Thermal Drones
- Thread starter The Lucky Hunter
- Start date
) to spy on deer to make it easier to know where they might be.
BenBhoy
Well-Known Member
Part timers!!
Ruby Tuesday 2
Well-Known Member
Sorry I wasn't meaning to come across as you took it, what I am saying is the areas with silly densities of deer is not the places for someone who can only get out infrequently . There are other areas with either less deer or less damaging species that are more suited to the casual stalker. I used to have access to large amounts of deer infested ground that I was out on five times a week, then I had an accident that made it impossible for me to get out so I passed that land on to someone who could.. Now I'm back again active I'm out again regularly again and can cover more ground.
Jagare
Well-Known Member
I can see the use for drones for deer census on open ground as I can see the use of thermal spotters if you have a big cull to undertake. If I was woodland stalking again I would be using a single stick again. I would not need a drone, thermal spotter, quasi sniper scope, etc.
With all the modern electronic stalking gear that seems to be a must have for the record number of deer stalkers/ deer managers, why are there so many deer around today?
Don't even get me started on people belly aching about the cost of ammo when they spend thousand on the latest electronic gizmo.
With all the modern electronic stalking gear that seems to be a must have for the record number of deer stalkers/ deer managers, why are there so many deer around today?
Don't even get me started on people belly aching about the cost of ammo when they spend thousand on the latest electronic gizmo.
The UK legislation largely limits a drones effectiveness for deer stalking and census work in my opinion. Certainly if you are ensuring you adhere to it.
In those 5-10 years @jall55 mentioned a lot of people made the jump to thermal after saying "I won't ever have a thermal", which I also said at a time. But like you say, it certainly has its uses. Perhaps 5-10 years from now, drones will be a lot more accepted as a tool of the trade. While handheld thermal imagers will still be vastly more popular and more useful for the majority of stalkers. I can see drones being very popular and put to use in a variety of different ways.I’m fiercely old fashioned, blunt to the point and a spade is a spade, @devon deer stalker will remember the phone call I made picking his brains about thermal
I hate using thermal, but it has its uses, I can live with out it happily if it packs up, drones are a massive step too far, if you can’t stalk and learn your ground, pack up and Fek off as far as I’m concerned!
That would have been very interesting! It's pretty incredible the powerful technology that they can now build into something as small as a drone. Lots of big companies in the electric, gas, oil, security etc are also using drones in a similar manner, to inspect structures and pipes and so on. Saving a ton of time, money and manpower.
As you say, great for businesses and professional stalking outfits etc. who can probably justify the cost.
Thats what it's all about Ruby, there is always something to learn!
Very true. There are so many variables to take into consideration!
This could be a whole different debate!
The answer to why there are so many deer is because I'm afraid most deer stalkers are horrendously inefficient.
I blame those landowners who aren't interested and leave the stalkers to their own devices.
Jagare
Well-Known Member
I'm interested in my car at a very basic level so I let a mechanic service and fix it. Many land owner are the same about deer that's why they call in people who are supposed to be knowledgeable about the subject.
I started deer stalking with a Brno .243 topped with a 4x zeiss Jena scope with the thick post and rail reticle. Also carried the minimum amount of gear when stalking. Deer were not so thick on the ground back then but I still managed to kill a good amount every year.
I think many never gain enough fieldcraft because the rely on to many electronic gizmo's.
Well put.
And in this analogy, there are plenty who aren't interested in their cars and are happy for a cold caller to come and tinker with it.
SussexSteve
Well-Known Member
I agree with that landowners need to get a bit more involved in some cases
Being an ex stalker, DSC 2, I have had a interest in Deer management. My interests now lie with UAV technology and I have taken the time to educate myself and become qualified to operate these machines to UK CAA GVC, a qualification for professional and commercial use. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to survey an area for a deer count, around 400 acres. This took around 2 hours to complete and gave me a good insight as to how effective my drone with thermal camera was in distinguishing different species. As a method of capturing this data, I believe an aerial survey is quick and efficient. The images below were flown at around 250 to 300 ft for both the thermal and Zoomed colour images.
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Great footage! Which drone were you using for this survey?
That's fine, but if it is a big hump up the hill with time a premium and deer that need shot then checking out the likely locations could be more time efficient. If blank days are fine then crack on but if you need to get deer any tool that works would be welcome.
Having said that I would need convincing that the drone could get the job done without spooking the deer or additional angst. Having seen one loon climbing a half fallen down tree over the River Don onto an island to recover his drone I can see there are possible issues...
Thanks. I was using a DJI Mavic 3T, captures the EXIF data for precise Lat/long positioning which can be easily overlayed on a google earth image.
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