Pheasant Range of Hearing?
- Thread starter crockett
- Start date
UGUIDE
Active member
Here's an unusual question for you all.
WHat kind of range of hearing do pheasants have? More specifically, can they hear a 'silent' dog whistle?
Thanks!
-Croc
HAH! Great Question. My buddy told me once he was sitting in deerstand at east end of one of my 80's adjacent to some standing corn. He noticed some hunters I had booked coming into the field waaaaaayyyy up on road at opposite end of another separate 80. Those hunters were hunting a little patch of cover at the far NW end of that 80. All of a sudden my buddy heard what resembled a stampede coming through the cornfield which here thought were deer. Turns out they were pheasants escaping from the hunters at the other end of that NW 80. 2 80's stacked end to end are 1 mile long. Do not under estimate the wileyness of the rooster pheasant.
cnggack
Active member
I have seen a half mile sneek out also A 1/2 mile long crp with switch grass had a 1/2 mile of short grass pasture next to it when the hunters stepped into it on one end there were 50 birds running across the pasture on the other no flying but running .It was in Dec . I think snow cover adds to their ability to hear you coming.
bobeyerite
New member
I agree we are guests in their domain. They know more than we think and usually try to out smart before we even get going. I once had an older hunter tell me. Quote; "If you slam a car door you might as well get back in the car the birds are gone."---Bob
JMBZ71
Member
Here's an unusual question for you all.
WHat kind of range of hearing do pheasants have? More specifically, can they hear a 'silent' dog whistle?
Thanks!
-Croc
It's a good question Croc and I've gotta admit I've never considered it before. The upper frequency range of human hearing is approx. 17,000hz and most ultrasonic dog whistles operate in the 18-22,000hz range. I don't know if the hearing range of pheasants extends into the ultrasonic ranges but I have read that hearing ranges vary quite a bit between different birds.
From what I've read, the upper hearing range of pigeons and owls is only about 7500hz because they communicate in lower tones. So my guess would be that the pheasant's hearing range does not extend into ultrasonic ranges because they have no biological need for it.
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Thanks for all the replies. I sure learned a lot this year about how sensitive later-season roosters are to noise. In past seasons (this was only my third) I hunted alone, and was not experienced enough to understand that Ruby was on scent of birds that had high-tailed it outta there with all my whistling and Ruby's bell clanging away (she wears one during deer season). This year I started hunting with a buddy, and we sometimes did some blocking in the late season. It was amazing how he would shut his car door at the far end of the field, and a minute later, almost before he started into the cover, the birds were running out of the far end!
I now use an orange vest on Ruby where deer hunters are a concern, instead of the bell, and we have been working hard on much quieter control/commands. I bought an ultrasonic whistle, which she responds well to, so that was why I was asking if the pheasants would hear it too or if it was just silent to humans! I'll keep digging around for any info on the specific frequencies that pheasants can detect - I'll post an update to this thread if I come up with anything new.
-Croc
I now use an orange vest on Ruby where deer hunters are a concern, instead of the bell, and we have been working hard on much quieter control/commands. I bought an ultrasonic whistle, which she responds well to, so that was why I was asking if the pheasants would hear it too or if it was just silent to humans! I'll keep digging around for any info on the specific frequencies that pheasants can detect - I'll post an update to this thread if I come up with anything new.
-Croc
I would just get a shock collar with the vibration mode that way you don't have to worry about a whistle at all. Late season roosters without some bad weather are really tough to get in range of. If there is no wind you are in real trouble-if there is wind use it to your advantage. Too much wind is also bad. I was out last weekend and it was 60 degrees-I might was well as stayed home-but it was still fun to watch them fly out of range. Didn't get to pull the trigger but got to see quit a few.
Yeah, I've considered the e-collar with the "pager" as an option. At the moment I don't use an e-collar, so I was trying to find an alternative means of "quiet communication". Definitely a good suggestion though.
Out of curiousity, when do you find too much wind to be a problem? For me, it seems that a strong wind blows the scent all over the place and makes the dog's work difficult, although it sure does keep the birds from hearing us approach. I hunted one day this fall when I had to break the law - hunted without a hat on because it would not stay on my head - had to send Ruby to retrieve it three times before I gave up! lol!
-Croc
Out of curiousity, when do you find too much wind to be a problem? For me, it seems that a strong wind blows the scent all over the place and makes the dog's work difficult, although it sure does keep the birds from hearing us approach. I hunted one day this fall when I had to break the law - hunted without a hat on because it would not stay on my head - had to send Ruby to retrieve it three times before I gave up! lol!
-Croc
JMBZ71
Member
Croc,
The more I read on this, the more I'm convinced pheasants would not be affected by ultrasonic dog whistles. In fact, I've read that the hearing range of most birds is between 50hz and 12,000hz. I may have to try one of those ultrasonic whistles and see how my dog responds to it.
The more I read on this, the more I'm convinced pheasants would not be affected by ultrasonic dog whistles. In fact, I've read that the hearing range of most birds is between 50hz and 12,000hz. I may have to try one of those ultrasonic whistles and see how my dog responds to it.
UGUIDE
Active member
Tbo, this post made me think again (I do once a year whether I need to or not). When turkey hunting I know the birds eyesight is keen defense. There hearing can pinpoint a hen cluck from a looooong ways away and they can detect the origin of that cluck and track right to that spot (uncanny).
So now I look at the pheasant rooster and apply these traits of similar hearing and eyesight. Imagine the eyesight of peregrine falcon or eagle. Now imagine a field filled with 500 birds (that's 1000 eyeballs). You the hunter enter this field. how easy is it for these birds to detect you and begin to execute their escape? For many hunters it is "game over" (tilt).
I think in SD, where you have large concentrations of birds it is the numbers and hearing that are their prime defenses. This is why I think groups (6-10)and a walk-block-flank strategy has to be employed in many hunting situations on native wild birds in SD. Is this the only way to hunt these birds? No. I think you're onto something with the high pitched dog communication or "stealth methods" but I have never seen them employed but know they would work if executed properly.
I now like the wind more simply because it can help to cancel detectable noise caused by hunters detecting alerting pheasant to their approach.
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bobeyerite
New member
Crockett, You raise the point of a bell ringing away. I have some real good bells for Tony, But i don't use them for I have found by doing tests. All pheasant early and late season all run from my bells. I get many more points when Tony hunts without a bell. I wish I was starting over with him I train him to respond to the tone deal on the E-collar. That to my thinking would be the way to go.---Bob
Ranger Rick
Member
I think noise, or no noise, those wily birds know you are there.
I used to have a beeper collar that operated on a mercury switch. When running a ball bearing would bounce inside a tube in the collar. Then it would make contact at the bottom it would beep. The randomness of the beeping depended on the dogs motion. I witnessed tweety birds, etc. pick up their chirping in response to the collar. After the dog becoming stationary there was a delay and then a steady tone that was loud enough to hear and it may sound funny, but I think it almost calmed the birds and they held. After 12 years, the darn thing wore out.
It's replacement has a beep-beep tone on a steady rythym when the dog is in motion and again goes to steady tone when on point. But the tone on this collar doesn't seem to have the same effect. Instead I almost think it makes the birds spooky. Sure wish I had that old collar back.
I used to have a beeper collar that operated on a mercury switch. When running a ball bearing would bounce inside a tube in the collar. Then it would make contact at the bottom it would beep. The randomness of the beeping depended on the dogs motion. I witnessed tweety birds, etc. pick up their chirping in response to the collar. After the dog becoming stationary there was a delay and then a steady tone that was loud enough to hear and it may sound funny, but I think it almost calmed the birds and they held. After 12 years, the darn thing wore out.
It's replacement has a beep-beep tone on a steady rythym when the dog is in motion and again goes to steady tone when on point. But the tone on this collar doesn't seem to have the same effect. Instead I almost think it makes the birds spooky. Sure wish I had that old collar back.
BRITTMAN
Well-known member
When the trees and fields are bare, there are less things to absorb and/or deflect sound ...
Human voices, foot steps?, and vehicle noises all become warning signs to pheasants. Not sure about whistles - never have used one.
As my dog's experience level increases the amount of necessary communication goes way down. With dogs that are about 8 and older I have gone hours without talking except for the word "fetch 'm up"
I hunt my dogs with a bell in the winter cattails and have not found this to be an issue in making birds more wild ...
Human voices, foot steps?, and vehicle noises all become warning signs to pheasants. Not sure about whistles - never have used one.
As my dog's experience level increases the amount of necessary communication goes way down. With dogs that are about 8 and older I have gone hours without talking except for the word "fetch 'm up"
I hunt my dogs with a bell in the winter cattails and have not found this to be an issue in making birds more wild ...