Will vehicle or ATV noise cause shy critters?

R

rcorley

New member
Still trying to eliminate any of my dumb mistakes. How far do you typically hike from an ATV or vehicle before setting up? Over one ridge? 1/4 mi? 600-800 yrds? I'm trying to "slip in quiet and watch the wind direction", but those yotes must hear my vehicle comin' for a long, long way off. Have been giving it 10-15 min or more to let things settle down after leaving vehicle before starting to call.

Have been trying birds, jacks, bunnies, (no fawn bleats -- seems wrong time of year) some mouth calls, and some combos. With the fluttering feather to draw their attention.

Things seem to be lining up but called in no critters this morn even though I found fresh scat in the road. (Went about 6-8 mi in with an ATV on a rough, washed out old mining road.) So called some pretty remote country. Of course maybe I need to call the neighborhood pet yotes out my back window. Hear them singing on the ridge behind my house every eve. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Was a beautiful morning. Our desert sure smells good after these summer showers. Sure appreciate any hints about all this.
 
I have seen yotes come to an area imideatly after me and some friends tore up some ground with ATV's. I think they were looking for mice and stuff kicked up by all our commotion. The area we were in has never been hunted for yotes before so they didnt have a reason to be skiddish.

I do know that drop off hunting has worked for one of my cousins. You know have a friend drop you off and they keep going. yotes think you left while you get set up.
 
rcorley, when I make brush stands I don't go far from my truck, just a guess maybe 50+ yards or so.
Most coyotes know what vehicles are and are not to bothered by them. They see them and hear them all the time.
If the coyote lives in country where all the good old boys shoot at them from the old pick-up, they are going to be running at the sight or sound of a vehicle.

This is just my opinion, I am not going to wast my time hiking in the hills when I'm suppost to be calling the animals to me.
Think about this way, 10 minutes to walk a 1/4 mile and 10 minutes to walk back. Giving it 10 to 15 minutes to settle down, then make a 15 minute stand.
You've just spent 50 minutes or so making one stand. You may or may not get an animal after all that work.

Why don't you make it simple, go a 1/2 mile or so in your truck, stop at a likely spot and walk out 100 yards and make a 10 to 12 minute stand. At the end of the day you'll be collecting more animals on a average then the way you are doing it.

I know some people may disagree to my way of playing the game and that's ok, I just gave you another way to do it is all......Good luck
 
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Of course it will. I have a pretty loud truck and I do try to creep in as quiet as possible, not slam doors or talk. Some time I may only walk 100 yards and somtimes it may be 600-800 but usually between 100-400 but that all depends. I would easily quite my truck down if I wouldnt have to spend 500+ on a new exhaust system. I often wonder why they dont make atv quieter. I would think if you are in doubt you could simply clamp on a second muffler to your atv and add an additional hanger for hunting season for very little money. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
i use a ez go electric golf cart.have called in and shot many coyote from the seat of the cart.there is some set ups i have to walk in too.but the golf cart gets me close.works great.
 
ONLY IN TEXAS!!! Which means it is no use to the rest of us. And Ive never seen a golf cart on the frwy or on 4wd roads. So how big is your ranch?
 
hello, i think this is a very good subject...i think the big thing is if the vehicle can be seen & your calling a short distance from that vehicle...as far as the noise coyotes are used to the rancher/farmer driving around stopping to open gates ect...pickup & atv...as Nasa pointed out in remote country the noise from a vehicle is not normal...Billy is also right the more stands you make the better the odds of calling dog's...it depends on the country sometimes it seems there is nowhere to stash the rig...i walk then you will waste a morning to make three stand's.."but" sometimes it works...there are no hard & fast rules in my opinion & we all have different one's of course...coyote's are hard to figure ???
 
Hmmm....
1. The ol' "drop off my friend and go on down the road so the critters won't notice the engine being turned off trick."
2. A quieter muffler for my little Honda quad.
3. Walk 50 yds call. Go 1/2 mi walk 50 yds call. More calls, less walking. A novel idea. I've been making 4, maybe 5 stands a morning. Maybe I should be looking at more like 8 or so. . . .

No. Wasn't talking about potential noises like shutting doors, clanking gear, jacking a shell in the chamber. Have been careful about those things.
Just wondering more about the sound of the engine, turning it off, goosing it up a steep spot in the road, et. al.


Good ideas one and all. Food for thought.
Thanks.
 
I got two coyotes last week, both took about 25 minutes to show up, and I used kid goat distress sounds on my Foxpro for both of them. I like open terrain out here in the west, so that means parking the car out of sight and walking in 100-400 yards or more if necessary. Works for me anyways.
 
Personally 95% of my calling is done where vehicle noise is not uncommon. Not freeway but dirt two track used by ranchers and other recreationalists so daily vehicles are seen and heard. I usually just drive in normal, find a out of the way spot to stop, and then sit back and give the area a little bit of time to cool off. Even though they are used to a certain amount of vehicle presure I don't like to just open the door and start calling as I believe they are still a little guarded until they believe the vehicle has left the area. From there I will just walk whatever distance is needed to get to the best stand. I think that in the dry sagebrush the more conspicuous noises are made from the walking in rather than the drive in.
 
Thanks.
Lots to think about. And practical advice from those with experience. I'll lurk in the shadows now and quit being a pain in the butt on this forum by asking all the novice questions. Later in life.
 
rcorley- That is what this sight is for. Ask all the ?'s you want. Who knows some one else might have the same ? and you both can benifit from it!!!!
 
Yeah, don't pay too much attention to the post about questions being asked over and over again. There are so many members that there is always new information that comes out.
 
That was a good queation, with many good responses. I drive an '85 Bronco, rattles, loud, some exhaust smell, but no leaks.
I also hunt in areas (wooded and fields) with close proximity daily vehicle traffic, tractors, and occasional ATV's.

Karl
 
i agree with billy the kid!!! they hear cars and trucks all the time! out here in ca. some places you can't drive off hy-way!! so we hunt just off the side of the road. ( day and night) i use street tires and a very quiet truck. ( toyota 4x4) no noise driving and no noise when i stop! plus no head light and no brake lights!! they can come in in seconds because we aren't heard or seen!! some times when you walk out you move them out or hunker them down and never see them!! thats how i do it!! hope it helps!! grandpa fudge.... p.s. billy knows what he's talking about.. he has probly killed more than most of us have ever seen and won a bunch of comp. hunts!! good luck
 
I think one of the important things to do is have your stuff ready. Dont park next to a stand and then spend 15 minutes fishing through your truck looking for bullets or calls. No matter how quiet you are that is commotion the dogs will pick up on. I treat every stand like a drop off, get out and away from the truck with as little commotion as possible.
 
Not much to add, I'll just say that I had one show up shortly after the farmer left on his Mule (4-wheel thing). I think they can get used to some sounds and learn that as soon as they're gone, it's safe.
 
If you want quiet, I know what you need! I use the 4x4 electric Hunt-V. This UTV will be available for purchase in the next month. Like the bad boy buggy in a way, but true push button 4x4. No motor in the front, and does not take a football field to turn it. Has as much torque as the gas UTV, and I use it all weekend before recharging. When completely dead it will fully recharge in 6-8 hours, and top speed is about 25mph. King Bros. UTV Ranch
Hope this helps!
 
Most have already said it. If they are in a an area where they see vehicles often then yes motor noise is not a big deal, until you pull up and one is sitting there watching you get ready. Also if people shoot at them from a truck then you have little if no chance at getting close with a motor on. Try and leave your vehicle where they might expect to hear one, meaing on the road. for us stand setup is a function of where is the best place to call from, not distance from the truck. Sometimes we have walked a mile in to a stand, other times 50 yards. Just depends on the veiw, wind and cover.

I will say this, most critters can tell the difference between an atv motor and a truck motor and will react differently to each. They are more apt to run hard from an ATV especially the further out of town you get. Most of the animals here only see ATVs during August, September, October, and November. Which is the time for big game seasons. The rest of the year they see only trucks. So when those first groups of atvs show up the animals start getting real nervous and spooky. The quieter you are the better.
 
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