Citation

D'Angelo GJ, Chicchis ARD, Osborn DA, Gallagher GR, Warren RJ, Miller KV. J. Wildl. Manage. 2007; 71(4): 1238-1242.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Wildlife Society, Publisher BioOne)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Basic knowledge of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) hearing can improve understanding of deer behavior and may assist in the development of effective deterrent strategies. Using auditory brainstem response testing, we determined that white-tailed deer hear within the range of frequencies we tested, between 0.25-30 kilohertz (kHz), with best sensitivity between 4-8 kHz. The upper limit of human hearing lies at about 20 kHz, whereas we demonstrated that white-tailed deer detected frequencies to at least 30 kHz. This difference suggests that research on the use of ultrasonic (frequencies >20 kHz) auditory deterrents is justified as a possible means of reducing deer-human conflicts.