Do those little things you put on your front bumper help to scare away deer?

Blowing the Whistle on Deer Scare Devices

Ultrasonic whistles mounted on vehicle bumpers emit a shrill tone when air passes through them as the vehicle travels over thirty miles per hour. Manufacturers claim these whistles are audible to deer (but not to humans) and effective in frightening deer from the roadway. The whistle is about two inches long and bullet shaped. In 1990, according to The New York Times NATIONAL, deer whistles cost about $25, and such groups as the California, Iowa, and Kansas state police were using them on their patrol cars.

A University of Wisconsin study found that three types of whistle did produce low-pitched and ultrasonic sounds at speeds of 30 to 70 miles per hour; however, researchers were unable to verify that deer responded to the sounds, even at distances well below the distances from which manufacturers claim the whistles are heard. Moreover, deer would only be able to hear the whistles if there were a straight shot between the deer and the whistle. If curves, trees, or other obstacles came between the deer and the whistle, the device would be ineffective.

According to an article called "Blowing the Whistle on Deer Scare Devices" in the Mid-February 1993 Farm Journal, the Ohio State Police installed deer whistles on their patrol vehicles; however, they reported finding no significant decrease in collisions between patrol cars and deer. The same article indicated that a panel of the World Society for the Protection of Animals could find no data proving "that such a device can actually stop an animal crossing the road, which is the main purpose of the device." Finally, Washington State University researcher Leonard Askham felt the evidence tended to favor a conclusion that deer whistles do not work. "Even if the devices were effective," Askham warned, "they would soon become clogged with insects and dirt and stop working."

The New York Times NATIONAL described a different, creative way to use sound to frighten deer and other animals off the road and out of the path of oncoming vehicles. The article explained:

Before he discovered deer whistles, a supervisor for an Arkansas utility came up with his own plan to scare deer off dark country roads. He taped the barking of his neighbors' dogs, rigged an amplified speaker to the front of his truck and then broadcast the tape as he cruised down highways.

But he abandoned the scheme, amid concern that the barking was not only scaring deer, but awakening residents of southern Arkansas.

While manufacturers contend deer can hear the whistle up to a quarter mile away, no published research verifies the device's effectiveness. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety presented evidence refuting claims promoting the whistles:

Georgia's Game and Fish Department, for example, found that in hundreds of observations from vehicles equipped with deer whistles, deer didn't respond. Whistles on vehicles going 25-30 mph produced no ultrasonic sound, although some ultrasonic and lower frequencies were produced when the whistles were blown by mouth. According to wildlife biologists at the University of Georgia, neither deer nor humans can hear ultrasonic sound. Whistles blown by mouth near captive deer produce no response.

Deer Scarer For Cars

I deleted them, but I used to have photos on my geocities website that showed deer and cows grazing in the same pasture on the farm that my grandparents owned. I have never done it, but I have heard of numerous stories where people have been able to ride right up to deer on horseback. Many states probibit deer hunting from horseback, because deer do not have a natural fear of them...and the deer really can't tell the difference between a horse and a horse with rider on it.