Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Don Higgins on Drones

Folks would think it was the most absurd thing in the world if you suggested that we allow that here but when it stops being hunting and just becomes killing then you might as well…..I think we’re pretty much there now

I’ll throw this out there too…….I don’t have an issue with them being used to recover deer from the standpoint of fairness…..Like I have said many times 99.9% of the deer we go look for have already had their fate sealed before we get there….They’re either gonna die or they aint……However, just a personal opinion I hate that we’re replacing dog work with robots……Anyone that’s a duck hunter or a quail hunter could relate……Call me a traditionalist but there is an aspect at the core of what hunting is that’s being lost…..Its like the old school turkey hunter that has appreciation for the game that's being played…….We’re just allowing it all to be tainted for the sake of commercialization of products

Its gonna eventually be where everyone’s desire to kill a big one and post it on social media at any cost is going to diminish the accomplishment down to the point that nobody even cares anymore…..We’re gonna be our own worst enemy on this one

Agree. Already there. I’m more interested in hearing the story of how you killed it and what it meant to you than how big it is. Lot of folks are the opposite. They only care how big it is and sharing that over the how. They don’t even care about the how.

I don't care one bit about posting a picture of my deer kills on social media.

Did it once many years ago.

Won't do it again c

Why does it always have to be Jackson County?

.........gonna be......... You're late to the party.

A lot of times I use Jackson Co because I know it will trigger you and get more participation on the thread… …..But besides that its because that’s where I grew up hunting and I just have familiarity with it

Neither one of those was the reason for using Jackson Co this time though.....

The drones have become a way to locate roosted turkeys as well. Heard about this this past hunting season on public land down here in South Bama. I hope they completely outlaw them altogether.

And to whoever said (it’s their land, they can hunt how they want ) do you really think that they are only looking at their land ?

Not much about deer huntin' triggers me anymore.

Speaking of Jackson Co though……..An area like that is some of the most vulnerable places for droners to exploit with all the hardwoods and those deer’s natural movement patterns up and down the mountains……You could easily launch a drone from the top of any one of the mountains around Paint Rock Valley and scope out the whole mountain side and valley below and know everything that was in there and exactly what every deer was doing pretty easily……turkeys too……….Don Higgins is spot on that this is the worst thing to ever happen to hunting…..There’s just never been a technological advancement that even comes close to allowing folks to do the things that thermal drones allow.....At least down here in south Alabama we have some young pine thickets that the deer might can hide in......

When I was a kid and bored to death sitting on the stand, I used to imagine having the power to make all the trees disappear so that I could see the deer that I knew were just out of eyesight. That is now becoming a reality with the thermal drones. It will definitely be abused by those with no ethics and low moral standards.

I could see a law being passed that would not allow flying over public land during season. It seems impossible that anything could be done about flying a drone over private land. The only angle that might would get some traction is that it disturbs wildlife.

It's hard for me to get too concerned about it when the overall hunting experience, IMO, has been cheapened in an effort to make things easier for the masses. It's a death by a thousand cuts and eventually it just becomes "a dead deer is a dead deer" and no one really cares.

My Weyerhaeuser lease specifically says drones are not permitted.

Speaking of Drones , on the Huntsville news yesterday there was a story about a real estate drone photographer who got his drone shot down, boo hoo. The po-po are investigating. The pompous drone pilot, with a straight face, said that you don't own anything on your property " above the tallest blade of grass in your yard."

It will be abused by way more folks than that……Its no different than folks skirting the 3 buck rule…..It isnt just the scoundrels…..Its the folks who are otherwise good people but fall to the temptation once the ability to do so is in their hands……Your preacher will skirt the rules if the opportunity on a big buck presents itself…….

I know of a fella in North Alabama that has a big mature buck on his farm he owns--he and his buddies will locate the buck prior to hunting w the thermal drone and then basically surround him cutting off all the most likely travel routes and they have yet to lay eyes on him during the daylight. Guy who hunts with him told me that is their basic strategy for killing him. Just goes to show you how smart these critters are. Hope he continues to give them the slip!

Sounds like they just need to change their strategy a little and send in a driver........

I’m sure Jack is a great guy but he’s bias and a little naïve…..which I will say is to be expected coming from someone who is this involved with drones ……..Are drones super cool to use for doing herd surveys??....Yes……Do you have to have one to manage effectively?....No……….The problem here and why I think he’s being a little naïve is that the bad is gonna outweigh the good in the long run…..I’m guessing he must have grown up around the KUIU and Sitka wearers and not Alabama good ol’ boys…….

Weyerhaeuser of all the timber companies dang sure is not doing that to protect the wildlife. They are banning them because they do not want them used on their property to spray anything, or crash and potentially start a fire. People using them to find deer never even crossed their minds when they wrote that into the lease.