Ducati Monster Forum

Does anyone know if those plastic Deer whistles that some people put on the front Bumper of their cars really work to scare Deer back in the woods from close to the roadside ?

Dolph       :)

They work all right. Unfortunately the deer have NO clue which way they need to go when the whistle, or our loud ass bikes come at them (Just a guess, Ive never actually talked to one).

 Our deer in Northern New Mexico & Southern Colorado are a liiiiiitle bit bigger than the one in the video on the other thread.  I've got a miniature German Pincher bigger than that thing.

The forest service here tells people not to install them.

Woods big, road little. Maybe we need to give them a trail map.  [cheeky]

Conclusions
The DVC reduction effectiveness of air-activated deer whistles has been investigated
through the use of non-scientific before-and-after studies and some documented research
into the hearing capabilities of deer. In general, the relatively poor design and/or
documentation of the before-and-after studies (e.g., sample size) have produced
dramatically conflicting results. No conclusions can be drawn from these studies as a
whole, and better designs and documentation are recommended for future studies of this
nature. A small amount of documented/published research has been completed in the
area of deer auditory capabilities and their reaction to air-activated whistles. For the most
part, it has been found that the range of hearing sensitivity for deer is two to six kHz, and
only some whistles apparently make sound within that range. It has also been generally
concluded that deer did not react to vehicle-mounted air-activated deer whistles, and that
hearing the sound from these devices might be difficult when combined with typical
vehicle roadway noise levels. The ability of whistles to produce the advertised level of
sound at an adequate distance within the typical environment of a roadway has been
questioned. Additional scientifically defined and designed research focused on the
effectiveness of air-activated deer whistles and similar non-air-activated devices is
recommended. A current concern is also the impact the installation of these devices
(which may or may not work) on vehicles may have on the alertness of drivers (i.e., Do
they provide an unproven sense of security?).

Damn D, Is that a yes, or a no from you?   [laugh]

 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]

I ain't smart enough to write that, hell it took me 20min to figure out it's a "not really."

After reading it I'm going to take it as a probaly NO !

Dolph        :)

Since I had two on my car when I unfortunately collided with a large whitetail, I am going to say no, they don't work.

Sorry to hear you had to find out the hard way.

Thanks for sharing.

Dolph      :)

I wish they did work!  We have lots of deer around here.

I use them on my car.  Called Shoo Roos here (in Aus)  Used to have them on a much quieter bike.  Don't have many deer here but have found that kangaroos look up at you as you go past.  I did find that they cause more near misses with birds.  Now my much louder monster causes cows and sheep to run for their lives so I guess my termis would drown out plastic whistles any day.

Not that this helps any.   [laugh]

I say no also.  I used to do a lot of traveling on the bike and had them for a short while and it didn't seem to have an affect.  But when I went on my trip to Alaska, my buddy had removed the baffles from the pipes on his vstrom and we had (believe it or not) NO animals run in front of us during the whole 13k miles trip!  Like heatherp, the cows, sheep, etc. would run for their lives.  We did run across a moose, though, that did not enter the roadway, but did run along beside us for a bit.  Also, when we took his Tiger to Yellowstone he got charged by a bison at one point, but I don't know if that was because of the bike.   [laugh]

Anyhow, I think we all know that bike horns have NO affect whatsoever.

I 100% agree with this. My pipes scare the shit out of deer more than any deer whistle could. I once got one to jump clear over a 6 foot high row of hedges. MAKE YOUR DEER WHISTLE DO THAT SUCKAS!

At D.I.T.R. (Ducati in the rockies),  we came up on a new Lexus (paper tags), in town at the turn off to our hotel that just had a deer cross the street (15mph zone) and try to clear the car...It didn't, and landed on the passenger side, folding in the windshield & creasing the hood. Like I said before, our deer are a bit bigger here.

Bottom line: We're in their back yard, not the other way around.

Odds are they aren't just hanging out in the middle of the road...Why would they. But noises & scents are what spooks them.  They don't know they are about to jump in front of a motorcycle or a train.

Those are two different ways of looking at it, seeing as the car makes almost know sound.
It probably looked at it like it was a fence.

I've encountered deer grazing on the side of the road a few times.  [coffee]
I honked in my car (when I was driving) and when I rode my bike. Honking seems to help a little as they moved away from the road when I honked..

I don't use them, because I doubt that they'd help. 

What I do to avoid deer is try not to ride after dark when I'm on a road trip.  You're a lot more likely to hit one at dusk or after dark.

I wouldn't count on that.

I see multiple deer on just about every drive or ride to/from our house.

They are pretty unpredictable...if you honk, they may jump out in front of you.

IMO the best thing to do if you actually see the deer on the side of the road is to slow down as much as you can.

Here in the Boston suburbs the deer are so used to cars and people you could blow an air horn and half the time they would just look up at you and then go back to grazing.

Last year in my driveway i had to get out of my car before they moved.

Not sure a plastic whistle is going to do much more than my arrows [evil]

I am surprised nobody posted the picture / video of the deer jumping over the hardley


(http://onemansblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/Deer_Jumps_Motorcycle.jpg)

(can't post video form work)

mitt

I have a set on my bike.  Haven't hit a deer yet.  I didn't have much faith in them when I put them on, but I figured that if:

They work, I won't hit a deer. OR 
They won't work, but I still won't hit a deer.  OR 
They won't work and I will hit a deer.  OR 
They will work, but I will hit a deaf deer. 

But hey, they were $5.  What the hell.  I might put two more on my helmet!

Aaaaand... You just did your 666 post. Go figure.

You're the deer whisperer.

To bad no one markets a "Dumbass with a Cell Phone Whistle".  I find myself dodging them daily.

I make one. Just connect your headlight to your horn.

Now everytime you hear your horn, know there's a dumbass with a cellphone near you.

This is off the topic but I posted it so that's ok .

But....this will get me into trouble.

Lately I've been sort of taking an unofficial survey while I'm in a town in the cage doing in town things.

What my survey has told me is that 90% of women / girls are on a cell phone in the cage in which they are driving.

I'm not saying men don't do it .........but I would bet most men are making business related calls ...whereas .....women/ girls are just bs ing on the cell phone to whom ever they are talking to.

She who is without sin , fire away !

Dolph ,      :)  Where are the Cell Phone whistles ?

Yes, you're right.

This will get you into trouble.

 [roll] [roll] [roll]

Dolph!  Have you been drinking the Grape Kool-Aid?  [laugh]
 
 

Berry flavored Gatorade tonight.

Dolph       :)

Care to elaborate on that sweet Paula ?

Dolph       :)

Why make blatantly sexist remarks without any data to back it up?

Why would you assume that men are on a business call and women are on a personal call?

What makes yakking on a business call while driving any better than yakking on a personal call while driving?

What I have observed is men in vehicles w, company markings on them like telephone truck drivers or cable TV  vehicle drivers talking on cell phones.

All the women / girls were in non marked cars , vans, pickup trucks which suggests to me that their calls were of a personal nature.

Even when I am in a Doctor's office I see women /girls texting or at the grocery I see women/ girls on their cell phones like they just got a new toy.

What is the fascination with a telephone and what do people have so much to talk about that they can't wait until they are not in public to carry on with there private life ?

Is it just that they have a cell phone so they think they have to use it !

Not being a woman , I can't think like a woman so maybe you can enlighten me about this behavior.

Dolph        :)

DoubleEagle still hasn't answered your questions  [roll]

Waiting.... for the answers



Dolph your comments are blantanly sexist and uncalled for.

 [popcorn]

 Ok: 1. being on the phone while driving is being on the phone while driving...period.
        2. unmarked cars could be construed as either personal or "the boss".  I do happen to know a woman who drives an unmarked company car who conducts business on the phone a LOT.  Where we live it has to be "hands free" in the car though.
         3. unless you actually hear the conversation, it is not fair to "assume" a conversation is personal or business just by looking at the person.

You know what they say about "ASSuming".   ;D  And bottom line, driving with a phone stuck to your ear is not a good idea.

My Duc is my (unmarked) company car.

And no, I don't talk on the phone when I ride.

What the hell?!

That's a pretty bold assumption.  >:(

um..are you assuming too?


and she is..her car is equipped with a speaker system that is like her clients are in the car with her. :)

???

I really don't think the iPhone has a Deer Whistle App. :D

maybe, but i know it has a dog whistle app.  (its on my phone) :)

I think it is more than obvious that I can deduce that if someone is in a commercial vehicle talking on a cell phone for a short span of time that they were probably using the phone for business purposes.

I don't think the same can be said for the women/ girls that I observed in many different situations , none of which involved driving and talking in a commercial vehicle.

No female has answered my question as to why the need to conduct their private business in public places.

Dolph        :)

Yes, I think we have a pretty good handle on your ability to deduce things. [roll]

How do you know he's not calling up the wife to find out what's for dinner that night?


Again those amazing deduction skills.  You know that most business executives don't drive marked commercial vehicles, right?  You are just making assumptions and guesses.


How do you know that any of us do such a thing?

BTW if you are actually able to tell (and not guess) that the women are having personal and not business conversations because you can read lips, then you are obviously spending too much time staring and drooling at them.

Get those eyes back on the road! ;)

My g/f is a sales rep and she does local sales and she talks on her cell phone in her personal car while she is out on her way to a customer's place of business IF she receives a call .

She tells me she DOESN"T make out going calls but I'm not so sure about that .

I am not sexist.

I like women . I just don't understand the constant use of the cell phone in the cage , the grocery, the Doctors office, the gas station, the pharmacy, or walking down the street for that matter. ?

What the heck did they do before cell phones ? How did women exist ?

Kind of like emails and faxes at work.

How did we all get our jobs done ?

Dolph      :)

Making unfounded assumptions and generalizations about women's vs men's behavior is sexist.
Liking women doesn't make you not sexist.

I work with a lot of male sales reps.  They talk on their cell phones all the time, while walking, while driving, while visiting a customer.

Yet I don't assume that all males are on cell phones all the time.  That would be a sexist assumption.

Paula, your points are well taken.

Out in sophisticated San Fran there probably are a lot of business types in personal cages making business related phone calls from their cages.

I live ten minutes from Appalachia and there are a lot of hill billy types all around me and I think they find cell phones to be these marvelous inventions that keep them in contact with their life .

They can now be connected to their loved ones who are a whole mile away to find out if JR. took a crap or little Jmmy ate all his cheerios, or if the cage blows up again they can have someone come to their rescue.

I've also noticed women use cell phones instead of shopping lists  at the grocery.

Dolph

I answer calls for my business in my personal car. I own my own business, I drive an unmarked car (my own), and I talk on my phone conducting business calls. Now, if some jackass sees me from another car or a bike, I MUST be chatting away with my mom, or my BFF or whatever right?

Your assumption that any woman talking on a cell phone can't POSSIBLY be conducting business or doing anything important vs. a MAN talking on a cell phone must ALWAYS be doing something productive and business-like is idiotic.

I don't believe I made that statement that exact way.

I believe I predicated it with examples .

Dolph

<mod hat>
Unless someone wants to generalize about the cell phone habits of deers, talking while grazing, and whether deer horns make them drop reception, I do believe this thread should get back on track.
</mod hat>

Dear God, Dolph. <Where's the shaking head smiley?>
You lead with your chin, don't you, brother?  ;D

Deer, the plural for deer is deer.  :D

So what have we learned ?

Deer whistles don't seem to work most of the time and most of the time most of the cell phone used on the public roadways is by females having lots of conversations about what I am not sure.

These cell phone observations are my own observed over a period of a month.

I must be on to something since the Feds are considering a ban on cell phone use in vehicles.

I rest my case.

Dolph

Someone lock this before the womenfolk kill Dolph.

+1
Wait, if they get you, can I have the 1098r, Dolph?  [evil]

I saw about 8 deer today and not a single one of the does was chatting on the phone. [cheeky]

" Know the truth and the truth shall set you free !"

Sorry, the " R " is already spoken for in case of my demise.

Dolph

They were probably plotting to kill me next time I'm on a bike.

Deer communicate with their tails .

That's where the Whitetail Deer got it's name.

They show the white underside of their tails when they flee as a sign to the other Deer to do likewise.  
    
Dolph       :)

Shouldn't we call them "frenchtail deer" then?  :P

a good idea  [thumbsup]

I almost hit a deer in my Jeep but said deer had ducaholic whistles and I got scared and stopped. 

Do they imitate that noise your wife makes when you just screwed up?

No not when I screw up, just the noise she makes in general.

Motorcycle Hits Deer @ 85 mph, Helmet Cam 6-28-09 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZAjJ-g0UDw#ws-normal)

That was a pretty good size deer he took out.

mmmm.... deer jerky.

Yeah, I hope someone stopped and loaded that thing up.

I'm thinking the guy sitting there on the Desmosedici when he came back around was just thinking " God I'm just glad I didn't hit it". As I'm sure everyone was, but could you imagine that insurance claim total?   Yikes!

While travelling through Alaska I met someone who hit a caribou who's bike did not fare as well although he did keep it upright as well.  Luck and good riding skills I guess.  Warning: some of the pics are graphic.

http://albums.noblequest.org/main.php?g2_itemId=3618&g2_page=3 (http://albums.noblequest.org/main.php?g2_itemId=3618&g2_page=3)

Damn!!

Oh, silly me.  I forgot to mention that one of the riders said he did have deer whistles on his bike.  They apparently do NOT work with caribou.  FWTW

duuuuh. you need a caribou whistle for that.

My point exactly.   ;)

Maybe a Moose whistle will work on Deer ?

Dolph      :)

Proficient motorcycling
page 168

A couple points.(not word for word)
The deer whistle is a different freq than humans hear....so how do you know if its working?
What about when a bug flies into the whistle? That will silence it.
Is the whistle loud enough to be heard by a deer a few hundred feet away over the tire roar and engine noise from the cars on the road?

Ok, lets assume the deer hears the whistle...
whats the message? a collision warning, a mating call, a challenge to fight, or an annoyance?
lets assume the deers thinks "collision warning" when it hears the whistle. Does the deer know which way to run? into the woods or right across your path? When was the last time you saw a deer run predictably? Ive never seen that happen.


The only "proof" I have that they work is the company selling them saying they do. I dont know about you, but I dont buy stuff because the people selling it say it works. I prefer opinions come from people who arent looking to make money off of me.

Steven.

Can one put a wolf whistle on a bike?

I usually just lift my visor and whistle loudly when I see an attractive lady, no special contraptions needed to wolf-whistle.

Knowing where you live, there's no shortage.

You are now the leading authority of whistling.  [laugh]   ... No really.