Drone deer recovery

[Greenheadless]

Are invasive feral hogs ‘wildlife’?

[Philip-TX]

Are invasive feral hogs ‘wildlife’?

I'd say yes,

not to be confused with "game animals"

[cehorn]

I'm 100% for this in a deer survey manner. I don't see anything being more accurate by a long shot and I think it would be less invasive than any other method as well including camera studies. I'm a little torn on the locating shot deer but if my feet were held to the fire and I had to give a thumbs up or down I would give a thumbs up. I can see this being a lot better than using dogs or if used in conjunction with dogs it could almost be 100% recovery rate.

[powderburner]

I would vote yes on the survey and recovery. I can not see a reason why if would not be better for recovery. But with anything I can see how it could be miss used.

Just like border patrol they use it as a tool and if used as a tool then it would be a massive improvement over the tools used now.

[RWNJRB]

Just get one and keep an eye on your livestock with it.

[cehorn]

Look up JC Wildlife consulting. He is a biologist friend of mine that is pioneering drone surveying here in Texas. It is incredible what he can count with his drones. No disturbing or stressing the deer. You can get great pics and video for determining sex ratios. The precision of the grid patterns are crazy. His drones are $$$.

Do you have any idea how much he charges for a deer survey on about 1000 ac? Not sure I have the funds this year but I'm extremely interested for future years.

[wellingtontx]

From TPWD:

Except with permits issued by Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, the use of drones to hunt, drive, capture, take, count or photograph any wildlife is unlawful. This includes locating wounded animals as well.

Absolutely ridiculous not to be allowed to recovery wounded animals.

So I can run a tracking dog but not a drone to find my deer. Dumb

I can use a handheld thermal to scan the ground for my wonded deer but it cannot be attached to a drone. Dumb.

But then I guess nobody ever said politicians or those that run administrative agencies were smart.....

[jshouse]

Why do you have to give them permission to trespass? You can say no and when they come over to look, you can have them arrested. Then they might start rethinking fence line hunting.

These drones should not be legal to use IMO.

you're that neighbor

[Lawhunter]

Just get one and keep an eye on your livestock with it.

Exactly. It isnt rocket science to get around stupid rules.

[Greenheadless]

you're that neighbor

Did his long lost cousin move his hunting set, without asking first?

[kyle1974]

I'm guessing that might be illegal in Texas and maybe in some other states as well.

yes, god forbid texas parks and wildlife accepts new technology. lol the guys that still run gill nets to do trout surveys

[SkySenderos]

Absolutely ridiculous not to be allowed to recovery wounded animals.

So I can run a tracking dog but not a drone to find my deer. Dumb

I can use a handheld thermal to scan the ground for my wonded deer but it cannot be attached to a drone. Dumb.

But then I guess nobody ever said politicians or those that run administrative agencies were smart.....

Hey all, I can actually shed some light on the State of Texas and TPWD's thinking here. My company, Sky Senderos, is the largest provider of thermal drone game surveys in the state and the number one question we get asked by clients is if we can use our drones for recovery. So, I've had multiple conversations with biologists and game wardens about the issue and why it's currently illegal in Texas but legal in other states.

The root of the issue is the federal Airborne Hunting Act (AHA) which states "it is unlawful to shoot or attempt to shoot or intentionally harass any bird, fish, or other animal from aircraft (including drones) except for certain specified reasons, including protection of wildlife, livestock, and human health." It is then up to each individual state to interpret the wording when creating its aerial wildlife permitting laws.

It's my understanding that Texas is overly cautious with what activities it permits so as to not be found in violation of this federal law. Doing so could result in the state not being allowed to permit any sort of aerial wildlife management practices.

In states where drone deer recovery is legal, the consequences of losing aerial permitting are fairly minor since drone deer recovery is really the only type of aerial wildlife management that's performed there. However, in Texas, the fallout would be pretty catastrophic to the entire hunting industry. Imagine not being able to use helicopters, drones, or any other aerial tool for predator control, wildlife capture, or annual census counts across the entire state.

Hopefully that helps clear some things up for everyone. The good news is that many individuals within TPWD are in favor of allowing drone deer recovery so there's a good chance the law will be changed in the next few years.

[bigchiefj]

Remember that it's legal to fly one for fun provided that FAA rules are followed and don't advertise what you're doing.

[tvc184]

Hey all, I can actually shed some light on the State of Texas and TPWD's thinking here. My company, Sky Senderos, is the largest provider of thermal drone game surveys in the state and the number one question we get asked by clients is if we can use our drones for recovery. So, I've had multiple conversations with biologists and game wardens about the issue and why it's currently illegal in Texas but legal in other states.

The root of the issue is the federal Airborne Hunting Act (AHA) which states "it is unlawful to shoot or attempt to shoot or intentionally harass any bird, fish, or other animal from aircraft (including drones) except for certain specified reasons, including protection of wildlife, livestock, and human health." It is then up to each individual state to interpret the wording when creating its aerial wildlife permitting laws.

It's my understanding that Texas is overly cautious with what activities it permits so as to not be found in violation of this federal law. Doing so could result in the state not being allowed to permit any sort of aerial wildlife management practices.

In states where drone deer recovery is legal, the consequences of losing aerial permitting are fairly minor since drone deer recovery is really the only type of aerial wildlife management that's performed there. However, in Texas, the fallout would be pretty catastrophic to the entire hunting industry. Imagine not being able to use helicopters, drones, or any other aerial tool for predator control, wildlife capture, or annual census counts across the entire state.

Hopefully that helps clear some things up for everyone. The good news is that many individuals within TPWD are in favor of allowing drone deer recovery so there's a good chance the law will be changed in the next few years.

So considering the recent Loper Bright decision by the Supreme Court, Texas should reevaluate their interpretation??

[cehorn]

So considering the recent Loper Bright decision by the Supreme Court, Texas should reevaluate their interpretation??

Probably should but I doubt they will. I had a lengthy conversation with a couple of game wardens about it at a youth hunt I was at with my son. They were very against it and said they would fight it as game wardens. Their rationale was it would make their jobs harder to catch people poaching at night and increase people who do poach at night. I just said it was a **** shame and didn't argue with them.