Best drone for predator control

[Quebecnewf]

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!

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 .
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

 

[AMann]

I used to do spotlight surveys for endangered San Joaquin kit fox using a regular spotlight and a predator call (sounds like a dying rabbit). Like most other nocturnal mammals, they have very bright eyeshine and were easy to see at night. Has your group tried using night vision goggles along with an infrared spotlight? I bet they will be extremely easy to see and target that way.

 

[Quebecnewf]

I used to do spotlight surveys for endangered San Joaquin kit fox using a regular spotlight and a predator call (sounds like a dying rabbit). Like most other nocturnal mammals, they have very bright eyeshine and were easy to see at night. Has your group tried using night vision goggles along with an infrared spotlight? I bet they will be extremely easy to see and target that way.

We thought about that to . On these islands it’s nearly impossible to do any calling . The islands are very noisy . The sea washing on the shoreline means it’s never quiet so calls you make are completely drowned out by the ocean

we did a test I was using a call and even though it seemed loud my partner could not hear it at all and he was less than 100 meters from me

quebecnewf

 

[AMann]

We thought about that to . On these islands it’s nearly impossible to do any calling . The islands are very noisy . The sea washing on the shoreline means it’s never quiet so calls you make are completely drowned out by the ocean

we did a test I was using a call and even though it seemed loud my partner could not hear it at all and he was less than 100 meters from me

quebecnewf

We just used the predator calls when we sighted a fox in the spotlight to get their attention to help id if it was a fox, small feral dog or young coyote- not to attract them. It just took a few seconds of having them face us to see their eyeshine. But you are right, it was very quiet on the plains where we did the surveys!

But you wouldn’t need a call really, the eyeshine gives them away easily enough from over 100 yards with a spotlight, even further with night vision and IR spotlights.

 

[Wailuku]

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 .
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

Getting a better picture now. I'm not entirely surprised that mainland techniques aren't working on the islands. Completely different context and behaviors are probably quite different, thus the suggestion for doing the behavioral studies. Do you know the age/sex of island animals? Are they a random subset of mainland population or mostly young males (for example)? If it's a specific subset more or less, then maybe more targeted approaches could be imagined.

I've played around with audio playback with coyotes and they definitely respond and come closer to inspect. Not sure if a similar technique would work with foxes, and if they are immature males hearing another fox might actually have the opposite effect. Generally speaking though, land mammals use sound, site and smell for communication (not always in that order but often at predictable geographic scales) and studies attempting to understand the contexts in which these are used employ all three. But it would take time for the animals to hear/find your traps/stations what have you and time on site seems to be your biggest issue. Offhand, not sure there is a workaround for effort. And if logistics limit your effort then you may be at an impasse.

So, I guess that's where you are, thus the drone. Strongly encourage you to work out your drone-assisted techniques on the mainland first even though the animal's behavior seems different. They'll be a learning curve to working that tool into your system that might be more than you anticipate. Flights are going to be shorter than you want (~20 mins) and what do you do if the drone goes down? If it's a crucial part of the workflow then you might consider having more than one drone. All this is probably obvious, just mentally going through questions I'd ask myself in setting up for that sort of job.

 

[Quebecnewf]

All good points . I only have one drone with about 15 min flying time on each battery . My plan so far is to get another a bit bigger with a longer flying time . It seems short but you can cover a lot of ground in a 15 min flight . There is little to no cover so if the fox is out they are visable

Quebecnewf

 

[ScottM2Zoom1]

In last 10 months I have made 986 flights searching for wildlife big and small. Only the M2Z is capable (or other drone with at least 96mm zoom) of consistently acquiring the smaller animals. I can ID a fox from 500-700 yards without having to fly to it....from 200 yards It wont know im there and I can count the wiskers on its nose. Wildlife vid is my bonus as a default to primary mission which is ferrell hog scouting and control. Rock River Varmiter 308 takes care of the control out to 600 yards.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

All good points . I only have one drone with about 15 min flying time on each battery . My plan so far is to get another a bit bigger with a longer flying time . It seems short but you can cover a lot of ground in a 15 min flight . There is little to no cover so if the fox is out they are visable

Quebecnewf

M2Z is the way to go with the Mavic 2 Wet Suit and your set up ,
I left you PM.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in extreme weather conditions
and protect your battery.

 

[Marko9219]

It's not going to work. I'm 65 and I've been hunting predators since I was about 19. Fox, coyote and bobcat. I can show you lots of my drone videos of fox and coyote and even bobcats,but a drone won't help you hunt them. You will see fox, but they will see you too. When you get too close, they run, but not to any den. They just run to get away. Fox only use dens during the periods they raise their kits. Only the females den, and only for a few weeks of the year. You can use your drone to see them and know they are about. If you get snow, you'll be able to see tracks. But, in the end, my drone has never helped me shoot a single predator. That's always come down to just 3 things: Effective concealment, effective calling and effective marksmanship.

 

[Lreader]

this one would work...

 

[Bob4131]

One suggestion would be if you get a drone, get multiple sets of "double batteries". They are custom modified battery packs (not by DJI) that are 2x the size of a normal DJI battery. They will double your flying time which I suspect would be useful for your staying "on the fox".

 

[Quebecnewf]

It's not going to work. I'm 65 and I've been hunting predators since I was about 19. Fox, coyote and bobcat. I can show you lots of my drone videos of fox and coyote and even bobcats,but a drone won't help you hunt them. You will see fox, but they will see you too. When you get too close, they run, but not to any den. They just run to get away. Fox only use dens during the periods they raise their kits. Only the females den, and only for a few weeks of the year. You can use your drone to see them and know they are about. If you get snow, you'll be able to see tracks. But, in the end, my drone has never helped me shoot a single predator. That's always come down to just 3 things: Effective concealment, effective calling and effective marksmanship.

I respect your views but you are forgetting the fact that these are islands . If we can keep the fox “ in view “ with the drone we can “ push” him ahead of us . We use radio to keep in contact . If he hides in a crack we will have the location when we arrive at that area. If he keeps moving ahead of us he will eventually run out of island . If we can force him out onto the tip of the island he has two choices try to run back past us or take to the water. Either option is ok and gives us a better chance of success . It’s still going to be a hard hunt . Especially on a couple of the bigger islands .

we can also do a placement and drive hunt . We set two shooters ashore on one end then land On the other end with the drone and attempt a“ spot and drive“

I was very impressed with the video I received On the coyotes . It seems the drone bothers them very little .
Quebecnewf

 

[Quebecnewf]

One suggestion would be if you get a drone, get multiple sets of "double batteries". They are custom modified battery packs (not by DJI) that are 2x the size of a normal DJI battery. They will double your flying time which I suspect would be useful for your staying "on the fox".

I will check this out as well

quebecnewf

 

[Drgnfli]

I think you'll find that most states DNR's have laws against using drones in the process of hunting. Check before you get caught...

I think he will be working for the Fish & Game Dept... so he will have "permission"...

 

[Quebecnewf]

it is a gov job . They want the foxes gone so they get the necessary permits

Quebecnewf

 

[Quebecnewf]

it is a gov job . They want the foxes gone so they get the necessary permits

Quebecnewf

 

[Quebecnewf]

Thinking a m2 with zoom is my best bet . See what the spring brings

quebecnewf

 

[SamECT]

Sorry to bring up an old thread.... there's several ways in which drones can be used for both monitoring and control of invasive predators, such as foxes. We've got a few tech projects underway for similar projects in NZ and Aus. Feel free to reach out if you need.

 

[Quebecnewf]

Refresh this old thread with new info . Received another contract this year to do fox hunting in the islands .

contract was delayed because of Covid concerns . Once again the birds had arrived and were ashore to nest before we got started.

There are 9 islands within this bird colony . We have 3 foxes on one island and one at least on another .

been using my MA drone and doing a lot of walking . Spotted a fox on one flight ( he was hidden in some low brush and when the drone passed over he came out and ran ) . I was at end of a flight so could not follow .
I’m quite sure now the drone will give us an advantage . A newer ( longer flight , longer range , zoom camera ) would have been bought had there not been the Covid delay
.
The employer (gov) really wants these foxes gone and is willing to put the money there to get it done .
I’m sure even yet one of these drone flights is going to lead to a successful hunt .

Quebecnewf

 

[pelagic_one]

There are 9 islands within this bird colony . We have 3 foxes on one island and one at least on another.

Would you mind pointing out these islands on a map? I just read the whole thread and am just curious to see the islands from a Google Earth perspective.