On one place I hunt, I have a secluded 3/4 acre plot that’s very close to a dirt road that lots of pickups and ATVs go down before daylight, late morning, early afternoon, etc., normal travel times for deer hunters. I live over two hours away, so I often bring a lunch and sit all day. Since nobody else has food plots on our 2500 acres, my plot has deer going and coming at all hours of the day. I’ve had multiple opportunities to observe these deer when someone travels that road. They hear the vehicle about the same time I do, the little ones pay very little attention, the older ones lift their heads and follow the sound (although they can’t see it) until it’s obviously fading from hearing range, then resume eating. There are two choices for the travelers on this road. One is to go on by at a steady pace, the other is to turn, and go through a gate to a different property. When folks pause to go through that gate, the oldest does will invariably stop eating, swivel their ears back and forth, and sometimes take a few steps in the opposite direction. As soon as the vehicle goes through the gate and the sounds fade, all go back to eating. Another thing I’ve noticed, is that before good daylight I often have deer feeding in that plot. Sounds from ATVs and UTVs carry a long way in the early morning but I don’t see the deer being visibly upset when they are several hundred yards away and I’m usually glassing this plot as soon as I can see through binos.
Hogs, on the other hand, will hit the woods as the sounds get fairly close. I’m not saying hogs are smarter than deer, but they are certainly more paranoid and have zero curiosity. Most of my hog encounters have been from an electric cart, unless there was a fairly large group feeding or rooting. They are noisy when in a family group and that can cover the noise of a gas vehicle at times.
