lol, a drone won't ever drag you through the briars with a rope! training and handling dogs is something very special in and of itself. It is hard to articulate but those that do it, understand. doesn't matter if you are pointing birds, retrieving ducks, treeing squirrels, sniffing drugs or whatever. working dogs teach us a lot and make us better. drone can surely be a very useful tool for recovering deer, but beyond my own tracking skills and experience, I would pick a dog first.I have hit tall grassy fields twice and could have definitely used a drone to help. (I have one now and need to practice). But I don't see it being as much fun as a dog. There is just something about the dog..... that's very hard to put into words.
I'm a dog lover. We have 2 currently and they both are geriatric and have been kids to my wife and I. My hearts already broken thinking of them being gone. As much as I love dogs its probably going to be many years before I can stomach getting another one once they are gone.I have hit tall grassy fields twice and could have definitely used a drone to help. (I have one now and need to practice). But I don't see it being as much fun as a dog. There is just something about the dog..... that's very hard to put into words.
I'm a dog lover. We have 2 currently and they both are geriatric and have been kids to my wife and I. My hearts already broken thinking of them being gone. As much as I love dogs its probably going to be many years before I can stomach getting another one once they are gone.
Great points. I'd be curious how long a drone last too? The one we bought our nephew lasted one flight. She gone. Obviously would not try the first flight in 40mph winds on a high end drone. I'm not sure how many years of service (and deer tracking jobs) one could get out of a high end drone.Just play devils advocate here. The initial cost for a drone of this caliber is very expensive, but how much do you put into a dog over a life time? Between vet bills, food, ect! I have never figured it out but dogs can be expensive too. I think both have their advantages.
On the top end drones you do a hot swap on the batterys, so your really only limited on flight time by the number of batteries you have. High wind and weather is not nearly as big an issue on these drones either. As far as life of the drone, its professional drone. I guess everything has a shelf life but as with most quality things its usually determined by maintence and taking care of it. Comparing it to the cheap drones would be like comparing a geo meto to a corvette. They are both cars but much more performance is expected out of one then the other. I think the drone technology on the top end drones would become obsolete before the actual drone wore out.Great points. I'd be curious how long a drone last too? The one we bought our nephew lasted one flight. She gone. Obviously would not try the first flight in 40mph winds on a high end drone. I'm not sure how many years of service (and deer tracking jobs) one could get out of a high end drone.
I'm with you 100% on the loss of a dog and not replacing it. After loosing our little girl of 16 years, there's no way I'm going through that much emotional stress again. I absolutely love dogs, but it's been 2 months since Carrie Anne died and we're still dealing with her loss.I'm a dog lover. We have 2 currently and they both are geriatric and have been kids to my wife and I. My hearts already broken thinking of them being gone. As much as I love dogs its probably going to be many years before I can stomach getting another one once they are gone.
The cheapest part about owning a dog is the cost of buying the dog. So I would agree…. The startup cost of a drone, compared to the cost of owning a dog, is negligible. My oldest Labrador is 10 and between food, vet bills, health clearance testing, HRC hunt tests, puppies, etc I bet I have well over 15k wrapped up in her. That doesn’t even include the passive “costs” of owning a dog.Just play devils advocate here. The initial cost for a drone of this caliber is very expensive, but how much do you put into a dog over a life time? Between vet bills, food, ect! I have never figured it out but dogs can be expensive too. I think both have their advantages.
You have to remember at 350ft above ground and with thermal, a drone can usually see (and eliminate) a lot of area quickly. It can also see if the deer is still alive, vs going in with a dog and not knowing and pushing it to the next county. I think there are pros and cons of each method, but covering ground quickly is definitely an advantage of the drone. I believe in one of the videos I watched the guy has searched 500 acres in a couple hours or less. When you stop and think about that its really incredible.A dog you are paying for right direction- a drone is still a grid search that could be way off. How much ground can a drone search per hour? Paying for a dog to take the guess part out of it a would be my vote. Im sure a drone is a very good tool but a dog is still the better choice if putting up equal money in my mind. Maybe a good option if multiple inches of rain has fallen?
I'm familiar with thermal technology but how do you know the thermal image is the deer in question vs a random deer that happens to be on the same hillside or general area?
Go ahead and order one for me when you out your order in. I know you like this stuff and will search out the best product. Im sure I won't be disappointed. I'll catch up with you when I cash my next paycheck. Thanks Kevin!