Kentucky On Alert for Elk

There's an elk problem in Kentucky. Since the last time elk roamed the state, about 150 years ago before they were hunted to extinction, there's been a lot of road building in the state. And vehicles have gotten a bit faster, and quieter. So now the elk don't quite know what to do when a car is coming at them.
However, the drivers should.
I was up in Maine a few years back and there are signs all along the hiways warning about getting killed if you hit a moose. There were a few that even had tallies on them where the number of motorists killed by moose could be updated. Most ungulates are of a proper design to kill motorists; spindly legs supporting huge bodies that will crash through a windshield. These Kentucky elk are no exception. But unlike moose, elk and deer have very discernable patterns. They graze in the early morning and in the early evening, and except in rutting season, you need to most worry about them being on the road during these few hours. There will be exceptions always, but if you watch out, you'll be safe.
I don't know about back east, and I don't think Kentucky gets that much snow, but in the Rockies, the deer, elk, moose, and others use the plowed roads and rail lines as a form of trail to get from one area to the other. Energy conservation is what it is all about during the winters there, and moving through deep snow takes a lot of energy. It's not unusual to see thirty or fourty dead antelope by the rail lines where they were caught in a deep snowbanked line as the train came through and couldn't get out in time. Same thing for where the larger deer and elk trails go across roads. It's all part of making the wilder areas our homes. I wouldn't give up that right for anything.
I don't know if they work, but I always put those whistle things on the front of my cars that are supposed to scare off deer. The only time I've ever hit a deer driving is when I was in a car that didn't have those, so my data point set of 1 has me convinced.

Comments

[Tom]

Also, one needs to watch for them on the shoulder of the road during the spring where they go after the salt from the road clearing operation during the previous winter.

[dmaloney]

Where do you buy the elk whistles for cars?