Need deer protection!!

On my way home the other night about 11:00 pm I hit a doe. The bike and I are just fine. I got her in the back legs as she shot in front of me on a woods edged road. All that hit her was the front tire, and all I got was hair on the front fender. I just spun her around. She got right back up and ran off.
My guardian angel was flying with me!!
Now, since I have changed my shorts, I am all about looking for the brightest headlights I can put on the bike.
Any suggestions?
How about the deer alert "whistles", do they work?
Thanks in advance for any advice, good, bad, hopefully funny and otherwise!

You definitely had your Guardian Angel. :083:
I speak on behalf of most, on this thread please DO NOT post pictures of your shorts :yikes:

I hit my first deer in Pennsylvania. :yikes: #2 in California:yikes: Deer whistle? Not sure in Pennsylvania first bike had them, however I was bike 3. Maybe if the whistles are mounted backwards the deer would run away?

Go with H.I.D.... at least you will be able to see their sad face as you hit them!!!!! There is a board member selling a great set for 1/2 price...look in "for sale"

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Originally Posted by Pap

How about the deer alert "whistles", do they work?
Thanks in advance for any advice, good, bad, hopefully funny and otherwise!

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Sure glad to hear your OK,
As for Deer Whistles,

My experience with those "Deer Whistles"
showed me they are useless.
When I was an over the road truck driver I lost count how many deer I hit, I put a set on a couple of my trucks but it made no difference. I have hit a few deer with every truck I had. I am sure they hear a 425hp CAT screaming down the road with 18 tires growling away, the problem seems to be that if they are already running you will not stop or redirect them. Deer are totally unpredictable!!!
When deer get 'light' in their eyes at night they usually either freeze or run.. and if they run, then just a motorcycle rider, they go where they look... and what is it they can see? Yup, the light. Which puts us on a collision coarse with them. I have also noticed that blowing a horn often times produces a reaction from the deer, but due to the unpredictability, but you never know what the reaction will be.

as always ..just my 2 cents and barely worth that!!

If you should happen to install the deer whistles on backwards, you'll have a herd of deer chasing you down the highway !!!

I'd mount one on top of each front turn signal, that'll look cool

maybe a set of curb feelers off each saddlebag too

I put deer whistles on all my vehicles, including my F6B. All I can say is that I see fewer animals at night with them than without them. Before I put the latest batch on my daughter's car, I blew them in the house. The dog and the cat went nuts, so they must do something. I figure they might work sometimes and not always. And they only work at speeds of 40 mph and higher. But they are so cheap that there's no reason not to use them.

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Originally Posted by DMAGOLDRDR

Sure glad to hear your OK,
As for Deer Whistles,

My experience with those "Deer Whistles"
showed me they are useless.
When I was an over the road truck driver I lost count how many deer I hit, I put a set on a couple of my trucks but it made no difference. I have hit a few deer with every truck I had. I am sure they hear a 425hp CAT screaming down the road with 18 tires growling away, the problem seems to be that if they are already running you will not stop or redirect them. Deer are totally unpredictable!!!
When deer get 'light' in their eyes at night they usually either freeze or run.. and if they run, then just a motorcycle rider, they go where they look... and what is it they can see? Yup, the light. Which puts us on a collision coarse with them. I have also noticed that blowing a horn often times produces a reaction from the deer, but due to the unpredictability, but you never know what the reaction will be.

as always ..just my 2 cents and barely worth that!!

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I would have to agree with you. but as stated so cheap worth a shot I guess. I put two on after a couple of close calls but still see the antlered rodents every where.

After covering close to a million miles in 4 wheeled vehicles and over 800,000 on 2 wheels I almost always installed deer alerts. Except a couple of years ago when I was commuting on my Wife's Suzuki B-King when I hit a "deer out of nowhere" and spent 3 days in the hospital. Needless to say I have them on the F6B. I am not sure they work but it can't hurt. Make sure to read the installation instructions because you are not supposed to just stick them on top or sides of the front fender. Very specific installation on cars and trucks too.

If you choose to run deer whistles, be sure to clean the bugs out. One bug no work!:cheers:

I think I will at least go with the deer wistles. Can't hurt , and they are inexpensive.
As for the curb detectors, I would use them if they would shower sparks in the corners!

If I end up riding early evening, I look for a car to follow. I figure a car can plow the roads better than I can.

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Originally Posted by RoadWeary

If I end up riding early evening, I look for a car to follow. I figure a car can plow the roads better than I can.

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I teach that technique to students....
Steve

I have been using the hornet deer whistle and have seen deer
stop grassing and look around as I pass by.
When a deer hears a abnormal sound he usually stops
what he is doing to look for the sound for just a brief
second before he runs that second could enough time to
react to avoid a collision.

I think nothing phases them in Bailey. You drive by and they continue to munch in the ditch by the sides of the road. They even take naps in the shade near our house project with all the noise going on!

I try NOT to ride on Country Roads at night, and if I have to; I wait for a car or truck to get on their ass and stay there until I get to my exit. In our part of the the country we have lots of deer, whitetail and axxis, and ferrell hogs and the occasional loose cow or steer. They will ruin your day for sure.

They sell the same things here in Australia to protect against colision with kangaroos. I have them on all my vehicles and have never seen a kangaroo standing by the side of the road with its paws over it's ears.

I beleive they have more of a placebo efect on the vehicle owner rather than a deterent to animals.

After hitting three deer over the years while driving a fire truck with lights flashing, siren blaring and using the air horns when I saw them, I am convinced that some silly little plastic silent dog whistle device isn't going to do anything other than giving one a sense of false security.

There are an abundance of forest rats around me mostly due to loss of habitat from the expansion of suburbia and the lack of many local predators. It's just a percentage game when your going to end up in the exact same place they are at the exact same time.

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Originally Posted by Dave Ritsema

After hitting three deer over the years while driving a fire truck with lights flashing, siren blaring and using the air horns when I saw them, I am convinced that some silly little plastic silent dog whistle device isn't going to do anything other than giving one a sense of false security.

There are an abundance of forest rats around me mostly due to loss of habitat from the expansion of suburbia and the lack of many local predators. It's just a percentage game when your going to end up in the exact same place they are at the exact same time.

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+1
I too have had them jump out in front of the fire truck at night (lights siren and air horn all going)...

Hitting a deer is like hitting the lottery, you never know when it's gonna happen & the only way you can prevent it is by "not playing".... Or in this case, not riding

As for brighter lights, the only thing that will do is to blind the deer. They are primarily a nocturnal animal and over the centuries their eyes have adapted to "night vision". They see better at night than we do in the daytime. Bright lights blind and confuse them so if they react to the whistles at all they can't see where they're going. I don't ride or drive at night unless absolutely necessary but when I do my eyes are constantly panning back and forth. It's just a crapshoot. :shock:

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Originally Posted by FF-Ed

+1
I too have had them jump out in front of the fire truck at night (lights siren and air horn all going)...

Hitting a deer is like hitting the lottery, you never know when it's gonna happen & the only way you can prevent it is by "not playing".... Or in this case, not riding

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Well, since it is quite hard to hit the lottery, I might have had my "win" then. Hope to never win again!! Lol !!!

[QUOTE=six2go;49938]As for brighter lights, the only thing that will do is to blind the deer.

I'm fine with blinding the deer. Just wanting to find something to find them quicker. With the rut starting here, just this week alone, I've had two buck walk right in front of me while looking at me the entire time. They are getting to their "stupid" season now. :yikes:

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Originally Posted by six2go

As for brighter lights, the only thing that will do is to blind the deer.

I'm fine with blinding the deer. Just wanting to find something to find them quicker. With the rut starting here, just this week alone, I've had two buck walk right in front of me while looking at me the entire time. They are getting to their "stupid" season now. :yikes:

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Have deer always been attracted to you? :icon_lol:
Ever since I nailed one on my van, they just sneer at me and walk away....slowly.
I think it's a "mob" thing. :icon_mrgreen:
Be safe,
Steve

I think it's a "mob" thing. :icon_mrgreen:

I believe you may be right. They taunt you and hope you will get out of the vehicle. Then the ones that are hiding in the woods come out and stomp you!!
Deer are wicked:icon_twisted:

Last Sunday I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway in SW VA. Had 3 different near encounters with one or more deer standing in the road. This was late morning. I was mostly doing the 45 mph speed limit or a little more as I know it is deer time of year on the roads around here. I was able to slowdown with plenty of time to spare.

I noticed something though. They were all surprised. I don't think they heard me coming. I guess because the F6B is so quiet. The effect of this was they were not already spooked and running when I got close to them. That's a lot better than finding yourself in the middle of a herd of deer that are already moving in random directions because they heard you 3 seconds ago but couldn't see where you were.

They just looked up at the headlights. Then they were almost casual about running all in the same general direction off the road away the lights. These encounters were easier to manage if you ask me and less stressful. They didn't panic. I didn't panic. No one got hurt. It was a good day.

The best deer warning is your own intuition. It's not just about watching for blinking eyes in the hi beams or mountain passes when the deer are coming off the elevations in the cooler weather. You have to ride with all your senses at 100%, including your sixth sense. I can 't tell you the number of times I've slowed down based on a gut feeling or inner guidance to find deer around the bend or on the road. I learned the hard way to follow my gut feeling, but I learned and am still around to talk about it.

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Originally Posted by 53driver

I teach that technique to students....
Steve

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For me three years ago that didn't work deer
didn't wont to play with Jeep Cherokee but head butted me in ribs!

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Originally Posted by fxdl2051

The best deer warning is your own intuition. It's not just about watching for blinking eyes in the hi beams or mountain passes when the deer are coming off the elevations in the cooler weather. You have to ride with all your senses at 100%, including your sixth sense. I can 't tell you the number of times I've slowed down based on a gut feeling or inner guidance to find deer around the bend or on the road. I learned the hard way to follow my gut feeling, but I learned and am still around to talk about it.

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I'll agree with that. Works on the Police too. :icon_biggrin:

Why do cars think it's funny to honk at deer?

Returning home from Cripple Creek just before dusk last Sunday, we were riding about 100 yds behind a car, when I see brake lights and notice the eyes of a big doe and 2 yearlings grazing 20-30' off the road in a field ahead to our right, minding their own business! We slowed down and sure enough, the car in front of us honks and mama spooks and runs right across the road in front of the car ("Look Junior, its a deer!") and of course, the twins try to follow! The car speeds up and leaves, but thankfully the F6B has better brakes and horn than my old HD! I blipped the horn repeatedly, flashed the lights hi and low and apparently the yearlings heard and saw me, stopped and they stayed put in the ditch, as we crept by them! Sheesh! That could have been ugly, as I've had deer actually run in to the side of cars before!

:017:

How do you prevent other motorcycles from jumping in front of you ? :shock:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FIbgBAhtbw

Bikenado????

I have used deer whistles, do they work, I honestly don't know. What I do know is one of mine fell off in my garage and I tried to blow threw it...no way as it was full of sand and probably bugs. So "if" you use them, keep them washed out....but then how are you going to test them cause you cant hear them anyway!!
I agree with several other posts, at night, on country roads, get behind a car or truck at a safe distance and use them as a shield. I ride out in the remote country in central florida in the late evenings before dard and there are a lot of deer and hogs but I ride about 35-40 on two lane roads just to relax so I don't sweat hitting a deer or hog. But if you have to be someplace, get on the tail of a car or truck late evening or night why take a chance, not worth it..

[QUOTE=Pap;50024]

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Originally Posted by six2go

.. With the rut starting here, just this week alone, I've had two buck walk right in front of me while looking at me the entire time. They are getting to their "stupid" season now. :yikes:

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When are they NOT in their "stupid season"?

Two months ago, my husband had two encounters in the mid-morning with stupid deer in the middle of US-285! They were almost close enough to reach out and slap them.. they were aware of the big red wing the whole time.

A similar product is sold in Australia as a "Shoo Roo" with pretty much the same sort of success as already mentioned (in case you ever get a mob of Kangaroos suddenly appearing on your roads).

A guy I know reckons he's got the Roos worked out and if he travels at 120km/h (what's that...about 70mph) he's past them before they try and work out what's happening.

BUT.....he is driving a 3 Tonne vehicle that belongs to the Government and is impervious to floods, hail, tall gutters and stumps (apparently) and of course Kangaroos .:icon_rolleyes:

I will probably have to get another set of the whistles for my F6. I have a new set but remember scanning the mounting instructions ,didnt put them on my Hurricane, found them again but dont have the instructions(d'uh)
My experience though, riding at night is that when I have seen deer, I blow the horn and they run away.
My plan on that since I love 'my' mountains at night is to find the best and brightest lights for the lower cowl, install the whistles,stay alert and yeah,keep riding....

I also drive trucks for a living hitting a deer is like the lotto and have seen many vechicles with alerts on them hit deer. Sorry don't feel they really work.