Drones...

[dogghr]

From a guy that owns one of the really nice ones...Hire someone with a nice drone to come out and take overhead pics and videos of your property. After about 5 times flying you've seen all you want to see. For me personally...one of the worst and most useless uses of cash I've ever parted with. Mine sits in the gun safe. Wish I had the money sitting in the bank rather than losing value in the gun safe.

I agree they get old pretty quick. But I don't have much problem on long term storage as I just crash them into trees, saves time.

 

[IkemanTx]

I haven't purchased one yet, but I just found the absolute best use for them. Ever want an up to date, high resolution aerial map of your place?
Did you just thin timber, or build a pond but google earth won't update for 2-3 more years... just use your drone (DJI Mavik included) to make a new map...

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[KyDeerSteward]

I've been watching this technology for professional use and you can even do some with just a phone camera and the right software. Bentley Context Capture to be specific. Amazing technology!

 

[SwampCat]

I think in Alaska, you cant hunt the same day you fly in a plane. Maybe that should be the laws with drones for game animals.

 

[RobbieH]

For checking out your land and food plots, before hunting season, then yes...I'd use a drone if I had one.

Using a drone for hunting/locating deer during hunting season... no. I don't believe it's very sportsman like. I don't believe we should use technology like that for deer hunting. If someone told me they got a nice buck after using a drone to locate it, I'd roll my eyes and walk away thinking "he didn't earn that buck." If I saw a drone over my property during the season, well..let's just say it would come down.

I hope every state bans the use of drones for hunting purposes. I consider it cheating. If someone doesn't want to put their time into getting that nice deer, then stay out of the woods.

 

[Baker]

Has anyone here actually tried finding a huntable deer with a drone? I seriously doubt its effectivity though I have no experience trying to see deer with a drone.

 

[Triple C]

Has anyone here actually tried finding a huntable deer with a drone? I seriously doubt its effectivity though I have no experience trying to see deer with a drone.

I own a Phantom IV. Awesome drone and supposedly bomb proof. I proved otherwise. No way you're actually gonna locate and monitor a specific deer. 4 props turning at high rpm's crates quite a bit of noise. Drop down into a food plot with deer and they will scatter when approached. Took a lot of cool video and pics at tree top and higher levels but honestly, if I had a do over I'd have the money in the bank. Haven't flown it since last fall. You can only take so many pics and videos of the same ground before it becomes redundant. Most guys I know that bought them for recreational use all have them sitting in a closet like mine.

 

[catscratch]

I own a Phantom IV. Awesome drone and supposedly bomb proof. I proved otherwise. No way you're actually gonna locate and monitor a specific deer. 4 props turning at high rpm's crates quite a bit of noise. Drop down into a food plot with deer and they will scatter when approached. Took a lot of cool video and pics at tree top and higher levels but honestly, if I had a do over I'd have the money in the bank. Haven't flown it since last fall. You can only take so many pics and videos of the same ground before it becomes redundant. Most guys I know that bought them for recreational use all have them sitting in a closet like mine.

I spent the morning walking creek bottoms looking for a calf that has quit staying with the herd. It needed doctored and wouldn't come out to the sound of the feed truck... an airborne camera would have been kind of nice!

 

[Sconniebiente]

Our drone is a dji, $1000. Over 1 mile control, 20 minute flight time, yes, you can see size of bucks. Illegal to fly for hunting purposes. The deer spook about 100 feet above them due to noise. Big skeeter noise.


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[Triple C]

I spent the morning walking creek bottoms looking for a calf that has quit staying with the herd. It needed doctored and wouldn't come out to the sound of the feed truck... an airborne camera would have been kind of nice!

catscratch...I could certainly see a use for checking cattle in open pasture. The DJ IV has a range of 2 miles if you are unobstructed. I can fly from our cabin to beyond our southern property line which is just under a mile. If I drop down below the tree line in the lower plots I'll get indication that I'm losing signal. But I can fly down to tree level which is prolly 80 ft or so high and see all the fields.

 

[Drycreek]

I can't think of a reason one for me to own one, but I wouldn't have a problem with someone using it , with permission or on there own land, to find and kill hogs. In fact, I can't think of much that I wouldn't approve of to kill hogs, and only hogs !

 

[Steve Daniel]

I have been an avid hunter all of my life. Over the past few years I have emerged myself in drone technology which is ome of the largest growing consumer markets worldwide.

I know there has been an ongoimg debate about the use of drones to track down and locate game. I have mixed feelings and would like to reach out to both old school and younger hunting enthusiasts before I consider utilizing my high end thermal imaging drone commerciallly to assist hunters locating deer or hog.

I recently went on a trip with 3 neighbors on a lease they owned. The property like so many here in Texas is riddled with hogs and the damage is widespread to the entire area.

I was able to use my thermal imaging to fly overhead up to 2 miles ahead of our party and locate areas that contained higher populations and direct the group in their direction. I did not use it for short range and I was flying 1000 ft plus in elevation. This didnt give an exact location but rather just gave an approximation of the distance and direction to assist.

Needless to say, the guys had a more fruitful hunt and it reduced the amount of time we spent drastically.

I am divided and cant decide whether it was a good or bad thing.. I saw it as not much different than hiring a guide or scout who already knows the land and the hotspots for taking game.:

In this day and age where people have less and less freetime. Young people want and need instant gratification (which goes against all ai learned from my grandfather about hunting.) I have seen a drastic disinterest in hunting even from my own step children than Ive seen a decade ago. Lazy people who want to grab a wall mount even pay these days to have game released right in front of them to avoid the cost, time, and effort of a real hunt. It makes me sick.

However, deer and hog are running rampant and putting them in check improves the overall quality of the lands once they are minimized...

If used a general tool to assist in locating a heading for the hunter but not as a pin point device is it really such a bad idea?

What if laws were passed for operators of such drones requiring them to have special training and licensing? Only certain types of game, max amount of hours of use per day/session, minumum distance of say 1000 yards, whatever... To limit the use and impact..

Could it bring interest to the next gen of hunters? Reduce costs of expensive hunts on high priced leases while increasing probability of hunters bringing home trophies but not making it a sure thing?

I am all for assist but not down with completley eliminating the skill and time needed for a successful outing.

My question to all of you is this:
If done with moderation amd respect for wildlife and only to locate the general heading what do you think of drone us in that scenario?

If I had a Drone it would be to scout new hunting properties for a club. I could find swamps, saddles, and likely bedding areas in the off season. I would not use one during season, unless it was to assist finding a lost hunter, or one who failed to return home. I would be opposed to using one to direct hunters to game. It goes against my sense of fair play.

 

[Shufigo]

Redundant response. Use for hogs, yes. Use for ANY in season aspect to assist in locating/taking deer, NO. Flying one over my property without permission, same as trespassing on my ground. (Fuzzy area there = up to what altitude? Certainly not where I could see/hear it.)