Deer Drone Recovery - in Ohio
- Thread starter Bowhunter57
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No, J, it did not spook them. But Seth kept the drone a good distance from most of them. The camera on that thing can zoom in a very long distance.
Not that I noticed at all yesterday. From 200+ ft definitely not. You get below that i think they pay more attention, but i wouldn't say spook. I made one a little spooky this evening but that was because I went below 100 ft, as I learn the deers general limits. If your only concerned about ID and not a frameable photo you don't have to get anywhere near close enough to spook them. They are pretty oblivious at heights you would normally fly to locate them.
Wiley E Coyote
Active Member
I see Indiana has laws against using them for scouting closer then 14 days before hunting. I don't know how they could enforce that. Pretty cool tool! I would love to have one!!!
I think everyone should have this kind of information on hand if wanting to manage the herd. To learn what we did yesterday would take hundreds on trail cams, maybe thousands. We got a real time herd analysis in 1.5 hours. Do that on your property multiple times a year and have a real idea of what you on hand. The buck to doe ratio on this property was 1-1. Troublesome part was that we only seen 1 fawn. That being said, I wouldn't call Seth for just recovery. So much more information can be gained.
They better ban cell cams too then, which are used daily during season to help hunters kill deer.. I think states are going to start adjusting their drone laws as this gains in popularity. One company has already sued the state of Michigan for contradicting laws. Drones should never be used for hunting, but an entirely different story for surveys and recovery.
Invaluable information. They use to have to fly helicopters to do what we did. Even then they compromised accuracy compared to a top end drone. Things are definitely changing and it's happening quickly. The technology available now to the public is making that possible.
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Big spoon stir warning...
If only the DNR would use something like this for tag limits
🫣
Wiley E Coyote
Active Member
I just picked up the Indiana hunting regulations yesterday at Bass pro just to see what's going on in a neighboring state. You are right about the cell cams and they have no laws on them.
Wiley E Coyote
Active Member
Nothing personal! But hope non of us need you for recovery!! May our arrows fly true!!
That is my point. I think the recovery part of this should be the last part and the "if". Much more to be had from a service like this.Nothing personal! But hope non of us need you for recovery!! May our arrows fly true!!
I hope the same !Nothing personal! But hope non of us need you for recovery!! May our arrows fly true!!
On our drive about today this conversation came up. I was telling her that we watch a deer fart from 1,000'+ away! She didn't believe me. Does anyone else belive me? @LonewolfNopack
P8riot
Active Member
I paid $600 for my ATN OTS XLT 2-8.
I could only imagine what a drone with a 200x zoom would cost!!
I could only imagine what a drone with a 200x zoom would cost!!
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I enjoyed another evening flight with Seth. His drone blows my mind. It is horrifying to think of how these things may be abused. It is exhilarating to get a peek into the whitetail world that only that thing can provide. If it were not for the cost of ownership, I’d go on record right now to say the era of trailcams have come to an end. I recall vividly how trailcams transformed my thinking from “there may be a good buck” on a specific property to “there are several good bucks”. It was mind altering. The use of Seth’s drone makes an even larger leap. I can certainly see some negatives that will undoubtedly become reality…. But being able to see deer where you would have only previously suspected they may be, well, it’s just cool.
Thanks Brock. Yep you are spot on. This technology could definitely be abused if it falls in the wrong hands. But really, that statement is also true for most other things in life. We can't ban cars based on the fact that some people choose to speed. I look at this the same way. Common sense regulations, and prosecute those who break them.
I have to add, I bought the drone for wildlife management and conservation purposes. Specifically wildlife surveys, recovering down deer, invasive species scouting and creating high quality areal maps and photos. It is illegal to use drones to hunt deer and it will never be used for that manner.
Id also have to add this: as effective as this drone is for finding deer, it only works when you have it in the air, in which the $700 worth of batteries give you about a 30 min flight time before you replace it with $700 worth of fresh batteries. A cell camera works 24/7 and sends real time photos to you as you sleep. Cell cameras are also legal to use on public lands, while drones are not. Drones are highly regulated while cell cameras have no regulations. Additionally cell cameras are affordable and available to virtually any swinging dick that hunts, while high quality drones are extremely cost prohibitive. With all that said, one is legal for deer hunting and the other very much illegal. Im not making the argument that drones should ever be legal to help a hunter take a deer, as they 100% never should or will be. I just wanted to include some of the comparison to cell cameras in case you were wondering about the ethical use of drones. You can be the judge on the cell cams.
Id also have to add this: as effective as this drone is for finding deer, it only works when you have it in the air, in which the $700 worth of batteries give you about a 30 min flight time before you replace it with $700 worth of fresh batteries. A cell camera works 24/7 and sends real time photos to you as you sleep. Cell cameras are also legal to use on public lands, while drones are not. Drones are highly regulated while cell cameras have no regulations. Additionally cell cameras are affordable and available to virtually any swinging dick that hunts, while high quality drones are extremely cost prohibitive. With all that said, one is legal for deer hunting and the other very much illegal. Im not making the argument that drones should ever be legal to help a hunter take a deer, as they 100% never should or will be. I just wanted to include some of the comparison to cell cameras in case you were wondering about the ethical use of drones. You can be the judge on the cell cams.
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So use Seth to find out where to put your cell cams