Deer Whistle's

One Monday night while returning home from Pleasantville IA, Harry and Bev, Mark and Carroll, Jan and myself were traveling the notoriously bad stretch of Highway 28 or 63rd Street, North of Army Post  road (Des Moines IA) and South of the Raccoon River. I use the phrase notoriously bad because although the road is a new four lane divided highway, there are many deer-vehicles accidents on this road.

           Harry gave me a shout on the CB asking me what I thought about vehicle deer whistles. I told him I don’t use deer whistles nor do I have any faith in them, but I really don’t have any valid reasons for feeling this way.  So I thought I’d do a little research on them and share the information with the club members.

           There are two types of manufactured deer whistles, the older style air-velocity deer whistle, in which you must be moving at speeds of 30 mph or higher before they will work properly, and the new electronic style deer whistle which works at any speed. Both whistles are supposed to produce a high frequency sound.

           Manufactures of deer whistles contend deer can hear the whistle up to a quarter mile away. However, no published research verifies the whistles effectiveness or the manufacturers claim.

           Deer-vehicle collisions are a large problem, estimated to cause 1.2 billion dollars in damage to people and property annually in the United States. In Iowa, during the year 2000 there were 7800 deer vehicle crashes resulting in 600 personal injuries and 2 deaths.

           In my research for this article I found no documentation that deer whistles work.  According to James B. Kea, Area Special Agent with North Carolina Forest Resources, deer whistles do not work. He claims driving cautiously and a good blast on your vehicles horn will scare the deer in the opposite direction.  Remember deer usually travel in pairs, so if one crosses the road in front of you another deer will likely follow.  Mr. Kea states information published by both Washington and Oregon State Universities, Cooperative Extension Services, show that tests by state police in Utah, Georgia and Wisconsin that, deer whistles are ineffective.

           The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety presented evidence refuting claims promoting the deer whistles.  Georgia’s Game and Fish Dept. found that in hundreds of observations from vehicles equipped with deer whistles, deer didn’t respond.  According to wildlife biologist neither deer nor humans can hear ultrasonic sound.  Whistles blown by mouth near captive deer produce no response. At the web site, Ask a Scientist, Biology Archive, it states “deer have a relatively low range or hearing similar to cows”,

putting the high frequency deer whistle, out of the range of a deer’s hearing.

           An Iowa safety bulletin produced by the Iowa/Minnesota AAA and the Iowa Department of Public Safety, does not recommend, suggest or even mention the use of deer whistles as a safety tool to prevent deer-vehicle crashes.  They suggest using common sense, look for deer at all times, especially at dusk & dawn. And to slow down and be extremely cautious where deer crossing signs are posted.

           In conclusion if you think deer whistles work or you want them anyway, just as an extra precautionary measure, don’t depend on them. Don’t let down your guard, but remember to stay alert and keep an eye open for deer.

Ride safe,

Jerry DeGan