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- Jun 12, 2019
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- 21
We have been trying traps and different types of snares over the last 8 years or more . Little to no success . We have had guys who hunt foxes with traps and snares for fur do sets for us . It seems that what works on the mainland does not work on the islands .Ah, I see what you mean now. Not a hunter, but I'm inclined to agree.
I'm not doubting the impact of foxes on ground nesting birds. I am doubting the usefulness of a drone in spotting a fox. As a biologist, I wouldn't give up on the trapping. Hunters/trappers etc are a great resource, but they have a different motivation than you do. Different cost/benefit calculation. A single fox pelt isn't worth that much effort to a trapper, but catching/killing a single fox on an island is a big deal to you (and the birds) as you correctly point out. So maybe more effort in trap techniques is warranted in your case. Just my opinion.
But it sounds like you are set on getting a drone and trying. In which case my advice would be to get something like a Mavic 2 Zoom to start. That will be $2K (US) for the drone and all the accessories and extra batteries you'll want to get and can at least allow you a proof of concept test for relatively short money. You'll want an extra set of eyes to watch the larger monitor as the pilot will generally have their hands full just flying the drone and making sure they are getting good coverage of the survey area. I think to spend $6-$25k+ on a Matrice series plus more for sensors/camera would be a bit crazy without really knowing if the drone platform is even going to help your program, just my $.02.
Or, maybe instead of 'hunting' them you just need a good sniper and a few spotters
Good luck!
Maybe the right trap or snare will work but we have yet to find that snare or trap and the birds are suffering so we’re going the drone route I think .
We have also done the wait , sniper setup but because we cannot stay on the islands for long stretches we have had no luck with that either.
Quebecnewf