IMHO I believe that there is the distinct possibility that deer whistles do
nothing but your mind thinks that they do. In other words, the application of
the whistles and the observation that deer and other critters vacate the road
area may be an illusory relationship. I remember thinking, after installing
my first pair of deer whistlers on my 69B daily driver, how all the deer
seemed to be leaping away from me as hurled on down the road. Later, while
driving the land battleship (93 Chevy Caprice station wagon), without the
benefit of the deer whistlers, I began to notice the same phenomenon. The
point is that once I installed the whistlers on my lbc my perception and
expectations changed - not the deer's behavior!! Next time you are driving in
a deer area at dusk or when it is dark (a daily event here in the PA/NJ area),
please note that most of the deer you encounter either dash off into the woods
or ignore you altogether. This does not mean that on occasion, a deer will
not (a double negative) get lost in your headlights and in the confusion that
follows, end up in your car's path. All it means is that I do not believe the
deer whistles work - what BMW is up to may be a different story. Now, does
anyone else out there think that their car runs better on a full tank of gas -
especially after a fresh fill up?????
Jest a dumb hick from deer country,
Dr. Doug
69 C Rdst (no deer whistle - but if it helps the car run better I will install
a pair)
69 C GT (going to fill up the tank real soon)
69 B Rdst (deer whistle - never hit by deer - proof that the devise must
work!!!)
71 B GT (4 sale - will throw in a pair of deer whistles and a full tank)
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net On Behalf Of Nolan Penney
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 1997 11:50 AM
To: EMILY COWEN
Cc: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Whistles on Cars? Could it have been April 1?
>> I know a popular item where there are a lot of deer are these little
>> black plastic things that you mount on your front bumper or behind the
>> grill so air can blow through them. Supposedly the sound, which I think
>
>I've got two on my B.
Problem with mounting them is that they require air to flow through them.
Mounted on a
bumper, very little air actually flows through. They are instead in a
relatively
static pocket of high pressure air. You'd have to mount them on a pole stuck
up severl
feet to get the air to flow through them, and they require an air velocity or
at least
30-40 mph to operate.
>> is inaudible to humans, is very irritating to deer and will drive them
>
>The sound is ultrasonic. I don't know if the sound is irritating, but I
>know that the higher the pitch, the more directional the sound appears.
>That gives the deer a chance to track your approach.
As deer cannot hear above roughly 15khz, ultrasonic sounds are as silent to
them as
they are to you and I.
>> away. I can't really say if they actually work or not. I've never used
>
>Each time I've encountered deer at the side of the road, they've gone
>back into the bush, NOT run across the road. Same thing with rabbits.
That's the rub. While what I just said above is scientificly and factually
true,
people that have the units have seen good results by and large. Seems that
technically
it cannot work, but seems that they may. But, I also would like to point out
that many
of the deer and other critters I encounter with my car also skedadle away,
without the
use of any deer whistle, functional or not.
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