I live in Wisconsin which is a haven for free roaming deer. I also worked for the state patrol and if any agency had multiple encounters with deer it was us. It got to the point that I began to hate deer because they had absolutely no common sense or fear of motor vehicles. At almost any time of the year they would appear in front of your vehicle, but the fall rut was the worst. Typically early morning just prior to sunup or late evening just after sundown was the most active active movement time for deer. Many years ago we did a study of deer whistles that were available at the time and we found none that worked. We did not have any powered deer alerts at the time. I would love to see a legitimate test of those electric whistles to see if they work, but I doubt they do much.
The best defense for avoiding deer is to slow down and watch the sides of the road you are on for movement of any sort. Keep your eyes moving unless you see something. Be extra careful/watchful in areas where deer crossing signs are posted. They don't install those signs for no good reason. Generally speaking once a deer takes to run you are not going to stop it or the others with it. You can try to blow your horn or whatever else you may have, but normally speaking they will NOT stop their run. Remember too that their traction is very limited on paved surfaces so even if they wanted to stop or change direction they can't do this very well. How many other animals will run straight into the side of your vehicle??
If you keep a sharp eye out for deer and remember there is always more than just one you are already ahead of the game. Watch how fast you are going and how close you are following another vehicle. Just because the sign says 70 MPH doesn't mean you have to go 70 at sunset or dawn. You can slow down a bit. And that car in front of you may hammer his brakes to avoid a deer and you certainly don't want to run into the back of him while you are watching the sides of the road you are on. Ride safe and ride smart, but until I see proof an electrically operated deer alert works it's nothing more than a gimmick to me.
Rick H.
The best defense for avoiding deer is to slow down and watch the sides of the road you are on for movement of any sort. Keep your eyes moving unless you see something. Be extra careful/watchful in areas where deer crossing signs are posted. They don't install those signs for no good reason. Generally speaking once a deer takes to run you are not going to stop it or the others with it. You can try to blow your horn or whatever else you may have, but normally speaking they will NOT stop their run. Remember too that their traction is very limited on paved surfaces so even if they wanted to stop or change direction they can't do this very well. How many other animals will run straight into the side of your vehicle??
If you keep a sharp eye out for deer and remember there is always more than just one you are already ahead of the game. Watch how fast you are going and how close you are following another vehicle. Just because the sign says 70 MPH doesn't mean you have to go 70 at sunset or dawn. You can slow down a bit. And that car in front of you may hammer his brakes to avoid a deer and you certainly don't want to run into the back of him while you are watching the sides of the road you are on. Ride safe and ride smart, but until I see proof an electrically operated deer alert works it's nothing more than a gimmick to me.
Rick H.
