Scaring off game?

[Luke]

In the past when I've been hunting in areas I know contain larger game animals (pigs, goats, deer etc) I have found myself reluctant to stop and use the fox whistle to see what I might draw in. Even though on occasions certain areas have looked very "foxy".

Mostly, I've hesitated because I reason there may be a chance that my use of the whistle may scare off the larger game that I'm there to hunt that is at present out of eyesight (over the next ridge or in the next gully etc).

When weighed up against the game I 'know' is in the area (larger game) to that of the 'chance' of a fox, I've always gone with the known as compared to the unknown and the possibility of scaring stuff away. (does that make sense?)

Does the fox whistle disturb larger game or can I use it with no hesitation?

I'd expect it would not alarm them as the sounds of injured animals, you would think, would be something they hear on a regular basis :?

Does anyone have any actual experiences where they've seen larger game react (or not) to the fox whistle?

cheers,

Luke 8)

[barebow]

Luke,talking from experience I haven't seen goats or pigs become alarmed to me using a predator call.Matter of fact I have had the exact opposite happen,had a good boar come to see what all the noise was about when using the $2 fox whistle once.Have had wild dogs come out of nowhere when using a Scott Predator call several times.

I think it would just be a noise that they have heard many times or close enough to it that it is part of their lives,IMHO.

[hawkeye]

good mate said yesterday (talking about impact of a few rifle shots in distance from others hunting and scaring off game in our area) that "20mins is a long time in the bush" and it is.

20 minutes of silence and animals pretty much forget and continue in normal pattern of behaviour more often that not i reckon.

i don't reckon a fox whistle will have much impact on whetever else is about at the time. 20 minutes and forgotten.

[Mozza]

I have whistled around a mob of pigs (didn't see them at first, about 60 meters away) and they just kept on feeding.
I wouldn't like to whistle around the deer though, I think that if it didn't scare them off, it would at least put them on alert.

[Wellsy]

I've been in a valley waiting for a mob of goats to feed down towards us 500mtrs or more away and tried to call up a fox with a button whistle and a tenterfield whistle, the goats continued on their way down, but when I tried the predator call the Billies turned and took the nannies away with them :cry:

Wellsy