Will vehicle or ATV noise cause shy critters?

That is one of those "taste great-less filling" debates. In my experinece I have tried and experienced all of the above. We call at night here in Texas and get coyotes occassionally within minutes of stopping and climbing on top of the truck. I have had them hit the side of the truck and go under it.

I have walked 100's of yards from the truck and gotten nothing all day. I think in the long run an effort to minimize the possible negatives of vehicle noise or presence will help some but if you are a creature of convenience, call from your vehicle. You will often get something in shootable distance.......even in broad daylight.
 
Amen, GS. It all depends on the situation and what kind of experiences the coyotes have had with the vehicles they hear. I hunt here in W. Texas where there is oilfield traffic running 24-7 and I've called in predators down the same dirt road where an 18-wheeler hauling oil has driven down not 3 minutes earlier. These oilfield predators just haven't had bad experiences with the variety of trucks that criss-cross just about every dirt road in W. Texas on a daily basis. On the other hand....I also call on a ranch near Corsicana, Texas where the foreman of the ranch is the only person ever traveling the roads in his 1/2 ton pick-up. You'd be hard pressed to get a coyote to come within 200 yards of your truck if you were calling at night simply due to the fact that he shoots at those coyotes from his truck every chance he gets....day or night. I had better luck on that ranch by hooking my light up to a trolling motor battery and packing it out into the woods on foot.

Needless to say.....I'm just glad I live where they aren't scared of truck traffic! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I might be in better physical shape if I had to get around on foot while carrying my rifle, light and battery, but I couldn't cover the amount of ground or hunt as long due to me just getting worn out.

Great topic! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Take care and God Bless,

Rusty
 
Do you really think them coyotes are smart enough to apply “reason” when choosing to respond or not respond to a call?

I can’t see a coyote looking at his best hunting buddy and saying, “I think it is safe cause I heard that Honda drive off.”

We often give them way to much credit for being able to think. They don’t think they react. Yea Mother Nature has engrained much “reaction” into their being, but they do not think. It is more of a “cause and effect” reaction. Truck doors slamming equals’ people. If a dying rabbit call is followed by gun fire (or for that matter human smell, human sighting, etc.). The ones that have experienced that unpleasant experience they will stop coming to that dying rabbit call. You might trick them with a bird call, but the fast learners will shy away from the same old rabbit call.

Ever make a stand and not see anything? We all have, but the question is did we call in one or two or three and not see them, yet they saw us get up and walk off. Cause and effect kicks in here too, rabbit call equals humans.

They are not stupid, they just can’t reason – in my humble opinion.
 
I believe that they will go back to normal activity, in low traffic areas, when they realize you aren't trying to shoot them from the atv. They say that the coyotes know the rancher's atv by the sound of it, if he rarely shoots at them they will sometimes not run over the next ridge.
If you trap an area, they soon figure out your atv sound and know when you are around. The mule deer run from my atv more than from my truck, usually they watch the truck, the atv, outta here! I believe it is because the hunters use atv's on the trails more than the trucks.T.20
 
The only way to effectively quiet down your ATV, (which was the original topic, I think) is to buy a Benz Silent Rider ATV Muffler Kit.

I have them on both of my ATV's, Hondas, and they are the best thing I've ever purchsed for silent running. (Good people at Benz also!)

I tested it on a real coyote and reported it on a PM post ovber a year ago. The yote didn't hear me until I was 75 yards away!! Amazing.

This Spring I gave it another test. My wife has the best hearing of any human I know. Incredible. As she stood about 100 yards away from me, I approached her at a slow speed and told her to raise her hand when she first heard the ATV. Result...I got to within 50 yards of her before she raised her hand. Again, amazing. For me, it's Silent Rider!

My $.02!

Rustydog
 
Back
Top