deer avoidance

[RPG]

Looking for possibilities for electronic deer avoidance to mount on my RT. Have hit two deer and luckily escaped with no permanent injuries, but my weekend ride to my cottage in S. Michigan has them littered on the roads like dead flies eivery weekend. This past trip, I counted 14 carcasses (fresh) in less than 25 miles.

 

A permanently mounted .357 Magnum would be my first choice but just looking to see what everyone else is using.

 

thanks,

 

RPG

[Lineareagle]

Nothing exists that I know of, otherwise there would not be all those dead deer. If something REALLY worked the inventor would make a fortune.

 

Good luck with the rides, even going dead slow doesn't stop the bastards from jumping on top of you!

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Rick

 

Good luck – Nothing that I know of will make your bike deer bullet proof. Better frontal/side lighting helps you to identify the deer earlier and slowing down definitely helps you with the avoidance part but other than that just find a guide dog to follow in heavily deer infested areas.

 

I ride in a very high deer populated area and have hit 2 in the last year, luckily both were glancing blows so the bike didn’t go down. At night in deer areas I try to ride the road centerline (or just to my side of it anyhow) as that gives my the most road available on each side if I have to make quick evasive moves. That helped me with the 2 deer I glanced off of.

 

I’ll bet you I have to swerve hard or brake hard to avoid at least 3 deer a month. At night the threat is always there and in my minds forefront. Even during the day a sprinting deer blasting out of a ditch or from a woodlot can be a real challenge so the threat isn’t only at night.

 

My biggest worry is when leaned way over in a curve as that limits forward lighting, limits visibility, limits evasive options, and usually your focus is on where you want to go. I think the answer here is again to slow down but that is difficult to do on a twisty road when you are having fun.

 

I doubt any type of noises like deer whistles or electronic devices will help. If there was anything that worked some of the up-level auto companies would be offering them as options (money to be made and all that)

 

I can attest to the fact that my singing doesn’t move them out of the road and if you ever heard me sing it would definitely move you out of earshot.

 

If you find the answer to this deer thing let me know as I will gladly pay you for your answer.

 

Repeat after me__ I-HATE-DEER, I-HATE-DEER!

 

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

Looking for possibilities for electronic deer avoidance to mount on my RT. Have hit two deer and luckily escaped with no permanent injuries, but my weekend ride to my cottage in S. Michigan has them littered on the roads like dead flies eivery weekend. This past trip, I counted 14 carcasses (fresh) in less than 25 miles.

 

A permanently mounted .357 Magnum would be my first choice but just looking to see what everyone else is using.

 

thanks,

 

RPG

 

 

 

I think the answer may be a fairing mounted Thompson Sub Machine Gun!

 

 

I wish we had a bounty on those that are within 100 yards of a highway.

 

Dave

[na1g]

I-DON'T-hate-deer...I-DON'T-hate-deer. I also don't hate mosquitos but I'll whack one when I see her.

 

Re riding in deer country at dusk, dawn or night: I've wondered if it is safer to follow a car. The car is much bigger, better lit and would attract more attention, hence encourage Bambi to get out of the way. But is Bambi going to jump out into the road after the car goes by? I have no personal experience either way - just thinking.

 

pete

[Quinn]

My method is to leave my left turn signal on when in deer country. Deer will see it and think that I must be an old man driving a Buick. And as we all know, Buicks are the last natural preditor that deer have and they will flee the area to avoid them. So far it's working great.

 

----

 

 

[SuperG]

I've wondered if it is safer to follow a car. The car is much bigger, better lit and would attract more attention, hence encourage Bambi to get out of the way.

pete

 

Unfortunately it is not the case. Deer is really dumb, dummer then people.

I live in an area where deer is treated like pets, about half of the city's population likes AND feed the Bambi on a regular bases with deer corn other half tries to ban this practice for safety reasons such as vehicle collision, destruction of flowers and other vegetation in our yards, deer sh%t all over the place, aggressive ones chase dogs or kids they can punch a serious kick with their sharp hoofs and last but not least the deer is a carrier of ticks that spread lime disease.

 

With this being said, deer does not care about what size vehicle it is which way it comes from, it will run in any and every direction it thinks it is the way to go. sometimes zig-zags all over the road and we have seem it where it ran into the side of a vehicle.

My personal experience:

- I have ran over a fawn (baby dear)with my car and killed it (unintended).

- One tried to kill me when I was following a van (as a deer shield) at dusk on a bike, two car length between us. 40Mph speed.

A deer ran from the side of the road in between the van and me, clipping the front wheel of my bike, knock me onto the oncoming lane and off to the shoulder of the road.

No injury and the bike had a slight misaligned handle bar afterwards. could have been much worst if oncoming traffic was present.

Deer is unpredictable, it is fast and it will run with in split second in any direction when scared. Other deer will graze on the side of the road few feet from cars blasting by at 40 mph.

[RPG]

thanks for the replies guys. I was at the local dealer last year and they had some sort of electronic deer avoidance gizmo they were hawking. Should have gotten more details at the time.

 

I know there is no perfect solution (other than multiple deer permits) and unlimited open season harvesting, but I'll take any advantage I can at this point.

 

I'm surprised that the insurance industry isn't pushing for more deer hunting permits. They must lose millions annually in repair costs. And I'm also surprised that high deer population states (Michigan in particular) haven't seen the potential for increased revenue with more deer hunting. Sounds like a win-win unless you're the deer.

 

RPG

[dirtrider]

Afternoon Rick

 

I think some states (I believe Mi. is one of them) have an agreement with the insurance providers that provide some reimbursement if the car deer accidents exceed a certain number per year or quarter (some time frame anyhow). My insurance has even dropped the deductable on car deer accidents so thy must be getting that money back from somewhere else.

 

Problem with Ohio and lower part of Michigan is all the areas closed to hunting and all the tree huggers that feed those darn RATS-WITH –HOOVES. Very little private property open to hunting and the deer are smart enough to stay on the private property in the State land open to hunting areas.

 

If that electronic gizmo actually worked it would be an option from every auto company out there and your insurance would be offering a premium reduction if you installed one.

Once a deer is scared and moving at full out warp speed nothing will deter them. If they are just standing around feeding they aren’t a real threat anyhow.

 

[WaXD]

There have been studies on the electronic "Deer avoidance" devices by some acoustic researcher and he disputed the effectiveness of the whistles and electronic devices over mere tire noise. He mentioned that even if they heard the noise we don't know that the deers reaction would make it run away. Deer are unpredictable and may run in front of you when they hear it.

 

I had one of those cheesy Deer whistles on my V-strom last October when I tore a deer in half with it. I usually have a good eye for Deer but this guy ran out behind an oncoming car, I couldn't see it because it of the cars headlights at night.

 

Moral of the story, they are out there and occasionally we are going to hit them. It's best to be prepared and alert, aside from that I don't know of anything that will stop them.

[taylor1]

I also live in an area were the deer are very abundant. My belief is no amount of light is going to stop them from their line of travel.If I see one, or even think one is close, I lay on my horn and hope that scares them away from my path.I think noise is the only option when on the road.

[MT Wallet]

I haven't found anything that really works. Lights and ultrasonic devices only make the deer stare at the source to see what's about to hit them. Many years ago in seperate accidents on US-12 two of my motorcycle riding pals each hit deer between Saline and Clinton. They survived with significant injuries. Dirt rider called it correctly as did others. It's a hunting issue. Land owners want to maintain property rights and hug bambi so they won't let people hunt on their land. If I see one deer I suspect he has one or more pals just waiting to jump out in my road so I slow way down. All you can do is be cautious in deer dense areas and look for the eyes or that out of place shadow. Sometimes it works and other times not. Ride safe.

[Redbrick]

Get one of these for a pet and train it to run out in front of you when you ride at dawn or dusk.....

 

No help, I know...

 

We've had a few episodes with deer and Kathy had a very close one a couple of years ago..We don't have all those Whitetails here is Southern California as in other parts of the country thank goodness..There have been discussions about deer whistles here over the past few years and the general conclusion is that there is no magic and the whistles aren't effective...You can do a Search and see those threads....

[GoldenK9]

Might as well add my 2 cents worth. I live in a very HIGH Deer populated area, along with Bear, Mountain Lion, Coyotes, and the smaller critters of the mountain areas. We have a huge municipal park just down the road from our house, and, of course, deer and other wild animals are protected. It is against the law to feed the animals anywhere in Calif., I believe, but we have quite a few people around here that think they are so cute, they just can't help it. Anyway, I have for years used "Deer Alert" Whistles on my bikes and autos and we haven't hit a deer yet, not even close.

We've seen plenty and watched them stop and stare or run in the opposite direction. Can't say for sure they work, can't say they don't. The CHP cruisers and other vehicles have used them for years, that's where I got the idea. The other thing I do is have the brightest possible low and high beam headlights. I want to see Bambi's eyes from a long way off, or his little butt wiggling.

I think the safest thing to do is slow down (crap!), especially at dawn and dusk, and keep your eyes scanning back and forth.

Good Luck. Ride Safe.

[lawnchairboy]

Mitch to the white courtesy phone please.

[tallman]

 

 

Plenty of posts here about deer whistles, both powered and those that work by air flowing through them.

Several studies w/DOT and the like from Georgia and the west coast.

Best I can recall, no evidence they "work", no statistical dif between the state vehicles w/or w/out the devices wrt to deer incidents.

.02

[Don M]

Motorcycle Consumer News featured the Hornet Deer Avoidance System as their innovation of the month in their Feb 2010 issue. I have no affiliation or personal experience with Hornet or their product but I've always had good luck with stuff that MCN has reported on. Web site for the Hornet is www.xp3hornet.com

[Redbrick]

Here's a 2008 report of testing done by the U.S. Department Of Transportation in 2007 on deer avoidance methods including whistles... Not too encouraging..........The report from the state of Georgia gave similar results...

 

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/06.cfm

[Dave_zoom_zoom]

Once you have seen them, if they are standing on or close to the road and you want them to move----

 

If you operate your "loud" horn in a rapid on-off manner there is a much better chance they will move than using a steady blast. Learned it years ago from a bus driver. It "usally" helps! If your horn is one of the wimpy ones, forget it.

 

Dave

[enfoman]

Once you have seen them, if they are standing on or close to the road and you want them to move----

 

If you operate your "loud" horn in a rapid on-off manner there is a much better chance they will move than using a steady blast. Learned it years ago from a bus driver. It "usally" helps! If your horn is one of the wimpy ones, forget it.

 

Dave

 

I guess you must be referring to the way it was portrayed in the animated movie by Tom Hanks in "The Polar Express" when the engineer blew his whistle, (the fireman's Beard) when the caribou were on the tracks. Even though yes, it was a cartoon, I am sure that the trains in Isolated open places have this same type of problem and Mr. Hanks decided to do a take off of it.

 

It probably worked in the old west too for grazing bison.

[Squarehead]

Open season, bounties, machine guns I like where this is going.

 

We have way to many deer on the road around here also...Montana. None with a bike but I have hit them with a car.

 

Best recourse, stay very alert , but if they got your name they are going to get you....