AWM Permit, anyone have any experience with UAVs and hunting?

I have a few friends with land, they have been wanting me to get out there with one of my UAVs (drones) and fly around to scout out the animals. I did some googling, and found that I have to get a AWM Permit (https://tpwd.texas.gov/business/permits/land/wildlife_management/aerial_wl_management/) and spend $210 for the processing fee (https://apps.tpwd.state.tx.us/awm/flows/home?execution=e1s2)

Before I go and spend $$ on anything. Was wondering if anyone had any feedback. Has anyone ever used a UAV for scouting purposes? Since the FAA restricts you to 400ft, does the noise affect the animals down below? I think they are primarily wanting me to find the hogs, but I know they hunt a wide variety of game.

As I read the rules, if you don't photograph or count wildlife, then you don't need a permit. I would consider operating your drone to survey your friends' land from the air to better understand the property topography. As long as you don't photograph or count any wild animals that you might view incidentally, you would appear to be in compliance with the law. Obviously, if you use a drone commercially, you would need an FAA commercial drone license as opposed to the hobbyist license you would need to simply operate a drone over a friend's property.

Drones are noisy. You have heard them. Based on Youtube vids, if you get close to hogs, as in being overhead, hogs will run from them. Standing off at a distance and hogs are not bothered.

That's not a bad idea, just view them and don't count them. Haha, it will be hard for me not to photograph anything, being a photographer! Also, I actually can fly commercially, I have UAV insurance and all that good stuff!



That's what I was wondering about, if it would even be beneficial at all. I can clearly hear my p4p at 400ft up. I assume every single animal could as well. Of course DJI recently came out with a p4p "obsidian" which is supposed to be 30% quieter, but I doubt that would be enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKbRSnkro_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG4RSEY_O6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mRpIW2W5Rc

I guess it depends on how you use it, and if you scare them towards or away from you?

Well that's good news. A drone is way cheaper than a helicopter. If hogs flush from it, all I need is to find plenty of friends with rifles at the ready.

At the ranch I hunt we ran the drone to tour the waterholes, didn't see anything. It was fun but didn't do it again.
Buffalo hunting in tall grass using a drone was discussed, dismissed as a bad idea unless hunting because you are starving.

M

My BIL used one a couple weeks ago to see how deer react. Makes them really nervous and they don't stay around long but that's with it flying low, 50-100 ft altitude. They are just so noisy.

That's how I was thinking it would be! But, I appreciate all the input for sure!! I'll most likely just mention to the friend all the options, and see how he feels...If I get any footage I will definitely post it here

Seems crazy that TPWD would charge money for you to fly something on your own property. I have debated getting a drone strictly for fun and I will be damned if I would pay for a license to fly it around the ranch. Would I use that for WLM counts? No, but I dang sure would not pay TPWD to play with my own drone.

aaahh I see, if you charged money for flying it, yea, then a license would seem legit.

Me, I would not charge and therefore.. I would not have to pay... works for me!


R

Different drones have different noise levels. My hobby Yuneec Q500 4K drone is a LOT quieter than a friend's hobby DJI Phantom. I've flown my drone 150 feet over deer at the house and they didn't care. However they are only half wild and used to cars and other noises. We've sent the drone out to check the hog trap at the ranch before. Never done it when there were hogs in the trap. I'm sure they'd spook.

I got one, you want to try it?