Deer alerts

[RHAT]

All 3 videos I watched told me those little stick- on deer whistles are not effective.
One study claimed to prove that the deer could hear the whistles,  but didn't make the deer choose to avoid the sound.
 The Norge is pretty quiet and I guess it's pretty stealthy too. I have noticed I seem get closer to critters than usual.  I was wondering what the collective might opine about the gimmick.
I picked up a pair today and stuck one on for the hell of it. I'm certain a deer can knock it right off, but it's bound to work better than a gremlin bell.

[oldbike54]

 

  Dusty

[n3303j]

Got chatting with the fellow who was the rep for my employer's 401K program.

He worked for Sentry Insurance. Sentry paid out a lot of automotive claims for deer strikes.

So one year Sentry sent out "Deer Whistles" to all of their auto policy holders. Over the next year deer strike claims went up 20%.

Sentry quietly stopped sending out "Deer Whistles".

[MotoG5]

Talked to a finder and body guy who did some work on my wife's Cal III some years ago and I asked him what he thought about deer whistles. He said that it was one of the first things he replaced on the cars, trucks and bikes he repaired for damage from hitting a deer.

[wrbix]

Talked to a finder and body guy who did some work on my wife's Cal III some years ago and I asked him what he thought about deer whistles. He said that it was one of the first things he replaced on the cars, trucks and bikes he repaired for damage from hitting a deer.

...hoping for return business no doubt?

[MotoG5]

...hoping for return business no doubt?

That was my impression.

[wirespokes]

Do a search for MCN Deer Whistles. They researched the topic and got the idea the little passive ones working on air pressure don't do squat. But the active ones (electronic) actually put out enough sound the deer could hear and would stop them in their tracks.

[Guzzistajohn]

A local body shop hands out a free turkey for hitting a deer.

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Kill and eat the nasty critters.  They are a hazard to bikers.  I encountered one in 2009 that left me lying in the road with no pulse and not breathing.  I have very little memory of the event and no memory of the next 3 and a half days.  I only know what supposedly happened from what the deputy told me a week later in the ICU, and the photos he gave me.
 Prosecute all the people who put bait and salt in their yards so they can watch the cute little f#ckers.. They draw the deer out of the woods and onto the roads.  They should pay for the damage caused as if it were their pets.
 If they want twitch the cute little killers they should go into the woods where the deer are supposed to stay.

[fotoguzzi]

But their so cute..

[willowstreetguzziguy]

The Chances of seeing a deer react positively to your deer whistles on the road are are so slim.  Deer whistles are the perfect product that you can’t tell whether or not they work or are effective! Can you name any other product that you use that is like that?

[cliffrod]

Deer whistles rank right up there with karma bells.....

I've found empty Sharkgill Silentiums (no baffles) to be highly effective with keeping deer out of the roadway.  Used to visit my girlfriend before she became wife #3.  Never saw any deer when on the Guzzi.  At her insistence, I borrowed her nearly new truck to go home during crazy rain a couple of times.  When I drove it back to camp the next day to her to get my bike, there were literally dozens of deer in and near the road each time. 

I agree with Jim- deer are delicious.  We had version steak biscuits for breakfast yesterday.

[guzziart]

FWIW....

We had another deer get hit in front of our home yesterday, it was the 2nd deer strike in the last two months.  I suppose the overgrown apple orchard next to our property has something to do with the deer population in the overgrowth.  Maybe the township should put up a deer crossing sign or install those sonic deer whistle things.

[Ncdan]

The one thing I try to keep in my mind when it comes to motorcycles VS deer is in the event one comes into my path, steer the bike in the direction it came from. Doing that will lessen the chance you will collide with the animal.

[n3303j]

The one thing I try to keep in my mind when it comes to motorcycles VS deer is in the event one comes into my path, steer the bike in the direction it came from. Doing that will lessen the chance you will collide with the animal.

That way you nail the second one instead.

[SIR REAL ED]

My logic says that the more people who use deer whistles, the less effective they will be.  I think it is all based on the sound being novelty.  Once the noise is common, it will be ignored.

Ask anyone who lives near train tracks.

Remember when driving with your headlights on was considered safer?

[larrys]

FWIW....  Maybe the township should put up a deer crossing sign or install those sonic deer whistle things.

The deer never pay attention to those signs. Scofflaws they be, they cross the road wherever they want.
Larry

[wirespokes]

Deer whistles rank right up there with karma bells....

I'm more inclined to trust karma bells.

...steer the bike in the direction it came from. Doing that will lessen the chance you will collide with the animal.

Brake hard and don't swerve. Don't try to second guess animals, they often double back...

I agree with you Sasquatch Jim. I'm on my second life too after hitting an elk 15 years ago. The bike didn't make it.

[Tom]

Fred Rau...moto-journalist did some articles on the effectiveness of deer whistles.  They don't work.  The pitch for them is at a frequency that deer can't hear.  Save your money.  If it makes you feel good put them on.    It works better to ride when they're not active. 

[Perazzimx14]

I had a deer strike last year. The road was lined with tall grass a drop off and woods. The deer was at a full run and I only ever saw a blur before it ran into my right fork tube. Buddy was behind me and said it was at a full run probably being chased by something. I don't think horns flashing lights deer whistles or winking at it would have made a difference or made it change direction.

I also hear folks conjecture that deer whistle might actually bring deer in towards you out of curiosity, IDK. What I do know is it not the deer I can see that I'm worried about it the ones I don't see until its too late.

 

[Wayne Orwig]

This rates right up there with oil threads.

So one year Sentry sent out "Deer Whistles" to all of their auto policy holders. Over the next year deer strike claims went up 20%.
Sentry quietly stopped sending out "Deer Whistles".

And there you have it.

Yep, even if they hear it, it will alarm them. They are not trained to stop in their tracks when they hear it. So OK, say it makes a sound that now alarms them. Which way are they going to run? Me, I let them stay where they are and I will quietly sneak by.

[Cam3512]

Not sure why, but I see many more deer out and about during the middle of the day here in NJ.  Not just dawn/dusk. 

[Two Checks]

Isn't it difficult for deer to blow on the whistle at 55 mph?


Dang auto correct....

[dguzzi]

I just yell, works as good as any whistle.

[Tom]

Not sure why, but I see many more deer out and about during the middle of the day here in NJ.  Not just dawn/dusk. 

Not as much nightlife since the "lockdown". 

[BillinPA]

Years ago I always used the deer whistles,  never hit a deer. Read the articles about their ineffectiveness,  quit using them, hit a deer a few yrs later. Instill don't use them as the data shows they don't work.

[Scout63]

The one thing I try to keep in my mind when it comes to motorcycles VS deer is in the event one comes into my path, steer the bike in the direction it came from. Doing that will lessen the chance you will collide with the animal.

I hit one on the Skyline Drive at speed years ago.  There wasn’t time to steer, brake or even think, just an ear passing in front of the headlight. The only lesson I learned was to stay off the Skyline at dusk.

[Ncdan]

I hit one on the Skyline Drive at speed years ago.  There wasn’t time to steer, brake or even think, just an ear passing in front of the headlight. The only lesson I learned was to stay off the Skyline at dusk.

I totally agree that the majority of the time with deer incidents there is little to no time to react. Speaking in general the training objective I received was when given the time don’t continue a path of collision with and object. However with deer everything is on the table (pun intended) 😉

[Tkelly]

I had 2 deer stroll across the highway some distance ahead seemingly oblivious to my Guzzi so I decided to wake them up by blowing my horn as the were already on the shoulder.I got their attention because they turned on a dime and bolted back across the road in front of me,I had a good chance to test the California linked brakes.

[larrys]

Around here there's usually more than one. I was out for a short afternoon ride on the Monster a couple of weeks ago and a doe crossed the road about 50 yards in front of me. I hit the brakes hard enough to activate the ABS. Sure enough, as I was just about stopped a fawn bolts across the road right in front of me...
Larry