Ever hit a deer? If no, consider yourself lucky. If you have, it’s unsettling. In an effort to avoid them, many drivers install deer whistles on their car bumpers. Read on to understand if they actually work.
Electronic and Air Velocity Types
Air velocity whistles are the most common and are based on the premise that air circulating through them will produce a high-pitched frequency that causes animals such as deer to stop moving. Electronic whistles are designed to produce both a sonic and an ultrasonic wave that results in the same reaction. Both types are attached to the front bumper of a car and do not require any special tools to install them.
Will Deer Whistles Work? – No
Peter Scheifele , the director of bioacoustics research at the National Undersea Research Center performed a study on the effectiveness of deer whistles. Below is a summary of his findings.
Air velocity whistles were mounted onto different vehicles, which were then operated at controlled speeds of between 30 and 45 miles per hour. The researchers recorded the sounds these whistles made while the vehicle was in motion. What they discovered was air whistles produce signals that register either 3 kHz or 12 kHz. A 3 kHz signal is unlikely to be heard since it is only three decibels louder than a car traveling on the highway. As such, it could easily be drowned out by other vehicles, rain or high winds. A 12 kHz signal is outside the normal hearing range of a deer, which means it is also ineffective.
Another study published in 2009 by the “ Journal of Wildlife Management ” concluded that whistle like noises do not change deer behavior in any way.
So there’s your answer. They simply don’t work.
Are we powerless to avoiding hitting a deer? Of course not! Read the following tips below.
How To Avoid Deer Accidents
- Honk your horn if you see them on the road.
- Flash your lights and honk your horn if they don’t respond to #1.
- Repeat to yourself “ Where there’s one there’s two. ” every time you see a deer it’s the second one that you’ll hit. Be aware.
- The center lane is always best. Being on the far left or right give you less time to react if a deer jumps out onto the road.
- The Delaware rutting season starts in late November and into October. Be alert during these weeks because the deer are twice as active.
- Deer become active during low light (dawn and dusk). Slow down when the suns low in the sky. This is especially true in foggy mornings.
- Lookout for deer along the side of the road when you are driving in a wooded area.
Do deer whistles work for you? Write you comments below. Our readers would love to know what you think.
Will This Deer Whistle Work? – YOU BET!
Yep! You say you want a devise that will work 100% of the time. Strap one of these on your car and your good to go. These cannons ignite a mix of acetylene gas and air in the lower chamber of the machine. The sound wave / explosions passes through the funnel which develops into rolling shock wave.
The freakish sound vortex travels for a very long distance. Bring your car in for our special deer mitigation package. You’ll love the results.
Ok, Enough kidding around. We’d love to hear your techniques for avoiding deers. Reply below.
