How good is a coyote's hearing?

possumal

possumal

New member
I just wanted to start a thread on how good we hunters think a coyote's hearing is, compared to a man with perfect hearing. I have always been under the impression that it is roughly 20 times as good, based on information an animal scientist gave me from the University of Ky. years ago. It is a given that canines can hear much higher pitched sounds than humans can, as evidenced by the silent dog whistle, but I recently had an experience that makes me believe their hearing is much better than I originally believed. My grandson, Josh, his friend, Jason, and I were glassing a huge area in Mercer County from a high hillside. Josh spotted a coyote beyond a bunch of deer in a bottom, and he had to be in the neighborhood of 3/4 of a mile from our position. The wind was blowing from him to us approx. 7 mph. I turned the FX-5 on full volume with the Female Invitational Howl and he immediately charged across that bottom, crossed the road, and finally stopped at a pond dam about 500 yds away. I gave him a little Coyote Pup Distress at volume level 20, and here he came on the fly. I muted the caller and stopped him at about 100 yds, and Jason made his first kill on a called in coyote. Naturally, he is hooked for life. What do some of you guys think about the coyote's hearing?
 
I have read articles in Predetar Extreme Magazine that say a coyote can here a mouse creeping along at over 200 yards away, so i would say thats pretty good.
 
I think on a good clear day when sound can go the max that they can hear full volume up to a mile or a little more away for sure. The nature of the coyote and his aggressiveness will lead to response time, but yes I knpw I have called in coyotes from over 1 mile away and more than once for sure!
That is the reason I believe in alot of volume exspecially with coyote vocals, in some areas you can't get close enough with out geting pegged and to kill that coyote with a 5-10 MPH wind one needs more volume, some coyotes IMHO won't come to something like a coyote vocal unless the volume is sufficant, if sounds further away as the sound gets cut and played with in open country, max volume will trigger a response that lower volume will not in cases.

I know on calm nights I have located coyotes more than 1 3/4 Miles way, that is with a police siren that has great volume as again I feel it triggers or demands a response lower volume would not in cases for sure. I also have located from 1 side of a few sections and went around to the other side much closer to those coyotes and with same max volume and have had them light up like firecrackers, max volume is not a negative in alot of cases.
 
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Excellent post Al, we both know, many members know, their hearing is exceptional. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

How many times have you seen a coyote hang up at say 200 yards, you lip squeeked or kissed at the coyote, and here it comes at a run or trot???? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I believe some try and compare their hearing to that of the coyotes by judgeing how much volumn the ecaller puts out. I know I've done it and been wrong when I see a coyote coming from over a half mile away, and only had my caller at half volumn.

Believing if they can't hear it well, they don't believe the sound is getting out there far enough. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

I don't believe that's a good comparison.

Of course when the wind comes up then the scenario changes alot... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
I also think it is MUCH better than many think, I was out about two years ago sitting on a field edge waiting for darkness about 15min before dark, i see a nice yote sneaking along a bank next to the field about 200yrds away, when i hit the safety on the rifle and he looked right over in my direction. luckily he is not one of the educated ones... when he stopped, he dropped ( i have since fixed that safety) lol
 
I have seen a coyote come running from around a mile away. I saw the dust trail long before I could make out that it was a coyote coming.
 
They can hear.

1) We were eating breakfast one morning when I spotted a coyote crossing the pasture at what later turned out to be 350 yards. I grabbed my .280 and slid the sliding door open. It squeaked a little and the coyote stopped dead in his tracks and looked right at the house. The .280 barked and DRT.

2) Another time, during a snowstorm, I spotted a coyote just on the other side of our back fence. Grabbed the .22-250 and hunkered down on the deck. When he cleared the house, he was 65 yards. I deliberately flicked the safety off so that it would click and he stopped immediately and turned to the sound. The .22-250 barked and DRT.

3) In agreement with the above posts, I've seen their dust coming at 3/4 mile.

4) At the same time, a coyote that has attention on something else can be absolutely stone-deaf. I've almost driven up on coyotes digging. Once I spotted a golden eagle perched on the rocks about 250 yds away and from his posture, I knew something was up so I stopped and got the binos. Just as I looked, a coyote head popped up, looked around, and then went back to digging. I'm sitting there in a red pickup truck in flat open ground and this 'yote is pretty much ignoring me. I watched them for about 5 minutes and the coyote finally came up and walked around the eagle, really stiff-backed and bristling. He walked off down a draw and the eagle caught the wind and started dive-bombing the 'yote. I watched the eagle chase the 'yote clear across a draw and across a prairie dog town- well over a mile- out of sight. After the first dive, the 'yote was actually jumping up in the air toward the eagle to defend himself.
 
Good post possumal! My hearing is not very good but under the right conditions I can hear things a long ways off. I hunt on some very large ranches and when the conditions are right I can hear, cattle mooing and dogs barking over two miles away. I have heard a pickup truck's horn honk at a ranch house that was at least 3 miles away. There is no telling how far a coyote can hear my FX5 from with the volume on 40. I would like to know how far away some of the coyotes that I have called in were when they first heard my caller. Humans can run a mile in 4 minutes, I think a coyote can run a mile in 3 minutes pretty easy. I have no doubt that a coyote on cruise control can cover 3 miles in less than 15 minutes. I have wondered when coyotes come haulin a$$ into the call between 15 and 20 minutes into the call how far away were they when they started towards the call? Or were they in a canyon a half a mile away and couldn't hear the call untill 12 minutes into the stand when they walked up out of the canyon to where they could hear the call? My answer to the question is, coyotes have good hearing! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif
 
I was glassing a very large open area about a month ago at daybreak and saw a dog at LEAST 1 1/2 miles away. I had my caller set up but had not started it yet. I was curious about this exact question so I turned the caller up half way and watched the dog just as I started playing well the sound took about 5 seconds to hit it but it stopped dead and looked right over. It was not interested and keep moving a few seconds later but I muted then changed sounds and even lowered the volume and played with the dog for another 10 minutes trying to get it to come in. It never did but that was amazing. I believe now they can hear your footsteps for quite a ways. Kind of made me realize what I was up against!
 
I am in agreement with derby's train of thought. The length of time it takes for some coyotes to show up when they are at a dead run would indicate to me that it is possible under certain conditions for a coyote to hear the call from more than a mile away. Their are so many atmospheric conditions that could apply that I dont think an exact answer will ever be determined.


I live a couple of miles from some train tracks and some nights I can barely hear the trains at all. Other nights it sounds like the train is in my backyard. I suspect a similar set of circumstances could alter the effective range of a predator call as well.

Great thread topic though, I have often thought about this very subject!
 
derbyacresbob: I probably should have specified the comparison under calm conditions, but it looks like we have some good input as is. Calling with the wind, it is hard telling how far they can hear, even at lower volumes. I believe in the theory that they like to take the easy route, and I therefore love to use low volume and a decoy when the wind is taking the sound, scents, etc. to the area they are hanging out. You mentioned hearing things at long distances under the right conditions, and when the wind is coming at you, that is prime time to hear anything going on upwind. When the ground is frozen hard, I have had farm dogs barking at me well over a half mile away when I was on the way back into the fields. That crunching is bad medicine if you are trying to be sneaky. I have set the JIB up before where coyotes could see it from a long way with just the squeaker voice on, with the wind. I have had them respond to that from anywhere from 500 to 1000 yds.. If they can hear that, it is obvious they can hear other rodent squeaks at tremendous distace downwind. I prefer making my perch at right angles to the wind flow, far enough away to the point my scent is not a factor.
 
possumal, when I have heard the sounds from over two miles away it was under calm conditions. The area I hunt in the wind does not blow hard very often at all. What I call wind, I think most people calling would call a breeze. The breeze is normally going up hill where I hunt so the easy route for the coyotes is to go straight up the hill to the call. I call from the top of the ridges and hills with the call below me. Back behind me over the ridge top or hill is my truck. I went to the 2008 PM hunt not too long ago and it made me realize that one way of calling will not work everywhere.
 
I've watched them come from a mile away for a handcall and my little mouse squeaker that I use for a stopper works well out to 200 yards. They can hear really well.
 
Good post.
Last week I lip squeeked one that hung up at 350 yards looking at my foxpro...never thought he would have heard me, but I gave it a try and sure enough when I did, he quickly shifted his glance from the foxpro to me and came charging in.

Amazing hearing ability...
 
On the PM hunt this year we stalked to within about 500yds of two coyotes hunting in a field and setup a FX5 in a small tree about 5ft off the ground. The wind was blowing from them to us at about 30mph(guessing) and they could not hear the caller at all they never even glanced in our direction. The caller was so loud it was hurting my ears because I was sitting right beside it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif
 
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possumal, when I have heard the sounds from over two miles away it was under calm conditions. The area I hunt in the wind does not blow hard very often at all. What I call wind, I think most people calling would call a breeze. The breeze is normally going up hill where I hunt so the easy route for the coyotes is to go straight up the hill to the call. I call from the top of the ridges and hills with the call below me. Back behind me over the ridge top or hill is my truck. I went to the 2008 PM hunt not too long ago and it made me realize that one way of calling will not work everywhere.



I agree. My buddy and I called one across a mud flat on Utah Lake. We saw it as a tiny speck kicking up dust. When we looked at a map it was clear that the coyote came from around 1.75 miles or more away (That is how far it was to the cover on the other side and I doubt that it was out on the flat dry pan of the lake bed) It only took it about 12 minuets to make it across to the spot where we misted it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/angry-smiley-055.gif, I have no doubt that they can here a call at 2-3 miles when the conditions are right. I think the problem is often not them hearing the call from a long way, but getting the motivation to come that far, or they might have to cross a territorial boundary, something I think they are often reluctant to do.
 
I have had them hear me at 400 yds, and sometimes I walk up within 15yds before they look or jump. Depends on the situation, weather, conditions, what kind of sound. There are times I have to stalk them with the wind-my scent, just missing them. I will have a hard time most of the time, they can't smell me, but the wind carries the sound to them, making it a little harder.T.20
 
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