Tax dollars being put to good use.

[Fly Carpin]

yes - the thread morphed over to migration and the bigger issue almost instantly - resulting in my position being painted as an "anti-animal to save-money" position, while that's not me at all

I am in 100% agreement that general migration is a huge problem - one that makes me sad like you. Antelope not being able to head to other areas easily (I can only imagine how many miles they can put on in a day with no crossings) when it's a brutal winter where they currently are does indeed suck

my point of contention was that these underpasses aren't mass migration solvers - they solve a localized animal movement and vehicle collision issue. Crossing one highway safely is a drop in the bucket when it comes to long distance migration they might make for seasons/drought/etc. where hundreds of fences are waiting. I'd like more economical solutions so that we could implement them darn near everywhere that they'd be beneficial.

I'd be fine with trying to get all fencing somehow more critter-friendly to give the ungulates a chance. But the scale of solving the issue with any effectiveness in monstrous : (

GPS shock collars on all domestic herd animals? Ha ha ha

These greedy Fargo scientists don't care about wildlife and want to kill off all the pronghorn. You heard it here first folks

 

[guywhofishes]

dangit

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https://www.mdt.mt.gov/publications/docs/brochures/friendlyfences.pdf

 

[Brian Renville]

Some of the other guys from Watford might remember as well, some guy in the fog hit a herd of goats by grassy butte about 20 years ago. Can't remember the exact number but I think it was close to 20 all at once.

 

[Allen]

Some of the other guys from Watford might remember as well, some guy in the fog hit a herd of goats by grassy butte about 20 years ago. Can't remember the exact number but I think it was close to 20 all at once.

I came within about 18 inches of doing that over by Underwood last summer. Missed a herd of about a dozen that couldn't have been anymore tightly packed if they were in a cattle trailer. If'n I'd have hit one, I'd have hit them all like bowling pins. All I saw were white rumps as I drove by in the dark. Scared the crap out of me!

 

[LBrandt]

Goats are the dumbest critter until you get a license to kill one.

 

[johnr]

Maybe we could stop using drinking straws

 

[( deleted account )]

dangit

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https://www.mdt.mt.gov/publications/docs/brochures/friendlyfences.pdf

Good reference, Guy. Thanks. Lots of options when it comes to solving the wildlife/ traffic schmucks!

in our travels we see a variety of designs using underpasses, overpasses, bridges, gullies, to try mitigate the road kill problem. A lot of states in USA, Canada, Europe, all seem to have have novel ideas to reduce the problem. Overpasses/ underpasses are the most expensive, so it’s nice to see research being done to try cheaper but still effective ways to do it and spare us taxpayers as much as possible.
Interesting FWIW, but there is interesting research up in Canada in their National Parks on what various animals prefer, elk, grizzlies, moose, deer seem to have different likes and dislikes. Intriguing.
question - Montana’s antelope friendly fence is fine but I’d question if it could keep sheep in!?!

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Off topic but a question. Do those little whistle thing you see for sale to stick on your bumper actually work? I tried them back when I used to make many fast middle of the night trips during high deer movement Rut times. I was never impressed. Anecdotally seemed to hit as many using them. Of course I never knew how many I would have hit without them......anyone use them?
hey, maybe loud pipes DO save lives...deer lives! LOL

 

[BrokenBackJack]

Good reference, Guy. Thanks. Lots of options when it comes to solving the wildlife/ traffic schmucks!

in our travels we see a variety of designs using underpasses, overpasses, bridges, gullies, to try mitigate the road kill problem. A lot of states in USA, Canada, Europe, all seem to have have novel ideas to reduce the problem. Overpasses/ underpasses are the most expensive, so it’s nice to see research being done to try cheaper but still effective ways to do it and spare us taxpayers as much as possible.
Interesting FWIW, but there is interesting research up in Canada in their National Parks on what various animals prefer, elk, grizzlies, moose, deer seem to have different likes and dislikes. Intriguing.
question - Montana’s antelope friendly fence is fine but I’d question if it could keep sheep in!?!

- - - Updated - - -

Off topic but a question. Do those little whistle thing you see for sale to stick on your bumper actually work? I tried them back when I used to make many fast middle of the night trips during high deer movement Rut times. I was never impressed. Anecdotally seemed to hit as many using them. Of course I never knew how many I would have hit without them......anyone use them?
hey, maybe loud pipes DO save lives...deer lives! LOL[/QUOTE]

You might have hit the nail on the head!

 

[guywhofishes]

I came within about 18 inches of doing that over by Underwood last summer. Missed a herd of about a dozen that couldn't have been anymore tightly packed if they were in a cattle trailer. If'n I'd have hit one, I'd have hit them all like bowling pins. All I saw were white rumps as I drove by in the dark. Scared the crap out of me!

Wow - I didn't know the Coleharbor/Underwood area antelope were still in existence.

 

[( deleted account )]

Wow - I didn't know the Coleharbor/Underwood area antelope were still in existence.

Sure are, Guy. Some days trying to land a plane at Washburn can require a low level high speed sort of a “strafing pass” to chase them off the runway, then land quick before they come back. Kind of fun. Watdord City used to be like this too, though I haven’t been up there lately. Quite a few in the Washburn/Underwood area. Dunno if that area is open for hunting or not.

 

[guywhofishes]

Good to hear.

I used to see them all the time on visits to relatives in Underwood and Coleharbor but haven't laid eyes on one in 15 years or so I am guessing.

 

[WormWiggler]

deer whistles

https://www.thevog.net/threads/deer...lly-work-an-in-depth-report-by-fred-rau.3439/

long article, I posted before I finished reading as it may take me weeks to finish

 

[guywhofishes]

deer whistles

https://www.thevog.net/threads/deer...lly-work-an-in-depth-report-by-fred-rau.3439/

long article, I posted before I finished reading as it may take me weeks to finish

The Bottom Line
Okay, so we now know that air-powered deer whistles are, for all intents and purposes, completely useless. And we also know that at least to of the electronic-type animal alerts work, at least after a fashion.

However, I must point out that that though these units elicited a response from the deer tested, remember what our animal behavior experts warned us about the varying responses we might expect due to the animal’s age, sex, time of year, etc.

We can’t rule out the possibility that one of these units, if used in the presence of a buck during the mating season, might elicit the same kind of “flight,”rather than the desired “flight,” response. And I think we can all agree, as motorcyclists, that could be a very bad thing.

In the end, the best advice is that which we’ve heard for years: When in an area known to be frequented by deer, slow down, and be alert. Scan the roadsides carefully, and if possible, avoid riding through such areas and dawn or dusk, when the deer are much more likely to be out grazing. And if you do see a deer, or even just a flicker of movement somewhere in your peripheral vision, flash your lights and honk your horn. Even the people who make and sell the electronic alert systems admit that your vehicle horn is likely to be more effective than their deer alerts.

Of all the units tested, the Hornet was the most effective, but even that isn’t saying much.