Beware of Bambi

[tis]

Wife & I were out on Trike the other night and a Deer jumped right out in front of us. I"ve had them cut across in front of me before, but this was the closest I've been to actually hitting one. It happened so fast and close, my wife did'nt see it till it came out on other side of Trike. I braked and steered left and was suprised that I did miss it. You really have to watch your surroundings. Lord was with us .

[Nana]

Whew! That was too close! So thankful you are both ok! Your guardian angels were working overtime, I think

[Ozarkryder]

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. Unfortunatly.
I was lucky, riding in the UP of Michigan years ago some deer decided they had to cross the road just when I got there, I was only going 20 or 30, but they ran accross too close to stop. I hit a fawn, not too much damage to the bike, didn't even go down, still don't know how I kept it uprigt. The fawn bounced up and went on off to the woods.

On a Goldwing board based in Ireland there is a thread about those deer whistles hundreds of pages long. The subject comes up every so often in other threads on that board, and the general consensus is that deer alerts either do nothing, or if they do they scare the deer, the alerts don't tell the deer which way to run so there is a 50-50 chance they will run out in front of you anyway.

And as my Dad used to say, "Where Bambi goes, nothing grows."

[Trikerjim]

Got a brand new set of those "whistles" in the package out in my shop that someone gave me once. I think of them as a pellet gun on safari. "Don't shoot him with that, you'll only make him MAD"....:eek: Tis, glad you're ok my friend.

[DJS]

Being in the UP, we have that problem day and night, no matter what the time is up here,you have to be constantly alert :yes:

[BlueTrinity]

I'm always baffled by why we have arguments about deer whistles.

I have been lectured and chastised many times and even told how stupid I was because "they don't work". I just tell that if you don't believe in then don't use them.

It's your choice...simple as that.

I have used them for years on my bikes, trike, cars and trucks and would not consider riding without them.

Do they work? I'm betting on it, but I’ve got to admit that I never had a deer tell me they don't. I do know that I've never seen deer whistles on any vehicle (cycle or otherwise) that had struck a deer.

I also know that I hit a deer once (without whistles) and I don't want that experience again.

If all they do is "scare the deer", then I'm satisfied and my hillbilly logic and experience tells me that when something scares them, the deer runs AWAY from what scars them, never towards it.

But there I go, arguing a point, so I guess I'm as guilty as anyone else.

Ride safe!

[John Luciano]

when I worked in a body shop were replaces front bumpers with deer whistles stuck on them
1) They have to be used in pairs
2) They have to allow air to pass thru them.( Rear can't be blocked)
3 They only work in excess of 35 MPH

So we see a lot of deer on our back roads and a lot of times on curves.
Not saying they don't work if properly installed but have seen them on smashed cars that hit deer. Yes I have read many articles on they work and they don't. It is like praying I don't know for a fact that he is listening to me , but if I don't pray he sure can't hear me.

[BlueTrinity]

You are right John,

And if they reduce my chances by only 50%, it's $10 well spent.

If they don't work at all, I'm only out 10 bucks and it started a lot of conversations.

[saybel]

Where I live, deer are as thick as flees on a Florida dog. My biggest concern when riding, even more than wn on a cell phone.