If you have ever driven through the country, chances are you have seen a group of deer and the deer have seen you. With this fact duly noted, why are there so many car/deer accidents?
Part of the problem lies with people trying to understand the mentality of this species. We don't understand why a deer would run out in front of a moving vehicle as if it didn't exist. It is not fair to say that this animal is stupid or that they cannot see or hear because we know that this is not true. After all, they will run from you if you are stalking them with a gun in hand.
For argument's sake, let's just assume that deer live in their own little world and we are not suppose to be a part of it. When hunting deer, their sense of smell alerts them that there is an intruder. For some strange reason that we do not understand, they do not smell a vehicle that leads us to the car/deer accidents.
There have been hundreds of studies conducted as to the pros and cons of deer horns or deer whistles, a device that is mounted on the front bumper of your car that emits an ultrasonic sound by the car's motion as the wind passes through it. I have read some of these studies and have come to one conclusion. People cannot think like a deer no matter how many studies there are. One study, conducted by the State Police Department in Ohio concluded that there were more accidents over a period of five years once the horns were placed on their vehicles. Another study, conducted by the County of Modoc Road Department of Alturas, California, reports that after handing out 1648 electronic deer whistles to vehicle owners over a period of two years, that there was not one single car/deer accident with those participating.
The conclusion is that if the horns work for you, use them. The cost ranges from $10 to $30. I have personally had very good luck with them and buy as gifts even though they often bring a giggle from the recipient. What I have found is that the deer will stop and look at you instead of darting across the road as if you were not there. I don't know why, I am not a deer. I just know that deer horns/whistles work for me and for everyone else that has tried them.
