New York Times NATIONAL described a different, creative way to use sound to frighten deer and other animals off the road and out of the path of oncoming vehicles. The article explained:

Before he discovered deer whistles, a supervisor for an Arkansas utility came up with his own plan to scare deer off dark country roads. He taped the barking of his neighbors' dogs, rigged an amplified speaker to the front of his truck and then broadcast the tape as he cruised down highways.
But he abandoned the scheme, amid concern that the barking was not only scaring deer, but awakening residents of southern Arkansas.

4-RUNNIN' FREAK

Think a loud exhaust might be better?

Henryv

Or air horns?

4Runner1988

Evolution....the deer species have evolved and discluded the upper echelon of audible tones making these devices no longer effective....just think.....in another 500 years.....they'll be shooting at us!

Seriously.....save your two bucks for a car wash. Some things are meant to buy and some are meant to sell!

gtm130

they came on my car but if you ask me... worthless. ive never hit a dear with or without, i think its more along the lines of being a smart driver.. doing 60 in a 45 down a wooded road at night is not good. i think the money would be better spent on some good driving lights so you can see the dear and slow down. remember you are smarter than the dear so why rely on 2 dollar plastic whistles that the dear doesnt neccessarily know that it means go away.

X-AWDriver

Deer whistles will give you the same horsepower increase as a Tornado though but costs alot less.

BruceTS

For the married men on this board, they should ask their other half if it works.... When your Dear whistles, do you come running? Oh wait your talking about DEER.....naw they don't work, you can ask my cousin, she had a Buck leap the road and ended up in going through the front windshield and landed in the back seat....

Poor A$$ Stock '93

If you live in a area with wildlife invest in a good set of lights instead. I currently run a set of 130w as well as 80/100w headlights. No they are not technically legal but they have saved me far more in body damage then any possible ticket will ever cost me.

ChickenLover

I agree that you should look into a nice set of driving lights. Or maybe a loudspeaker playing sound clips of Elmer Fudd. Or would that only work for wabbits?

Ducky

Or get a ARB Bull bar and some garbage bags lol kidding....

jethro

My opinion is you're going to hit a deer, or you just aren't. There's no getting around it, even if you are a "smart" driver. You can also have the brightest lights out there, still not going to save you. Anyone who has hit one or seen the car in front of them hit the shadow that just ran across the road knows that it just happens, there is no warning in most cases. I highly doubt these whistles do anything. After driving from my beach house hundreds of times late at night, I realize speed is your enemy and always be ready to lock up the brakes.

Gringo

Ducky--I bought a Grand Cherokee that had the deer whistles--it also was totaled 3 weeks prior by a huge elk in Alberta Canada--the jeep was complete with the whistles!

Jonathan

My buddy had some on his Volvo. I think they worked well enough to slow the deer down, because it ran right into his driver's side rear door instead of the grill.

JoKEpLaYeR

I had a friend swerve to miss a deer and rolled her car - totalling her car anyway.

The ARB and some trash bags may be the best advice! Just kidding!

Fog lights!!!! Driving lights!!!! Fog lights!!!! Driving lights!!!! and drive a reasonable speed. Forget the plastic deals.

E1

Got the idea. No dear or deer whistles.

ALBPM

That's why I got an ARB

When my "Dear" wife whistles at me I ignore her all the time.... :pat:

dbikeman

I completely agree, and yes I have hit a deer. I have very bright headlights and I also have very bright driving lights, both of which were on, and I still have a large deer rounding a corner.

4Runner1988

TOTALLY AGREE. My wife's family lives in Greenwood, and lets just say that some years....they have better luck Yota Hunting than Rifle Hunting! Everyone in the family has hit a deer.

You cant avoid hitting a deer.....you can make your Yota take the hit better though!