Date: Fri, 12 Oct 2001 17:05:31 -0700
Reply-To: Jim Arnott <jrasite@EONI.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Arnott <jrasite@EONI.COM>
Subject: Re: Deer Strike & Stories
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From: <http://www.usroads.com/journals/rmj/9705/rm970503.htm>
Whistles and Other Noisemakers
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.
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.
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.
Your mileage *might* vary, but not by much...
Jim Arnott
List Admin
WetWesties