Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Animal collision avoidance

Got clobbered by a deer last evening. Really banged up the truck. Do any of the members have any first hand experience with the deer collision avoidance devices out there?

Did a online search and an electronic system called the Hornet gets the most press. Just wondering if these really have an effect on a deer's actions or is it all just marketing.

Look around the automotive stores for deer whistles. The air flow through them at speed gives off a high pitch noise that warns deer of oncoming vehicles. Most I've seen you just stick on the front bumper. I've seen a lot of deer damaged cars, and have never seen one with these whistles.
7mm

Deer whistle?

YGBFKM

Put the $ you save towards the deductible.

The deer know your car is coming without any whistles.
They just don't care

I done a new bumper after my last deer.....

You mean the whistle that is supposedly so high-pitched you can't hear it? You can also call them giraffe avoidance whistles, because you won't ever hit a giraffe in a car that has them, either.



(They're worthless. If a deer ignores your headlights, do you think he'll hear that silly whistle - IF it's actually whistling at all?)

As a vehicle is traveling down the road it is already making all kinds of whistles that are out of the range of human ears--like a dog whistle.

I grew up in the Uncompahgre Valley--in the 60's-80's thought to have the highest ungulate densities during the winter anywhere outside of Africa. Deer-vehicle collisions were common.

Just gotta learn how to be aware and drive around 'em.


Casey

When the old doe has chosen suicide, no evasive action
will change that.

True.....I was at complete stop on the highway as a bunch of elk were crossing when a doe ran into ME.......right in the door........go figure




Casey

Was never a big fan of those whistles. Used to run them in the late 70's up through most of the 1980's and still had a couple close calls. I've nailed a couple over the years not running whistles and since then have discovered that as long as I see them first and it looks like I'm in trouble I lean on the horn. That REALLY gets their attention instantly. Have never heard of that electronic system and now I'm also wondering if those things are any good or just more advertising hype designed to separate me from my money.

That's how my wife got a doe couple years ago. Night time; several deer in field not too far from road. 2 cars stopped in front of her; then they proceeded slowly past and as my wife was going through one of them bolted and ran right into the side of her Dodge Journey as she was going about 5 mph... Yup; go figure.

I was sceptic of them too, when they first came out. I'd been taught as a lad to whistle at running deer to get them to stop so I could get a shot. Killed quite a few deer that way too.
But after hearing a couple first hand accounts, I figured what the heck. The things cost less than 10 bucks. In 35 years of driving in deer country, I hit two deer. Both with a vehicle without whistles. And as I said, I've seen many deer collision vehicles. None had the whistles.
About 6 or 7 bucks at Auto Zone. Do what you want.
7mm

The only thing that will stop you from hitting deer is staying home.

That's because the whistles get wiped off when they hit the deer.

I can't believe deer are not aware of traffic with all the noise a vehicle makes. This one came out of nowhere, took out the headlight, rearranged the body work on the front quarter panel and the door, and bent the factory bumper a bit. When I get it fixed I think I'll go with the heavy duty bumper. Thanks for all of the advice.

drive slow on the back roads, nothing is going to work on the highway. Don't swerve. I go thru about 10 to 15 each morning just to get to the pavement

I've hit several deer through the years but never with any vehicles that had the whistle. They were less than $10 so I gave them a try. In my non scientific but real world experience I figure it certainly didn't hurt.

Or maybe living on ? Guam?
I've had two, about 18 yrs ago and 10. Working 3rd shifts puts you on the road at worst times!
Both were to fast to see coming. The first leaped from a hill embankment onto my hood! All I saw was fur in place of the windshield.
You last one was a blur that hit my 2 week old car!
Just a blur and gone. Left pretty deer fur in the shattered headlight.

It's not that they don't hear you coming. They hear you coming long before you see them but your car is not in their "threat library" that has evolved over eons.

I drive home in the dark through areas that are infested with deer and elk and moose. I recently put the whistles on two of my vehicles. I noticed deer actually payed more attention to the truck the other week when I was over in east wyoming. For ten bucks, what have you got to lose?