Collared pikas (Ochotona collaris) are small mammals found in the mountains of Alaska and Canada. These rabbit-relatives live in high-altitude talus, and their sensitivity to heat may make them valuable indicators of climate change. They are also the only lagomorphs to vocalize, producing short alarm calls for predators and territorial defense. Although generally highly detectable, pikas may vocalize less at lower population densities, complicating studies at sites experiencing population declines. We piloted the use of acoustic recorders to determine how distance from the pika’s activity center affects behavioral patterns from automated call detection. We trained a Kaleidoscope cluster analysis to identify pika vocalizations in recordings from two microphones: one placed at a pika haypile and the other placed 20 m from the talus edge. Significantly fewer calls were identified from the recorder far from the talus compared to the one at the haypile; however, daily patterns of activity were similar between the two sensors. These data suggest that recorders do not need to be placed at each pika’s activity center to study occupancy and general behavior patterns of a collared pika population. Such work informs future acoustic monitoring programs to understand broader ecological shifts for pikas and other vocalizing species.