Discreet protection from deer...

[Joseph Godvin]

I Purchased an Electronic Deer Whistle, also known as "The Hornet ". A friend of mine who owns a trucking company in Alberta CA. Tried these 10 years ago on his fleet of semi's, they cut down their deer collisions by 80%. since then I installed one on my Harley for obvious reasons. I also installed them on my Ram and my wife's vehicle. been working great for over 7 years now. They come in Chrome or Black. www.xp3hornet.com

 

[RaptorHD]

That bumper looks great. Who makes them? I’ve got a 4th Gen. Thanks!

You can get them here: https://www.buckstopinc.com

I designed the first one called the "Outback" on my 2001 Ram 2500, I saw the bumpers on the Buckstop web page but didn't like the design, so I knocked up a design on CAD and sent it to them, they took my design, did a few improvements and sent me a pic in raw steel of it being made they dropped shipped it to my parents house so I could get it installed while I was home.. A great company! and great Bumpers!!

 

[BCSTPete]

A friend recently had his new F150 completely disabled by hitting a small deer. His bumper buckled enough to puncture the right front tire and radiator. My 1500 Laramie has chrome bumpers and grill. My lifestyle is slowly shifting to more time on the road (towing my travel trailer). I would like to add some kind of protection for deer and other road hazards. I would like to keep it not too flashy or large. I only have 6" of clearance to fit in my garage. I don't want something that's pretty, but useless. I'm totally clueless to this particular kind of stuff. Thoughts or suggestions?

If it’s not at least 5/32 thick and made of steel, it’s pretty much worthless against a 200+lb anything at 55+ mph. You could of course have a custom bumper made that’s close to the grill but you’re gonna pay a lot. And it better cover your entire front end or again, it’s worthless.

 

[MTGranite]

I haven’t seen anything that would protect that’s discreet. Being a woman, I prize my good looking truck. The whistles haven’t worked for family members in the past. Since I have a large elk heard that hangs out next to my house that crosses the hwy often, along with lots of deer, I just decided to get a grille guard. Semi hit a elk a week or so ago about a mile from me. It could have been me.

 

[Dean2]

View attachment 479663I haven’t seen anything that would protect that’s discreet. Being a woman, I prize my good looking truck. The whistles haven’t worked for family members in the past. Since I have a large elk heard that hangs out next to my house that crosses the hwy often, along with lots of deer, I just decided to get a grille guard. Semi hit a elk a week or so ago about a mile from me. It could have been me.

I hate to tel you this but if you hit an Elk at any speed that little push bumper will be totally ineffective. If you want to protect your front end at least a little you need to replace the bumper with something a whole lot heavier. The ones below will at least give you a fighting chance.

 

[RodeoRam]

They need to make a whistle that sounds like a predator, e.g. mountain lion, wolf, or bear, but listening to that would get real old real fast. You might call in Mexican fighting bulls, though. From the ones I've seen at the rodeo I work, they'll fight anything and will try to tear down the chute to get at it. You may need to buy a red cape, too. And an anvil if I've learned anything from Bugs Bunny.

 

[John Jensen]

View attachment 479663I haven’t seen anything that would protect that’s discreet. Being a woman, I prize my good looking truck. The whistles haven’t worked for family members in the past. Since I have a large elk heard that hangs out next to my house that crosses the hwy often, along with lots of deer, I just decided to get a grille guard. Semi hit a elk a week or so ago about a mile from me. It could have been me.

Nice guard, what brand? Been looking at several. Thanks

 

[Docwagon1776]

View attachment 479663I haven’t seen anything that would protect that’s discreet. Being a woman, I prize my good looking truck. The whistles haven’t worked for family members in the past. Since I have a large elk heard that hangs out next to my house that crosses the hwy often, along with lots of deer, I just decided to get a grille guard. Semi hit a elk a week or so ago about a mile from me. It could have been me.

Good looking truck but that's far from "elk proof".

Probably not "discrete" either, that the OP was looking for, but I don't think that combo exists.

 

[billyw]

A lot of great feedback! While I wanted discreet, I don't expect it to totally protect everything. My main goal is to avoid being stranded. I want to be able to limp back to civilization for repair if necessary.

I visited nearly every website for the various after market bumpers that were shared here. I don't think I saw one that actually listed the weight of their bumpers. I'm driving a half ton, and have to consider that. Looks like I'll probably just gamble. It would be a great excuse to upgrade to a truck that can actually handle one of these bumbers.

 

[Dean2]

This is off Bullet Proof Bumpers FAQ page

Bulletproof Bumpers

*How much do the bumpers weigh?*
It depends on a combination of factors to determine the weight of your bumper. A base bumper weighs about 120lbs. If you add a Full Guard option it can add up to 90lbs. Keep in mind though that if you intend to install a winch in your bumper that you need to add the weight of the winch as well.

 

[turkeybird56]

We can't drive around dusk here in NE Texas without a 50-50 chance of hitting a deer. After hitting a couple at low speed this year I broke down and bought a Ranch Hand. It weighs 125 pounds. It adds about 8 inches to the front of the already long truck but we feel safer if we have to drive in the dark. I was doing 35 in a 65 zone when I hit the last one. I have hit several over the years and I am always driving under the speed limit. Once near Ft Davis I was driving a Riviera about 15 mph when a doe suicided on the right headlight. I've had them run into the passenger side door. You just do what you can do.

I got 2 deer and a Feral Hog with County vehicles. 1 Hog/Deer with grill guard on Crown Vic. Hit a deer at 45 mph with a slick top Vic. That deer went front, up on roof, down the back end. Busted the radiator real good. YUP, good ole TX, got all those overgrown dogs called deer on the roadways. I also had one run out and break the mirror, Pax side on wife's 90 Lumina years ago. Real skerry running 100 mph and praying that Bambie or Mr Cow not in roadway, cause that makes for a bad evening, LOL.

 

[HEMIMANN]

@turkeybird56 - dem 200+ pound corn fed deer up nort'll kill ya. Every year there's pics of one going thru a mouse-mobile's windshield. All the big rigs up here run radiator guards.

 

[turkeybird56]

@turkeybird56 - dem 200+ pound corn fed deer up nort'll kill ya. Every year there's pics of one going thru a mouse-mobile's windshield. All the big rigs up here run radiator guards.

A lot of the Bigger guys run bars also, but not as prevalent as up North.

 

[Fatbob Frank]

Nice guard, what brand? Been looking at several. Thanks

Westin HDX
I had one on my Laramie and liked it well enough to put one on my Power Wagon.
Pretty heavy duty for the price (but not Elk Proof I'd agree)
One of the things I like about it is the center mesh grill protecton.
Hitting a crow at 55-60 mph will wipe out your grill and puncture your radiator...(don't ask how I know)
This gives some added protection from other things besides deer...

 

[HEMIMANN]

I was concerned the mesh grill would restrict cooling airflow too much on hot summer days when I was towing, especially in the hilly regions, so I went with a large tube guard with extra crossbars in the middle from GO Industries of Texas. Westin is made in China. I'd think it would be unlikely a sharp critter chunk would p*e*n*i*t*r*a*t*e* all the way to the radiator core with this.

This is the type of guard semi tractors use, except theirs are usually pricey aluminum. This is chrome plated steel, weighs app. 85 lbs.

 

[billyw]

125 lbs isn't too bad. My friend that hit a deer with his F150 ended up adding a bumper that was in the 400 lb range. maybe it was made of lead?

 

[steelrain]

Do deer whistles prevent deer-car accidents?

This is peak deer season in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, and no doubt you have seen dead deer laying on the side of the highway at some point. One Warren Co...

youtu.be

 

[huntergreen]

This is what I had on my 1995.
View attachment 479504

I like that ! Where is that from ?

 

[Badger 13]

That is an UTE bumper and it came for Australia.

 

[montana goat]