Yesterday evening, my wife and I joined a friend for a dinner ride. On the way home, our friend hit a deer and wound up in the ditch. Luckily, our riding companion is only bruised and a little battered, but his Heritage Softail sustained some damage. My question to the Harley forum community is: "Do products like the Hornet Deer Avoidance System for Motorcycles actually work?" Supposedly, the Hornet's precision tuned sonic generator alerts deer and other animals of your approach well before they can see or hear your vehicle. However, I will trust a Harley rider long before I will put faith in a company's self description of their product.

Thanks in advance for you input.

I took a deer out back in 05, while healing my hunting wounds I went online looking for information on the deer whistles, found some universities did testing on different whistles. Well it is 7 years later and over 100,000 more miles and no whistle on my bike. That is what my research led me to. Also I have learned not to use my bike for deer hunting. Deerslayer

Thanks for your reply Deerslayer.

My friend is very lucky to escape the collision with only bruises and a few scratches.

As many mountain roads as I've traveled around here, I've never had a deer cross my path while riding but I have heard of bikers hitting deer before. Almost hit a steer on Memorial day thou. Seen deer out in the brush. Come across mountain lions twice, while hunting, a Bob cat once, a packs of Coyotes a few times a herd of elk crossed the road in front of me once. There was around 500 of them. That was pretty cool. Came across packs of javelina, had a herd of rabbits chase me up a tree once. just kidding. By the way welcome to the forum, I know it seems a little slow right now but this forum has allot of serious riders on it and this is riding season so we'ed really like you to stick around. It will liven up here soon and the chat at the bottom of the forum page is really fun, so be looking forward the chatting with you.
Big Ed

I used to live in Upstate NY... totally deer country. I was just cruising, at night, along one of my favorite back roads when I came across a small heard of deer grazing in a field - how did I see them? cause their eyes light up. All of a sudden a big buck starts to charge right at me... I hit the gas and he just missed me- hence my deer avoidance device is my throttle and my reactions. Maybe next time it might be my brakes and my reactions but as one of the other posters concluded- whistles don't work. Be very aware of your surroundings and keep in mind even a coyote can knock you off.
Stay safe.

I try to stay off the road at night, just for the deer issues, have hit 4 in my vehicle over as many years. The problem in my area is people think there pets and feed them. There are more deer in my town than out in the hills! Only animal collisions I have had on motorcycles is my damm dogs. One, a red healer can't stand my Harley, runs after it and bites the front tire. I ran over him once and wrecked. Just made him more determined to attack. All my friends who ride over to visit, hate him.

Thanks to all for your replies.

Hope it helps.

This past week a motorcycle rider in southern Missouri lost his life due to a collision with a deer.

I knew a guy that died in a deer accident. He rode by the book with all safety gear and I bet he had a whistle as well. I know some folks that have the deer whistles and they feel any help is better than none and I agree. Just don't let it sway your decision making when you are determining when it is safe to ride. (ie. at night in the hill country in the fall)

My Gremlin Bell has saved my arse many times.