Thermal drone, harvesting for meat

Am I scumbag if I use a thermal drone to scout deer

  • Yes

    Votes: 26 50.0%
  • No

    Votes: 25 48.1%
  • See results

    Votes: 1 1.9%

  • Total voters
    52
Typical NES stud club member, as seen via OP's drone:

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OP: If you're phrasing this as a Hunting Ethics question, by asking it, you have answered it, for yourself.

If it's about Hunting Laws / Regs, don't ask for internet opinions....read the abstracts or the source laws/regs, and if it's not prohibited, it's allowed. "Dude on NES said that...." won't fly when talking to John Woods Law in the field.
 
Like HH said.....whatever floats your boat.

Some guys pay 10-15K to kill their big bucks by shooting over shelled corn off a 250 acre fenced preserve. You can do it quickly then go back to work if thats your thing.

Other guys hunt up in Northern Maine or NH for weeks, and track for miles on land with no roads, with 1 deer per mile and kill 200 pound bucks with mediocre antlers.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know for sure who is the better woodsman and hunter at the end of the day between the above 2.

Honestly, I think that these game cameras that send pictures to your phone are crossing a line as you can use that info to possibly intercept an animal further down a trail.

Drones...the same day hunting...for sure is IMHO. But again, you do you, and I'm not going to comment, unless its illegal and your poaching.

Other than that, all hunters should stand together and stop creating divides between disciplines.
 
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I wouldn't, but I won't knock you for it. Seems hunting ethics is a sliding scale that keeps moving to allow use of the newest "unfair advantage". Hunters love to bitch about the newest technology: compound bows, crossbows, game cams, in line muzzleloaders, etc. You can put as much or as little sport or technology into the hunt as you desire. Now you add drones to the mix. It'll be standard within 10 years.

I notice that the guys with bait permits (legal in NH), who set up multiple stands based on what they're seeing on their trail cameras have a really high rate of success. I also think that the price per pound for their meat after you total everything up is roughly equivalent to gold dipped lobster, especially when you add the time it takes to figure out these deer patterns. If that's what they enjoy - whatever, enjoy the meal.

When I deer hunted I hunted on the ground, trying to be quiet and watch the wind. I'm too cheap to bother with cameras and I hate stands, I'd find fresh tracks and follow. I've gotten close to deer, but always busted them before I could get a shot off. I enjoyed the stalk, especially when I could get close enough to find a pile of hot turds, or actually see the deer. It was a successful hunt for me.
 
I notice that the guys with bait permits (legal in NH), who set up multiple stands based on what they're seeing on their trail cameras have a really high rate of success. I also think that the price per pound for their meat after you total everything up is roughly equivalent to gold dipped lobster, especially when you add the time it takes to figure out these deer patterns. If that's what they enjoy - whatever, enjoy the meal.

Most of these guys it isn't the meat, its the antlers.

But like you said....guys in the midwest basically leasing land for thousands, putting in food plots, paying big tag prices, shooting the best and latest bows, and using the latest trail cam tech. Not including the costs of the tractors, four wheelers/side by sides, trucks, gas, seed, time etc.......I'm betting the price of their venison is at least $1000 a pound.

The guys that do this...I mean if you want just antlers.....just pay the 10K price on a deer preserve and get your 200 inch deer over with..........

Bowhunting even locally can be very expensive with the stands/saddles/ropes thing.....its a whole step up in cost from gun hunting. And I get caught in the trap with that. The price of my venison is pretty high. Not leasing midwest high, but I have a lot of equipment. Which is OK to me, because someday I will buy land and have all that equipment to disperse around my property. The reality is though if Im in a good deer state, I probalby won't need a lot of those stands, because hunting will be a lot easier. Now I need them because I need to be moblile and lots of setups because MA sucks.
 
I’m curious what the OP intends on shooting the deer with, perhaps it will be some technologically advanced weapon from the future that shoots laser beams.
 
This year, Mossberg 500. Next year definitely thinking bow is the way to go.
If you are waiting until shotgun season to hunt you are not putting in near enough effort. The first week of bow season is the best time to be out scouting. The deer are not pressured. Your only hunting two weeks? No wonder you’re not seeing deer, get a bow and practice then get out there starting in October.
 
If you are waiting until shotgun season to hunt you are not putting in near enough effort. The first week of bow season is the best time to be out scouting. The deer are not pressured. Your only hunting two weeks? No wonder you’re not seeing deer, get a bow and practice then get out there starting in October.

Yeah, I'm a total newbie. Just was never something that was a part of my life. I am way behind the 8 ball. Completely agree, now that I'm more up to speed on the topic, bow hunting is absolutely the way to go and I will be ready for next year.
 
Yeah, I'm a total newbie. Just was never something that was a part of my life. I am way behind the 8 ball. Completely agree, now that I'm more up to speed on the topic, bow hunting is absolutely the way to go and I will be ready for next year.
You are not alone, I am still learning myself as I was not brought up hunting either. Just get out there now and learn what you can. The first snow will be a great opportunity to scout areas for primitive arms and for next season.
 
This year, Mossberg 500. Next year definitely thinking bow is the way to go.
You will see more deer in bow season, less pressure, and naturally its during the rut, so deer are moving more. It gets more complicated and more expensive if you want it to be with stands/saddles/climbing. It doesn't have to be, I've shot deer off the ground with a bow, but its not easy. You will double or triple your opportunity from a well scouted, well placed treestand.
And be able to let deer pass without them seeing you....which is important if you want to kill a big buck. As if your not passing does and little bucks, your not going to get a big buck in a lot of cases.

MA shotgun season is late....most of the time rut is ending or near over, where I am, every year deer go very noctournal. A good amount of the deer that get killed by me is by people pushing bedding areas and pushing deer out. Most of the time, they are bedded during the day during shotgun.
 
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You are not alone, I am still learning myself as I was not brought up hunting either. Just get out there now and learn what you can. The first snow will be a great opportunity to scout areas for primitive arms and for next season.
Deer are in different stages every part of the year. Late season, you could find 20 deer in one snowyard near me, and they will be nowhere else. That's a good place to put in your pocket for that time of year next year. But that same place could be devoid of deer in archery season and the rest of the year.

Like this year, found a bunch of does in early archery season, as soon as bucks started walking around for rut they pushed them out. Spot then had just a few bucks walking thru.

Big woods in my area, its a constant battle of finding where the deer are because they have so many places to go. But if you can find the does, you'll find your big buck eventually.

I have one stand I shot a deer at last year.......I have a camera hanging on that trail for 2 weeks and there has not been one single picture. It changes year to year.
 
It is a prohibited activity on any DCR properties.

Specifically:

Taking-off or landing a drone within DCR properties unless it is an emergency.
Operating a drone over any land or waterways managed by the DCR.

302CMR 12.28 G

28 Special Use Permit Required. Unless authorized by a special use permit issued in accordance with 302 CMR 12.17(2), no person may:
(a) Consume, possess, distribute, sell or drink alcoholic beverages;
(b) Engage in any lotteries, raffles, gambling and games of chance;
(c) Conduct any commercial use activity or event;
(d) Possess machinery, instruments or equipment of any kind for the use of conducting
lotteries, raffles, gambling and games of chance;
(e) Operate or use any audio device, including radio, television, musical instruments, or other noise producing devices, such as electrical generators, or equipment driven by motor or engine, in a manner or at such times that may disturb others. 302 CMR 12.04(28)(e) shall not apply to campgrounds; operation of these devices or equipment at campgrounds shall be subject to the provisions in 302 CMR 12.08;
(f) Operate or use any public address system, whether fixed, portable or vehicle mounted;
(g) Except in an emergency, bring, take off, land or cause to descend on DCR property any
airplane, helicopter, sea plane, so-called ultra-light aircraft, or any other apparatus;
(h) Conductresearchwhichmaydamage,disturborremoveanyDCRpropertyorresource, real, natural, personal, cultural or historic;
(i) Promote,sponsororengageinanyrace,rallyororganizedtrialeventsonDCRproperty;
(j)
(k)
(l)
waters of the DCR; and
(m) Operate a watercraft for livery or carrying passengers for hire.

Another alphabet soup agency. They shouldn't own any land.
 
I already break that part of the law by just flying the drone. I respect the airspace around airports etc but I’m not registering a damn thing with the FAA. In for a penny in for pound I suppose.

And as for the fair chase part, I guess I buy that but also, my goal is meat harvesting. I’m not doing it for sport
Then your not a sportsman. You said it not me.
 
Then your not a sportsman. You said it not me.
Steve Rinella was talking on the meat eater podcast about a hunt he did in a believe Sweden where everyone uses thermal optics to find game. Every single person apparently.
 
Then your not a sportsman. You said it not me.
I found myself spending too much time trying to perfect the mount/setup on the drone to get it usable and ended up just tabling it and getting out in the woods more. Paid off and I harvested my first deer. I think the drone will have great value in helping me learn about and scout various areas in the off-season. Basically low impact scouting so I can spend my walks in high value areas. I definitely think the drone belongs on the ground during hunting season, with the sole exception being MAYBE harvest recovery in certain circumstances. Even then, if I practice my shot placement, and only take ethical shots, it should never been needed for recovery.
 
Steve Rinella was talking on the meat eater podcast about a hunt he did in a believe Sweden where everyone uses thermal optics to find game. Every single person apparently.
Thermal optics on a drone or when hunting?
 
Steve Rinella was talking on the meat eater podcast about a hunt he did in a believe Sweden where everyone uses thermal optics to find game. Every single person apparently.
That was Janis, in Latvia.

They use it as part of their scouting, etc.

But there are so many things that are different between the here and there that it's kind of inappropriate to really compare that. Simple examples off the top of my head: population density, views on firearms ownership, cultural traditions related to hunting, legal landscape surrounding hunting.

Here's the episode:
 
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