In response to the letter by Mary E. Harris of Nov. 18, in which she states that she uses deer whistles on her car to reduce or prevent collisions with vehicles, I offer the following.
I am a retired fish and wildlife biologist, avid birder, deer hunter and amateur skeptic. I recalled from my work as a biologist that deer whistles are not effective. I did some research to confirm my recollection. A study conducted in Georgia and reported here – https://tinyurl.com/mshxs8xt – said although the deer whistles are in the audible range of deer, they are not effective. Deer do not hear the whistles over road noise and because of distance from the car to the deer. Deer are not motivated to move away from an oncoming vehicle with a deer whistle more than a vehicle without a whistle.
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