deer avoidace lighs

[alfonzo]

Maybe deer whistles don't work, as someone said, but we've been driving in the Pacific Northwest, and US/Canada from the west coast to the east coast, since 1969 and have never hit a deer yet. We have seen hundreds of them, plus moose and caribou, and they tend to look up and scamper off into the boonies as we approach. Maybe it's the 4 deer whistles on our truck, or maybe just dumb luck. But I'll take my chances with the whistles. - Ted

My Duratrac tires and roof rack might be my indirect whistle.

 

[1engineer]

A plate front bumper does wonders. Once I was driving my 97 4Runner, trying to see deer for my son's photography project; we hit a deer so hard that the sunroof screen closed; There was no damage, only a handful of hair. No...we did not capture a photographic image. Another time I hit two deer simultaneously and received no damage.

In winter, many fields are cleared so I can see their eyes in the distance. In wooded areas and during the pre crop harvest, I agree, all you can do is hit the brakes and slow down by 10-20 mph before the hit.

I used PIAA 520's for several years before they rusted out in my 97 4runner. They were a valuable asset in deer hit avoidance. I would like to improve upon them by seeing further with a pair of pencil beams and a pairs of wider angle lights. More lighting will be benefitial for MY particular geographic area.

Many lighting companies do not publish specs regarding the angle of focus; Rigid and Baja Design do. I value the unbiased opinions of people on this forum and thank you for your guidance.

In retrospect, I was too vague in my request for guidance: Which lights, brands, and combinations, will help me see far and wide? I am a wee bit fearful of a lightbar being an inappropriate and generic summary of some company's guess as to what I need.

BTW, I love my 97 4Runner and use it as my daily driver.

Thanks you for your time.

Maybe deer whistles don't work, as someone said, but we've been driving in the Pacific Northwest, and US/Canada from the west coast to the east coast, since 1969 and have never hit a deer yet. We have seen hundreds of them, plus moose and caribou, and they tend to look up and scamper off into the boonies as we approach. Maybe it's the 4 deer whistles on our truck, or maybe just dumb luck. But I'll take my chances with the whistles. - Ted

It's your money. Spend it how you want. If you don't want to hear the truth and facts (a quick google search will show you the fallacy of whistles and lights) then phrase your question in a more generic way. That way you can continue to justify your purchase without any comments.

 

[High_Country]

VisionX light cannons. I have a pair mounted in the grill, aimed a bit to the side (toward the bar ditches) to help me see loitering animals thinking of jumping out. They're a 10 degree spot. I love em. They have a 4" and 8" product.

I generally agree with most others here though. It's the ones you'd never see that are the problem.

Love my light cannons though.

 

[flyrv9]

As Badhabits said about being being hit in the side - there was a story a few years back about a couple driving from Wichita to Oklahoma City (I think). They were on a motorcycle on I35. A deer hit them from the side knocking the woman off. The husband didn't notice and drove on. A few miles later he pulled off to get gas and noticed his wife missing! He turned around and went back to find her climbing back over the guardrail. She wasn't happy, but not badly hurt. Yea, I found it hard to believe too.

 

[Saker]

I do have to agree with most here, even though I have a light bar that aids me spotting them at distance....... It's the ones that inevitably decide to jump right as you approach them.
Cant avoid those.

 

[WallyT4R]

Electronic deer deterrent could prevent over 1 million accidents each year | Fox News

 

[blakjack23]

I also have a rear plate bumper so I do not sustain any damage when I back over one.

The what now? How many deer have you backed over?

I've hit two before (not backed over). One during the day, one at night. Those suckers come out of nowhere quick!

 

[007Tacoma]

The what now? How many deer have you backed over?

I've hit two before (not backed over). One during the day, one at night. Those suckers come out of nowhere quick!

Yeah... My ex-wife had a deer hit the back of her RAV4 twice in one year in the Texas Hill Country.

Fast forward 5 years later, I had one take me off my motorcycle at 25 MPH and put me the hospital and out of work for 2 months with a coiled off spleen and multiple broken bones. Yes, I was ATGATT. Now, I just don't ride anymore.

 

[WallyT4R]

Yeah... My ex-wife had a deer hit the back of her RAV4 twice in one year in the Texas Hill Country.

Fast forward 5 years later, I had one take me off my motorcycle at 25 MPH and put me the hospital and out of work for 2 months with a coiled off spleen and multiple broken bones. Yes, I was ATGATT. Now, I just don't ride anymore.

I'm sorry to hear that man. I am more afraid of this than other cars. At least with the cars I can see them coming or anticipate an ignorant move but deer are so unpredictable. Hope you can get past this and hope you are healing up well.

 

[007Tacoma]

I'm sorry to hear that man. I am more afraid of this than other cars. At least with the cars I can see them coming or anticipate an ignorant move but deer are so unpredictable. Hope you can get past this and hope you are healing up well.

All good now. Just don't think my spleen will ever be the same. Oh well.

:doh:

 

[1engineer]

All good now. Just don't think my spleen will ever be the same. Oh well.

:doh:

People who aren't around deer just don't understand how unpredictable they are. I have never hit a deer while driving but I have been a passenger in several deer strikes. One hit the bedside of a truck I was riding in! You could have 20 ditch lights and light bars turned on and it won't help. Now Moose is a different story. If I lived in moose country I would have extra lighting.

I have had several close calls with deer on my mountain bike. In the daylight. Going 10 mph. Deer on a mountain bike is nowhere near as scary as turkeys though. Riding along, minding your own business and boom! A friggin' turkey flies right across your front wheel.

 

[ColoradoToyota]

I think you've already got the best defense: your airbags. And the good news is I can assure you they function in the event you strike an animal! Beyond that, your best bet to avoid striking a deer is:

1) Don't drive through deer country
2) Don't drive at night
3) Hope the animal isn't large enough to come through your windshield
4) Don't swerve

In my recent experience, as #1/2 are unavoidable, #3 and #4 aren't really up to you (4 is arguable but in the heat of the moment unless you're trained yourself, you can't predict your reaction).

After my elk incident I put a light bar behind the grill so that at a minimum I can see better / farther at night (mostly for mountainous driving in CO), but realistically as others have stated you simply can't avoid it.

 

[007Tacoma]

People who aren't around deer just don't understand how unpredictable they are. I have never hit a deer while driving but I have been a passenger in several deer strikes. One hit the bedside of a truck I was riding in! You could have 20 ditch lights and light bars turned on and it won't help. Now Moose is a different story. If I lived in moose country I would have extra lighting.

I have had several close calls with deer on my mountain bike. In the daylight. Going 10 mph. Deer on a mountain bike is nowhere near as scary as turkeys though. Riding along, minding your own business and boom! A friggin' turkey flies right across your front wheel.

Yeah, I experience deer on the mountain bike trails around San Antonio all the time. Some of the inner-city trails are the worst because the deer just don't care about humans (read: have no fear of them).

I still think the deer belt of the United States is at its worst starting in East Texas going across Louisiana, Central Mississippi, Northern Alabama, Eastern Tennessee, and Western North Carolina. The further East you go, the narrower the roads, the more blind corners, the taller the trees, and the more deer love to jump out in front of you. Then again - I can do 80MPH in West Texas...

:lookout:

I think you've already got the best defense: your airbags. And the good news is I can assure you they function in the event you strike an animal! Beyond that, your best bet to avoid striking a deer is:

1) Don't drive through deer country
2) Don't drive at night
3) Hope the animal isn't large enough to come through your windshield
4) Don't swerve

In my recent experience, as #1/2 are unavoidable, #3 and #4 aren't really up to you (4 is arguable but in the heat of the moment unless you're trained yourself, you can't predict your reaction).

After my elk incident I put a light bar behind the grill so that at a minimum I can see better / farther at night (mostly for mountainous driving in CO), but realistically as others have stated you simply can't avoid it.

Yep. As I am writing this, I am in Fort Collins, CO. We are home visiting the folks and then visiting my wife's doctors. The drive from San Antonio to here is usually littered with wild life, but the weather was getting the best of everything when we were driving out. So, I was mostly worried about "Joe-no-know-snow" (and ice) and his F-250 that were riding my rear end up-and-down Raton Pass.

With everything we got going on this trip, we aren't going to make it into the mountains much more than that. Our April trip may be a whole different story.


...those stains on the roof liner... ...damn.

 

[headpaneer]

More derailing subject matter…

If you really want to see deer as you are driving down the road, you need to get a FLIR system and wire it to a monitor. That is the only way to see them.

I believe autonomous vehicle systems incorporate this technology. I wonder how the programmers are directing the vehicle to respond if it detects the IR signature of potential road hazards on the side of the road like deer. :shrug:

 

[1engineer]

I believe autonomous vehicle systems incorporate this technology. I wonder how the programmers are directing the vehicle to respond if it detects the IR signature of potential road hazards on the side of the road like deer. :shrug:

They do, and they won't be able to elude a deer strike either, even with FLIR. If you are driving by at 35 mph and a deer, who is at right angles 20 yards off to the side in the brush (lights can't see, FLIR sees but so what), decides to run right towards an intersection at your front bumper, the time required to take evasive action is just not there. Braking is not there because... no time!

Autonomous vehicles will have to contend with deer strikes. The OP just wanted to "see" the deer and FLIR is the best solution since it can see through brush and trees. Seeing the deer and avoiding a deer are two different things. If I slowed down every time I saw the red eyes of a critter beside the road eating I would never get to my destination.

 

[alfonzo]

We can all agree that most deer hits cannot be eliminated unless we drive less than 30mph.

I like to stack the deck in my favor. Even if I can only improve my likelihood to avoid deer by a few percentage points, i will do so. In my locality, i KNOW that seeing deer will decrease the likelihood of hitting one. I know that I cannot avoid all deer.

Why must some imply that I am wasting money? Why must some imply that lights are all bling and wasted money? Why are we SO judgmental? i merely want lighting suggestions to see deer. Seeing skunks and raccoons is a bonus. If you have nothing constructive to offer, don't bother to comment.

Thanks for the specific recommendations such as pencil beams and Light Cannons. Thanks for suggestions of light bars that further penetrate the darkness.

 

[1engineer]

We can all agree that most deer hits cannot be eliminated unless we drive less than 30mph.

I like to stack the deck in my favor. Even if I can only improve my likelihood to avoid deer by a few percentage points, i will do so. In my locality, i KNOW that seeing deer will decrease the likelihood of hitting one. I know that I cannot avoid all deer.

Why must some imply that I am wasting money? Why must some imply that lights are all bling and wasted money? Why are we SO judgmental? i merely want lighting suggestions to see deer. Seeing skunks and raccoons is a bonus. If you have nothing constructive to offer, don't bother to comment.

Thanks for the specific recommendations such as pencil beams and Light Cannons. Thanks for suggestions of light bars that further penetrate the darkness.

Why not FLIR if you really really want to see the deer. They have some nice automotive systems.

 

[alfonzo]

I humbly bow down before you. Your opinion as a moderator is superior to all others. I am sorry to have challenged your authority. Long may you rule.

 

[1engineer]

I humbly bow down before you. Your opinion as a moderator is superior to all others. I am sorry to have challenged your authority. Long may you rule.

I didn't ask for that nor should it have turned into that type of comment.

In your first post you remarked how you wanted to see deer. You also remarked on the amount of damage that could incur to the amount of a minimum of $3K or so and you think seeing them will help. In my first post i told you how, without a doubt, you could see them. You continued to talk about lights. A whole slew of us told you lights won't work.

Now, when I post like this I am just another voice on the internet and nothing else.

If i post -mod- after my post then it's usually not a post about lights.

 

[e60ral]

Spend another $5/month and drop your deductible to $50

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