TXHOGKILLER
New Member
anybody use a drone to spot hogs in the air? and then go after them.
Hog hunting with drone
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wigwamitus
LSB Active Member
spot hogs in the air !!??? 
.. yes using drones sounds fun ... if it is even legal ... though even if it is it probably won't be for long ...
One issue is wind ... most of the DJI thermal drones are just too light to take much wind ...
.. yes using drones sounds fun ... if it is even legal ... though even if it is it probably won't be for long ...
One issue is wind ... most of the DJI thermal drones are just too light to take much wind ...
Chasing flying hogs with a drone? That does sound like fun!
437
LSB Active Member
as a matter of fact one of the members here is planning on bringing one out here to hunt with us in a couple of months at our lease! hope to update with some big laughs and videos. pretty sure one of our lease members will buy it on the spot which will not suck for our hunting!
deltav
LSB Member
Don't get too close and make sure it's windy to conceal the noise. The Phantom 4 Pro spooks them if you get too close with no wind. The Mavic Pro is a little quieter but still need to keep distance. I've had the Phantom 4 up in 25mph winds gusting to over 30. It will fly but will not hover in position....drifts. The problem with windy days is take off and landing. Drone wants to tip over when the props start turning. Make sure you have a larger display such as an iPad or they are a little difficult to spot. Thermal drone is the best option$$$
I could get video of my drone crashing into them. That's about all I seem to be able to do with mine. Pretty impressive crashes though.
He can probably run one of his under a hog's belly and then loop it over his head.
jglass
LSB Member
I'm thinking about trying a drone. Florida is often blessed with still air, should be perfect for a drone. I would really like to know where the hogs are during the day. I have buddy from Michigan that says he has a drone, I should ask him to bring it to Florida with him next winter. I could walk my lease but it would be tough going with logs, rocks to step over and standing water to wade through.
Might actually be dangerous back in there.
The problem in Florida is the drone will be out of sight most of the time. I was pretty good at flying RC helicopters a few years back but I had to see them to fly them and bring them back for a return landing.
Might actually be dangerous back in there.
The problem in Florida is the drone will be out of sight most of the time. I was pretty good at flying RC helicopters a few years back but I had to see them to fly them and bring them back for a return landing.
Every drone video I have seen with clear images of hogs has the hogs getting spooked and running. Really high drones tend not to. I know from my limited experience with drones that I can still hear them at 300 feet when they are overhead. Standoff viewing or very high viewing might be the best course of action.
Are we talking thermal drone? Because that’s what I want.
Most of the time in my part of the world wind lays down in the evening and throughout the night.
Most of the time in my part of the world wind lays down in the evening and throughout the night.
mxshooter
New Member
I used mine for locating hogs one day. I tried to stay at a higher altitude hoping the noise wouldn't spook them... I wasn't completely successful, and I was shocked that it was noticeable enough to spook one at the height I was at. Also, at that height, I completely missed a group of hogs (look directly left of the fence line from the black hog)... I never saw those hogs until I uploaded the video, but I locked onto that black pig as soon as I spotted it. The video starts when I was about 1.75 miles from where I was controlling from... As I started chasing the pig, my drone would momentarily lose it's signal and come to a stop until it regain it's connection. It was fun, but I was disappointed that I missed out on an opportunity to take down some hogs.
Two excellent points.
And just to elaborate on them from a noob drone operator. I've got a Mavic 2 pro (non thermal) and was kinda surprised at the short battery life. You think 20 minutes is plenty until you get it up in the air, start looking around, get where you want to be and then notice power is dropping. Rather than loose your $1500 drone ($6k for thermal), you play it safe and return home with enough power to overcome unanticipated problems. So now your left with about 15 minutes of actual flying time. Subtract the out and back and now your at 7 minutes or so for loitering.
To Guys other point, Its not like you just throw the thing in the bed of the truck and go. Remove drone from case, carefully unfold arms, check battery and make sure its clicked in, confirm props are seated, start phone and app and controller, start drone. Wait for connection, get a good GPS signal. For landing, reverse most of that procedure. So if you have a guy thats cool being the dedicated drone operator your prolly in good shape. Otherwise, by the time you get your drone back, packed and get to where your targets were, well..
A couple other issues would be the pesky FAA rules that prohibit night flight and the fact that your supposed to be in visual contact at all times.
I've seen the night videos of thermal hog hunts and thought it was very cool. My drone was purchased for other uses with the thought that maybe it could do some hog recon. After flying for its intended purpose and understanding the limitations, that recon idea went out the window.
I have a Mavic Pro - used it for scouting land when I was on the market for property. Still have it but rarely use it.
I did try spotting game at the maximum allowed altitude. Been able to see deer and a coyote, but always spooked them. I tried upgrading the propellers, but the high pitch noise can still be heard and is enough to spook anything below. Flying in wind helps mask the noise, but can be a bit unnerving especially if it struggles to get back to you.
It is a bit of a pain to get up and going. As Bakester said, the battery life doesn't allow for much recon activity. In the very distant future, I hope batteries will improve enough to get another 10 minutes of flying time and the motors/propellers will be much quieter. Might give it another shot with a different model when that happens.
I did try spotting game at the maximum allowed altitude. Been able to see deer and a coyote, but always spooked them. I tried upgrading the propellers, but the high pitch noise can still be heard and is enough to spook anything below. Flying in wind helps mask the noise, but can be a bit unnerving especially if it struggles to get back to you.
It is a bit of a pain to get up and going. As Bakester said, the battery life doesn't allow for much recon activity. In the very distant future, I hope batteries will improve enough to get another 10 minutes of flying time and the motors/propellers will be much quieter. Might give it another shot with a different model when that happens.