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I used to get a lot of cars in the shop with them that hit deer so I would say they don't work.
Most people do not hit the deer the deer hit them. they stand on the side of the road in the brush and just as you get to them they jump, sometimes in front of the car sometimes in the side. Most people don't even see them until its over.
True I had two run into me once. One rolled over the hood and the other hit the door. Never did find either one of them but they did $2500 in damage to my wife's car!
I'll gaurantee that after the moose are shot at from every road they cross for two weeks they may think twice about crossing that road for a while. I know the deer out back disappear shortly after the season opens.
Ok, so I'll try to drag this back on topic since the points being made are so ridiculous now.
The article is sad. Those two little kids lost their dad in that accident.
So, is there anything that can be done to be safer on the roads up there? We've got deer here but they seem to stay off the side of the road. The ones I've passed just stand and watch as I drive by them. I try to keep the speeds down but if one ran in front of me there's not much I could do I guess. Maybe I shouldn't be driving matchbox sized cars. Hmmmmmmm
Yes, there IS a way to be safer. Drive slower as soon as dusk hits. Use your high beams whenever possible. Drive a bigger car. Know the road (if possible), and where the "hot spots" are for moose crossings. And more than anything else, PAY ATTENTION. That alone has saved my neck a few times, as I had time to hit the brakes or swerve.
Does anyone remember the stick on "deer whistles" they used to sell? You stuck them on your bumper and supposedly they made a high pitched noise that only deer coud hear. The idea was that deer were irritated by the noise and would go off in the opposite direction. Do they work??? I have no clue. Are there Moose whistles on the market?? Could be a business oppurtunity here??
Mod Note:
The real question is if you put the whistle on backwards, will it then actually attract a deer?
On a more serious note, while I, and more importantly, City Data, encourage open, sincere discussion, the site does not permit trolling or deliberately posting material designed to provoke reaction.
When a member who is admittedly from another geographical area and has no knowledge of the topic animal repeatedly posts provocative material in a thread, it would seem certain Terms of Service standards are being ignored.
By all means continue the discussion amongst members with a knowledge base of the topic, but please use Report Post to bring questionable posts to the attention of the moderators.
We also have the ongoing moose conundrum here in VT. There isn't a year that goes by that we don't see a moose collision/fatality in our local paper. Several years ago I came this >< close to one before first light of day. He sailed right past my driver's side window. A miss may be as good as a mile, but it does shake you up a bit to know that you came very close at 40-45 mph. I'm guessing at the speed. It was patchy fog that a.m. I too, have had moose trotting in front of the car at night using the headlights to show them the way. You just can't see them until you're almost on top of them.
I do believe everything written above regarding night driving is spot on. Slow down, know the area, stay focused, use high beams, etc. and while the jury may be out on whistles, I notice they are still sold at most auto stores for about 5 bucks. I use them. The one car that I forgot to put them on hit a deer this summer. Pretty narrow data, I know, but still...
So... here's my very wacky idea regarding safety.
Why can't game wardens and perhaps others who tag animals for research do a little tagging with the moose population? More specifically, leave a tag that drivers can see at night. Something that is reflective - like a band around their neck, or legs. It may be quite an undertaking and I don't see why hunters couldn't help out if they were inclined or given incentive. I think it's doable. Obviously they wouldn't come close to getting the entire herd, but even if they got a fair percentage it would translate to safer nighttime driving.
I'm certain this type of service wouldn't come free and wouldn't expect it to. I would gladly pay my share for a worthy cause. Consider it a road tax. My wife drives to work for 11 p.m. 5 nights a week and has only a couple more years to go. She travels through plenty of back country along the way and I say a little prayer for her each time. I think that reflective collars on large animals could make that drive just a little more secure.
It's amazing how even an 8mm mauser rifle and a .44 revolver on your side feel tiny when you find a grumpy moose...
i once was told a story by a family member who worked for state police as a trooper back in late 60s era ..he was telling us about a state trooper who was stoped on the side of the road after takeing a bathroom break in the woods up in a remote area in northern remote rural county road ..after going into the woods for the quick bathroom break and was sitting on the side of the road doing paperwork. when a large bull elk thought the trooper had stayed long enough in the area and head butted the car with his antlers a couple times in the rear of the trooper car the trooper thought about getting out of the car for second and then he had the thought that he did not have enough handgun with him at the time to put down a large bull elk that was in heat at the time and left in a hurry getting out of the path of the bull elk .....one of my family members who was a state trooper and was telling us about the trooper for my family member who had the state trooper car repair order in hand.. when we where all laughing about the encounter for we have all had encounters with elks or deers that just seam to be a bad mood and they where going to make sure you got out of the area after your encounters with them ..
my encounter with a deer who thought my truck front bull bumper was a rubbing spot for him to rub up againest to get at a spot on his body..
we had a guy who did not listen to us about slowing down around corners in the backcountry when he hit a elk and had come through the windshield when he came back to the corner store he was covered in blood and we thought he was hurt it was all the elk blood on him..when we went out to the spot where he hit the elk .. the elk had gone through the windsheild and broke it neck on inpact ..but there was a lot of blood comeing out of the body after inpacting with the suv front end and going up into the windsheild ..it was bad that all i can say ..
We also have the ongoing moose conundrum here in VT. There isn't a year that goes by that we don't see a moose collision/fatality in our local paper. Several years ago I came this >< close to one before first light of day. He sailed right past my driver's side window. A miss may be as good as a mile, but it does shake you up a bit to know that you came very close at 40-45 mph. I'm guessing at the speed. It was patchy fog that a.m. I too, have had moose trotting in front of the car at night using the headlights to show them the way. You just can't see them until you're almost on top of them.
I do believe everything written above regarding night driving is spot on. Slow down, know the area, stay focused, use high beams, etc. and while the jury may be out on whistles, I notice they are still sold at most auto stores for about 5 bucks. I use them. The one car that I forgot to put them on hit a deer this summer. Pretty narrow data, I know, but still...
So... here's my very wacky idea regarding safety.
Why can't game wardens and perhaps others who tag animals for research do a little tagging with the moose population? More specifically, leave a tag that drivers can see at night. Something that is reflective - like a band around their neck, or legs. It may be quite an undertaking and I don't see why hunters couldn't help out if they were inclined or given incentive. I think it's doable. Obviously they wouldn't come close to getting the entire herd, but even if they got a fair percentage it would translate to safer nighttime driving.
I'm certain this type of service wouldn't come free and wouldn't expect it to. I would gladly pay my share for a worthy cause. Consider it a road tax. My wife drives to work for 11 p.m. 5 nights a week and has only a couple more years to go. She travels through plenty of back country along the way and I say a little prayer for her each time. I think that reflective collars on large animals could make that drive just a little more secure.
Might it be possible that these collisions are not just accidental bad luck?
Has anyone thought to study collisions, to see if there's a pattern to the kind of vehicle and tires, traveling at what speed, under what conditions of weather and road surface, that is most likely to be involved in such collisions?
The data is probably in actuarial tables.
It's a long shot--but there might be something about certain vehicles and/or tires and/or the speed at which they are driven (perhaps a sound generated at a certain speed, which speed might vary with the vehicle model), that might actually stimulate the moose to move into the area the vehicle is in?
Might it be possible that these collisions are not just accidental bad luck?
Has anyone thought to study collisions, to see if there's a pattern to the kind of vehicle and tires, traveling at what speed, under what conditions of weather and road surface, that is most likely to be involved in such collisions?
The data is probably in actuarial tables.
It's a long shot--but there might be something about certain vehicles and/or tires and/or the speed at which they are driven (perhaps a sound generated at a certain speed, which speed might vary with the vehicle model), that might actually stimulate the moose to move into the area the vehicle is in?
Just a hunch, and probably wrong.
Not everything is statistical, sometimes it is just wrong place, wrong time.
Location: 3.5 sq mile island ant nest next to Canada
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You don't think it's right? I know if I was a moose those Nokia tires, especially on a Hyundai, would just P me off to no end. I bet stats would back that up.
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