What a pre-season thermal count actually tells you

Most hunting clubs manage on anecdote. Somebody saw a big eight near the north fence, cameras got three bucks on the food plot, and the group decides the herd looks strong. None of that answers the questions that actually drive harvest decisions: how many deer are using this ground, how do the sexes split, and did last year’s fawn crop survive?

We fly a repeatable transect pattern at survey altitude after the ground has cooled, recording the whole time. Counting happens off the footage, not by eye in the field, which means every animal can be reviewed, classified and tallied without double-counting. You get total observed animals, antlered versus antlerless where thermal and zoom allow the call, fawn observations, and notes on which fields, ridges and bottoms actually held deer.

One count is a snapshot. Two counts on the same route are a trend, and that is where a survey starts paying for itself — you can see whether doe harvest moved the ratio, whether recruitment held after a hard winter, or whether the neighbors’ new food plots pulled animals off your ground.

This needs saying plainly: a herd survey is management data, not hunting assistance. Under AGFC Code 05.07, it is unlawful to hunt, drive, herd, or harass wildlife from or with a drone. Missouri 3 CSR 10-7.410 lets a drone locate and recover wounded black bear, deer, elk, or turkey — it does not let you hunt, drive, or molest wildlife with one. Oklahoma ODWC General Hunting Regulations (Drone/UAV) allow scouting or recovering wounded wildlife on private land, with conditions, including no hunting in the same area on the same day the drone is used, and it is unlawful to use a drone to harass wildlife or make it flee. The federal Airborne Hunting Act, 16 U.S.C. 742j-1, prohibits shooting from an aircraft or using an aircraft to harass wildlife. We fly surveys outside of active hunting on the property, and we do not hand anyone live-animal locations to go sit on. Any operator willing to blur that line is putting your hunt, and his certificate, in front of a warden. This is not legal advice. Verify with AGFC, MDC, ODWC, or the warden in the county you are standing in before you fly or hire a flight.

Late summer before the season gives you a picture going into the fall. Late winter after the season, with leaves off and cold ground, gives the cleanest counts and shows what came through the year. Clubs serious about management do both.

Properties from 80 acres to a couple thousand are all routine. Pricing is by acreage and number of flights, and annual programs are the norm for clubs and managers who want comparable numbers year over year.

Need a pre-season count? FindMyBuckNWA flies thermal herd surveys for clubs and landowners. Drones Inbound LLC operates the aircraft under 14 CFR Part 107. 888-901-5150