09.12Acoustic Attraction – Pt. 3
On the 23rd of May 2005 I was blessed to hear a full blown roar from about 200 yards. I was preparing to head to the creek with my dog in the evening. When I approached the fence which is about 125 feet from our house something near the creek let out a long, loud roar. It sounded like the animal had a very large chest and was in total control of how much volume was produced.
It made me realize that animals only vocalize a certain loudness that is of sufficient volume for the desired effect. To scare a human away from an area they might scream or roar loudly to accomplish their goal of running the humans off. But if they only want to communicate over a short distance why use a loud sound. The louder a squatch is, the more chance of being noticed by humans.
My point being that if I am going out into the night to attract a squatch why not use sounds of a lower volume, say something that can be heard from 100 to 200 yards away and not wake up the whole neighborhood. It certainly is more natural to play back a sound that is softer, then I can move several hundreds yards and do it again. It is more esthetic and it also keeps the local farmers from questioning me about my motives while they are carrying a loaded shotgun.
Birders have started using their iPods in the field to attract birds close enough to identify them. Since iPods do not have external speakers they must use external speakers.
Once such device is the iMaingo2. It weighs about 9 ounces and measures only 6 x 4 x 2, so it is highly portable and convenient to carry and use. The iPod is placed inside the unit and is usable through the clear plastic window.
Recently I tried the unit out while in Colorado. Please see -Rainbow Trout & Sound Blasting. I knew that there was a coyote den about 150 yards from our campsite, so I set my alarm for 3 a.m. I played a recorded lone coyote howl and waited.
To hear the response click here: Coyote chorus
So the unit has been shown to work at close to 200 yards, at least on coyotes.
Related posts:
- Acoustic Attraction – Pt. 5 The final type of sound system is a standard car...
- Acoustic Attraction – Pt. 2 For sound amplification equipment I will review four general areas...
Stan, Been following your works for many years and get out and learn all I can about the locals in my area. I live in SW Tennessee…6 mi. from the Tn. River but primarily roam the hill and hollers in extreme NE Mississippi and NW Alabama. Thanks for publishing your works. Someday maybe all the pieces to this very complex puzzle will begin to fall into place. God Bless…TennesseeCherokeee
September 12th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Thanks Bryan.
September 12th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Stan, I like your idea of using more subtle acoustic attraction techniques. Assuming ’squatch(es) is(are) really nearby, why blast away loudly? Assuming higher levels of primate intelligence, why would a recording of another ’squatch (even if legitimate) necessarily work better at attracking another than the sound of something potentially more interesting, legitimate or non-threatening…like an injured animal that could become a meal or another known large predator that could become a competitor for prey, such as a mountain lion.
It always seemed to me that using a recording of another suspected ’squatch could just a likely chase away or silence a ’squatch as lure one in. Using the analogy of a foreign language we don’t understand, could it be possible that sound blasters are playing the message “I’m a pregnant female…your services are no longer needed,” or “I own this territory with limited resources, stay away or die.” What sound blasters hope their message is saying is “I’m a fertile female, come and get me” or something similar. Or, even if a “legitimate” recording, the message could be confusing, non-sensical or out-of-context for the season and/or environment being blasted in, e.g. “the geese have migrated south” when the area has never had geese.
I also think back on other reports you’ve made that could indicate high levels of ’squatch intelligence and curiosity. I wonder if there’s a way to leave behind a item of interest that requires complex dexterity to explore that, once manipulated properly, would trigger a camera or sound recorder to activate. Something that requires a more complex sequence of actions than could happen simply by chance if a raccoon, coyote or weather-event came long. Easier written than done, I understand.
Best regards, Scott M
September 14th, 2009 at 4:47 pm
Thanks for the comments Scott.
September 14th, 2009 at 5:39 pm