When I started hunting elk and mule deer in the Rockies (80's) we mostly used horses but soon enough came the quad runners and the overlap was only about two years and then the horses didn't go out again.
Our group was anything from teenagers to seniors in their 90's. Many of them could not hike due to health and we took disabled as well. Laws have changed over the years, but some are allowed to "road hunt". We played with Jeeps and side-by-side rigs for the disabled road hunters all the time.
I was young then and was always up the mountain on foot and in position in the dark if I had my say, so I got to listen to everyone else showing up.
I never liked the noise of the quads or Jeeps, and it changed the rhythm of things not having the horses, but there was no argument that the quads were pretty good at extracting animals from bad spots and they didn't need as much tending as a horse.
A few decades more and the electric side-by-side rigs started showing their value in the mountains too, but it took time for the suspensions and traction to improve to the point where they could go very deep.
I will confess that if I were being selfish we would go back to the horses, but most folks can't or won't ride so there is no going back. The machines don't get emotional or mad at you, but I swear some machines are the anti-christ (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gods_Must_Be_Crazy) in cold weather.
If you still hunt on foot and infiltrate the animals where you can observe them undetected, you will see just how far out any machine is when they react. Depending on a lead cow, that can be very far away. Bulls and bucks are an anathema and it probably depends on the hunting pressure and the rut in terms of how they respond to noise.
Also, the tire noise depends on the different ground condition and that makes a huge difference. The wind, terrain, and vegetation condition, and even the humidity make a huge difference in how far the sound travels on the same trails on different days. We have watched them react long before we can hear the machines coming.
They are game animals and live on their senses. If noise matters at all, then electric or ICE is probably not the difference. The trade is probably statistical in terms of times when electric versus ICE would have made any difference since tires make noise either way.
Don't get me wrong, I still hate noise and I am saying electric is quieter.
Their reactions seem random since there are times when they are aware but still hold tight. It is fascinating to watch. I cannot explain why there are times when they spook with machines miles away, and other times they hold or are even caught surprised.
I can't prove it one way or the other, but quieter is still better while I will admit vehicle noise at times plays no role at all.
Elk and mule deer migrate, they are not at all like White Tail in the way they hold ground when they decide to run. I have not had as much experience watching White Tail deer respond to the differences in noise between electric versus ICE, but the trades between quieter versus louder are probably going to depend on how wild your ground is. If they hear machines all the time, it probably counts for less but I am just guessing.
In places where they know there should be no noise, the issues are any noise at all, but I am guessing when they are used to hearing machines, I would run with what is reliable and try not to go overboard with noise cause they hear much better than we do anyway.
Motor noise is one factor of many in the trade offs. The electric vehicles have not done as well with us in two ways, traction on grades, and cold weather range/power. I think with time they will learn to deal with both issues the same way they learned with ICE versions. The suspension evolution can be accomplished very quickly. I'm not sure how long before they can improve the cold performance issues.
For my own money, quieter is always better, but not at the cost of reliability, traction, power, and range in the field on cold days. Electric has pros and cons but I can see where the trades are very dependent on your local conditions and climate. If your power, torque, and range ratings sink so low in the cold to the point where the vehicle isn't usable, then the trade off gets easy.
Here is one post where for sure.... YMMV
