Deer warning whistle

[ionbeam]

...an area that was forced to deal with their deer population. What I think made it unique is that this was on a barrier island...Deer have always been there...

In Massachusetts coastal State Park Plum Island they have 'deer boxes' to measure the deer impact on vegetation. These are wire cages roughly 6' x 6' x 6' tall. The vegetation around these boxes is usually <18" tall, but in the boxes where the deer can't reach, the vegetation can reach to the open top of the wire boxes. When the vegetation is grazed down below some magic number the deer herd gets 'adjusted' to relieve the feeding pressure on the island.

 

[rushes]

*snip*Really,why the goverment there don't doing something to protect the people and the animals from the accidents..??I know you are a very big country there,It is very difficult i believe,but I think they can do something..!If you want to do something then you can do it..!

They have tried to create safe crossing zones, but most of the deer ignore the signs.

 

[steve_g]

Here is an article from today's newspaper.

119,500 deer collisions in Pennsylvania in one year.

https://www.post-gazette.com/stories/news/transportation/many-deer-caught-in-headlights-707712/

 

[Mihalis fjr]

*snip*Really,why the goverment there don't doing something to protect the people and the animals from the accidents..??I know you are a very big country there,It is very difficult i believe,but I think they can do something..!If you want to do something then you can do it..!

They have tried to create safe crossing zones, but most of the deer ignore the signs.

 

[Old Guy]

*snip*Really,why the goverment there don't doing something to protect the people and the animals from the accidents..??I know you are a very big country there,It is very difficult i believe,but I think they can do something..!If you want to do something then you can do it..!

They have tried to create safe crossing zones, but most of the deer ignore the signs.

Those Arkansas deer just march to the beat of a different drummer

 

[HotRodZilla]

What we need is to have wolf packs reintroduced...

In Yellowstone after the worlf packs were reintroduced, they saw an increase in the number of elk in the park.

Because the apex predator wasn't predating on everything, including smaller mamals, the smaller mamals got out of control, and ate most of the Elk's food. When the smaller mammals became prey again, their numbers fell, and the elk herds increased. However, that meant more winter food for the wolves, so the wolf packs increased in size.

In the East would we see a similar phenominon, or would we see deer reduced to a healthier population level? I don't know.

Interesting question. In the eastern U.S. the food supply (browse) for deer is essentially unlimited due to ample rainfall. Yellowstone is a very different ecosystem due to high altitude, seasonal dryness and very deep snow cover. I suspect eastern deer herds are limited by density / disease, hunting pressure and road kill.

We have way less deer out here. If I had never been to Pennsylvania or the Virginias, I would think you guys are overstating the deer issues. However, I have family there and have gone with them to corn fields and seen hundreds of deer fattening up to their hearts' content. As stated before, the human factor and large farming populations have done nothing except help the deer grow and populate.

Here, in the southwest and most of the west it is different. We have a LOT of open spaces that have a lot less vegitation. We have healthy coyote packs that help with the deer population and we hunt. Here we are limited to one deer, one elk and one antelope, per season. In eastern states, you guys get something like up to five; right? We simply have less deer and more space. We have elk too, but they are usually a higher elevation animal and are rarely hit. Deer get hit on occasion, but not nearly in the numbers or ratio of the northeastern states. Northern California, Oregon and Washingon have some issues, but again...Dense forest, lots of rain and a small predator base help their numbers.

Deer need to be hunted and spending billions of dollars on "protecting" them and fencing them in would be a waste of resources. Yes, I know they are cute, but have you ever seen a calf? A baby cow/bull is one of the cutest animals on the face of the earth. Chickens, ducks, sheep, and goats are all very cute during some period of their life...Yet, we grow them simply to eat them.

Hell, letting the animal live in the wild, and then humanely hunting it and killing it is probably the best thing for any of the food bearing animals.

That's ok though...People that don't know how to hunt and grow their own food will never survive the Zombie Apocalypse.

 

[HotRodZilla]

One thing I have noticed is that the vast majority of deer in the Eastern/Midwest states are just runts. I guess that is because of competition for food. The deer we get up here (no, not moosiies) are considerably bigger, more as you would expect.
Even more interesting is that up until about a decade ago it was extremely rare to see a deer around these parts. Now, those ******** are everywhere.

Eastern White Tail Deer are small. In the western US we have Mule Deer. A medium sized Mule Deer doe is about the size of a good sized White Tailed Buck. A big Mule Deer buck is a big assed animal. Bounce was right when he said the work starts after you kill them. Packing out a good sized Mule Deer is a lot of work, but the payoff is awesome.

A long time ago, my dad had a friend that was from Pennsylvania, about 10 miles from Lewistown where my mom grew up. He told us these grand hunting stories about these monster bucks they always killed on their land. Turns out they had 30 frigging acres. So...He went hunting with us on my dad's uncles 60 section ranch. The first time he saw a Mule Deer doe, he nearly fell over and asked my dad, "What the Hell was that?" You should have seen him when my dad took a huge 10 point buck the next day.

White Tail Deer have very impressive racks. Mule Deer are more impressive by body size.

 

[Old Guy]

That's ok though...People that don't know how to hunt and grow their own food will never survive the Zombie Apocalypse.

I'm doomed!

 

[wheatonFJR]

I always whistle a warning when I am riding through the dense forest.

Seems to work.

 

[Lauren_TK]

Here, in the southwest and most of the west it is different. We have a LOT of open spaces that have a lot less vegitation.

While it is true much of the West has less vegitation, that's not true of the costal areas. It is plenty green on the West side of the Cascades.

The "hit chance list" linked else where shows Washington state having about a 1/450 chance of collision. I would be curious to see a breakdown between Eastern Washington (desert), and Western Washington (forest). Although there is a good deal of prime grazing land in Eastern Washington, and Western Washington is far more built up, so there may not be any kind of statistical difference.

 

[ionbeam]

The trick is to sell deer meat so the public thinks it is eating soylent green environmentally friendly, sustainable, 100% natural Odo's Supremes. Nothing decimates a species like finding it's tasty. The Shmoo Patagonian toothfish was a basically an undisturbed species in large populations until it got re-branded as Chilean Sea Bass and that almost extincted the fish.

 

[airboss]

I always whistle a warning when I am riding through the dense forest.
Seems to work.

I don't. Don't use deer whistles ether, no point in telling those suicidal *******s where I'm at.

 

[TomInPA]

I'm new to PA so I checked with the Game Commission. Looks like free food...other than the repair and hospital costs. FWIW, the Game Comission does not think deer whistles are worthwhile, and they pick up enough carcasses to know.

Drivers who hit a deer with a vehicle are not required to report the accident to the Game Commission. If the deer dies, only Pennsylvania residents may claim the carcass. To do so, they must call the Game Commission region office representing the county where the accident occurred and an agency dispatcher will collect the information needed to provide a free permit number, which the caller should write down. A driver must call within 24 hours of taking possession of the deer.

A passing Pennsylvania motorist also may claim the deer, if the person whose vehicle hit it doesn't want it. Again, the motorist must report taking possession of the deer within 24 hours to the Game Commission.

Antlers from bucks killed in vehicle collisions must be turned over to the Game Commission.

If a deer is struck by a vehicle, but not killed, drivers are urged to stay their distance because some deer may recover and move on. However, if a deer does not move on, or poses a public safety risk, drivers are encouraged to report the incident to a Game Commission regional office or other local law enforcement agency. If the deer must be put down, the Game Commission will direct the proper person to do so.

To report a dead deer for removal from state roads, motorists can call the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation at 1-800-FIX-ROAD.

Other tips for motorists include:

• Don't count on deer whistles or deer fences to deter deer from crossing roads in front of you. Stay alert.
• Watch for the reflection of deer eyes and for deer silhouettes on the shoulder of the road. If anything looks slightly suspicious, slow down.
• Slow down in areas known to have a large deer population; where deer-crossing signs are posted; places where deer commonly cross roads; areas where roads divide agricultural fields from forestland; and whenever in forested areas between dusk and dawn.
• Deer do unpredictable things. Sometimes they stop in the middle of the road when crossing. Sometimes they cross and quickly re-cross back from where they came. Sometimes they move toward an approaching vehicle. Assume nothing. Slow down; blow your horn to urge the deer to leave the road. Stop if the deer stays on the road; don't try to go around it

 

[Warpdrv]

I love them too! But they will not stay still to be cooked if you don't kill them first. It is just wrong to try to eat them when they are still alive.

My favorite is fried backstrap. Or perhaps bacon wrapped backstrap cutlets with cream cheese and jalapeno peppers rolled up in the center... Yummy!

Nooooo...

I can't eat these cute animals..

Come on man...... Dogs are cute and I hear there are plenty of chinese restaraunts in CA..... so your OK with that ?!?!!?

Deer in a creamy Stew with carrots, onions red peppers.....

ERMAHGERD !!!!!!

 

[Bungie]

Bounce was right when he said the work starts after you kill them. Packing out a good sized Mule Deer is a lot of work, but the payoff is awesome.

You gotta come up here Moose hunting LOL!

 

[wheatonFJR]

Bounce was right when he said the work starts after you kill them. Packing out a good sized Mule Deer is a lot of work, but the payoff is awesome.

You gotta come up here Moose hunting LOL!

Don't tell me you shoot Bullwinkle?!?!!!

 

[beemerdons]

Bounce was right when he said the work starts after you kill them. Packing out a good sized Mule Deer is a lot of work, but the payoff is awesome.

You gotta come up here Moose hunting LOL!

Don't tell me you shoot Bullwinkle?!?!!!

For God's sake Wheatie, they are fecking Canadians! They would screw Bullwinkle if they could catch him (I actually believe yamafitter and rayzerman19 have done that) eh. jes' sayin' and nuff said!

 

[steve_g]

The "hit chance list" linked else where shows Washington state having about a 1/450 chance of collision. I would be curious to see a breakdown between Eastern Washington (desert), and Western Washington (forest). Although there is a good deal of prime grazing land in Eastern Washington, and Western Washington is far more built up, so there may not be any kind of statistical difference.

From the article I linked:

West Virginia remained the state where a typical motorist stood the greatest chance of hitting a deer, a 1 in 38 chance.

Pennsylvania was fifth, with a 1 in 73 chance.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Bounce was right when he said the work starts after you kill them. Packing out a good sized Mule Deer is a lot of work, but the payoff is awesome.

You gotta come up here Moose hunting LOL!

My worst experience hunting:

I went on my first ever Bull Elk hunt in far northern NM, just south of the CO border. I was like 22, so around '94. I had killed and gutted plenty of deer and antelope in my life, but had never been on an Elk hunt. So, I went with this friend I worked with, her dad and his friends. Six of us total.

It was pretty nice out the first two days of the hunt, but there was 4 feet of snow on the ground, and it was cold/cloudy. UIt started snowing as we went to bed on day 2, and on day 3, when we got up at 0330, it was still snowing pretty good outside. We decided it was a good time to hunt cuz maybe the Elk will bed down. So, off we went. Three on foot (snowshoes) and Kim, her dad and me on horseback.

At about 30 minutes to sundown, maybe 4:30PM, I saw a small herd of cow Elk. Right behind them were two huge bulls. By the time I got close enought and clear enough to shoot, the one I really wanted, with the awesome horns, was standing inside some trees, and mostly out of sight. So, I decided it's his buddy's day. Not as great a rack, but just as big body wise. I lit off a round, and from 150 yards, he stumbled and went down, 1st shot. Perfect.

Except, it had started snowing again, I was all by myself. He was to0 goddammed big to drag out, and the sun was getting ready to go down. If I had waited 10 more minutes, I would not have been able to legally shoot. So...Hoping someone from my party was close, I fired two rounds about 10 seconds apart. A few seconds later, I heard a shot, so I knew someone was close. Knowing that, I got to work gutting that guy. Problem was, my hunting knife was NOT adequate for quartering him and cutting the big bones I was gonna have to cut. I wanted to lighten him up and maybe just drag him back to camp with the horse. About half way through that, I realized that since he's cut open, I can't leave him outside overnight. The bears and mountain lions would have had an Elk buffet.

Kim's dad showed up about 20 minutes later, thank God, cuz he had all the necessary tools. We really got to work because it was getting darker and colder and there were only two of us. While Kim's dad started cutting, I built a good size fire. The light and warmth helped, and I was hoping to ward off the bears as well as help the other hunters find us. Thankfully, a couple others showed up 20-30 minutes apart and we finally got that big ******* quartered. We split him up between 4 horses and it was about 7 pm before we started heading back to camp.

That deep snow, cold and dark sucked donkey nuts, but we got it done. I nearly froze my *** off, as cleaning that guy was hard work, so the layers came off. That still didn't keep me from sweating, so as we slowed down, I got C-O-L-D. Thank God I had help...Ok...It sucked, but it was fun as Hell. We got two more the next day and all went home. My dad and I had Elk meet in the freezer almost all year.

 

[HotRodZilla]

The "hit chance list" linked else where shows Washington state having about a 1/450 chance of collision. I would be curious to see a breakdown between Eastern Washington (desert), and Western Washington (forest). Although there is a good deal of prime grazing land in Eastern Washington, and Western Washington is far more built up, so there may not be any kind of statistical difference.

From the article I linked:

West Virginia remained the state where a typical motorist stood the greatest chance of hitting a deer, a 1 in 38 chance.

Pennsylvania was fifth, with a 1 in 73 chance.

AND I specifically noted that the PNW has a **** ton of deer. Way more per acre than the SW.