Scouting by drone

Dancerpro

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I am not talking about using a drone during the hunting season. I am wanting to use a drone during off season, in conjunction with e-scouting, to find feeding areas, bedding areas and water. Through watching quite a few hunting shows, I know that animals move around through the year and what is a bedding area now, may very well be empty during the hunting season. The reason I am considering this, is exposure. The more exposure you have to the necessities animals require for their daily life, the better able you are to recognize those signs during the hunting season while you are doing your on the ground scouting. I have never hunted before, so I have to ask, am I thinking along the right track, or is an over active imagination working overtime to make things sound good, with no real value?
 
Hot button topic.

I fly drones for a living, building maps and 3D models, and I think people overestimate their utility for things like this. Could it be fun? Sure. Might you pick up on some things you hadn’t before? Maybe, but it is far more likely you will glean useful information using Google earth, which in addition to imagery provides elevation data , as opposed to a drone.

Their field of view is limited at useful ground resolutions, as is their battery times, flight times, and ability to sense information beneath a tree canopy, etc. The tech is advancing rapidly had someday I think these may not be truths, but right now I think these are pertinent facts.

If you are close enough to an area of interest to fly a drone, your time would probably be far better spent hiking. You will get more out of it and will be a better hunter for it
 
Some people like video games. Some people like flying drones. Other people like real activities like hunting, fishing, and camping. 🤣

J/K

Your question may be sincere but it is going to lead you in a direction away from the point of hunting or learning about nature in a more authentic way. Legalities and ethics aside, it is not going to enrich your experience.
 
You said that you never hunted, which tells me that you have a lot to learn. Do yourself a favor and scout like most every body else does, hike! You can learn so much about critters by observing them in non hunting situations that can’t be done by flying a drone. Let’s not turn hunting into a real life video game!!!
 
Google Earth so we don’t have to learn new areas, E-bikes so we don’t have to hike to that area, and drones so we don’t have to scout said area for animal habitat. I personally feel that before hunting/killing you have to ask yourself why you are doing it? What are you looking to get out of the experience? We all want success, but we all vary on our desires leading up to pulling the trigger...
 
I know you meant well but agree with the other guys. You’re already in the area. Practice your hiking. Check your boots out—do they hurt your feet after a few miles? Practice glassing. Can you spot them from far away? If you see something, learn how to anticipate which way they’ll go. Learn about all types of sign. Hard to learn all about hunting quickly but you will learn it faster walking than flying a drone. Bring someone experienced if you can.
 
There’s so much info that on the ground scouting gives you that you won’t be able to get from drone images. Trails in wooded areas, scat, rubs, scrapes, beds. As was mentioned, anything under the tree canopy, which is where the critters hang out for safety and sanctuary, you won’t be able to see from the air. And most of what you can see from the air you can see on Google earth.
 
Rather than asking can a drone be useful, which they aren't for many reasons, How about you think of the solitude that others seek in the woods and how you could potentially squash that solitude with a noisy drone with cameras. Not to mention harassment of all wildlife.
 
The devil's in the details.

I dig drones. I think you're on the wrong track for an alt to boots on the ground and "e-scouting".

I take hell for my thoughts of drone use and hunting... depending on your state, it may or may not be legal to use for scouting wildlife.

Montana... it's legal, just as an aeroplane scout. One may not use a drone for scouting and hunting said scouting area the same day. However, the last hour of the evening in an area I'm not hunting or done hunting for the day, it is legal to use a drone to scout for the next day.

Screenshot_20210503-235454_Drive.jpg

Some may not like it... oh well. I like it though on one occasion I've used it mainly for filming my camp location, etc... however, not to film the actual hunt.

Keep in mind, legal areas to fly... i.e. no wilderness areas, etc. Airmap is a good app to view fly/no fly zones, etc.
 
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I am not talking about using a drone during the hunting season. I am wanting to use a drone during off season, in conjunction with e-scouting, to find feeding areas, bedding areas and water. Through watching quite a few hunting shows, I know that animals move around through the year and what is a bedding area now, may very well be empty during the hunting season. The reason I am considering this, is exposure. The more exposure you have to the necessities animals require for their daily life, the better able you are to recognize those signs during the hunting season while you are doing your on the ground scouting. I have never hunted before, so I have to ask, am I thinking along the right track, or is an over active imagination working overtime to make things sound good, with no real value?
Active imagination working overtime.
I think you'd be better off escouting maps and verifying on foot. Plus, you'll never get a drone in close enough to read sign.
 
Meh!
I'd like to use a drone, but merely to map my hunting area.
No larger than my hunting area is, I'd have to buy a dirt cheap drone! LOL!
Maybe I could just tie my camera to a kite!
 
Rather than asking can a drone be useful, which they aren't for many reasons, How about you think of the solitude that others seek in the woods and how you could potentially squash that solitude with a noisy drone with cameras. Not to mention harassment of all wildlife.
My main reason for asking is simply, I'm disabled and it is very difficult to get into the outdoors and I value all areas, however, I'd rather not spend scouting time in areas that have no hunting value. I do value the outdoors and the wildlife that live there and I am not trying to destroy the peace I find there, but I am trying to maximize my efforts. I am asked, being disabled, why try and hunt? The simple answer is that I believe I am working to obey a commandment from God, just as I have in concentrating my efforts, till now, in providing a future for my family. I have received a great deal of information and advice through asking these questions. As pointed out I am already in the area, which means I have taken the time to get outside and am simply looking for directions for scouting. I have never flown a drone and don't know what sounds they make. I have also never played a video game, but understand the comparison being made. Understanding that comparison, has helped me understand one thing. Live life as I always have, hands on and not through someone else's eyes.

The reason I respond to you is, you were angry about my question. I am not trying to convince you of anything, but rather inform you that I am asking experienced outdoor folks advice on how best to proceed, before I do something stupid.
 
Totally unrelated kinda.
Is using a drone over private land an invitation of privacy?
Do you need permission or is it trespassing?
If I shoot a bullet over private land and hit a deer on the other side on public land I'm in violation. Trespass by bullet they call it. Is a drone in the same category?
I feel the same way with Google earth and looking down on to a farmer's back yard.
Just wondering?
 
Yo
To everyone telling this guy to get out and hike.... I believe this gentleman has self described as being wheelchair bound with a service dog
You are correct, I do use a service dog to walk and I do use a wheelchair more often now that I'm getting older. I am not completely chair bound yet, but if things keep going as they are, it will only be a few years before I am. I would like to get in at least 1 hunt before hunting is completely out of the question. I am a person who tries on my own, before asking for help to do. That may be pride, or simply stubbornness. The question now is, what am I looking for on a map that makes a place worth my efforts to try and put my feet on the ground. I don't know what I'm looking for and that is where the drone idea came from.
 
Totally unrelated kinda.
Is using a drone over private land an invitation of privacy?
Do you need permission or is it trespassing?
If I shoot a bullet over private land and hit a deer on the other side on public land I'm in violation. Trespass by bullet they call it. Is a drone in the same category?
I feel the same way with Google earth and looking down on to a farmer's back yard.
Just wondering?
I am not a lawyer, but if a bullet going over a property line is trespass, then I can't see the difference using a drone makes. On another side, I can see how someone can say that is also an invasion of privacy, in that you are using a flying vehicle, equipt with a camera to view what is considered private. Your feet are not on the ground, but just like the bullet, what you are capturing, is.
 

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