Night Lights for Hunting?

[texashunter]

Hello fellow pilots, newbie with the MA2s. Wondering if anyone has found lights bright enough that can give me the ability to spot animals from the sky? I have acreage in the country and it's very dark at night - would love to be able to spot hogs from the drone. Thanks for any/all suggestions.

 

[Thomas B]

Recommend checking with TP&W to see if it is legal.

Welcome to the forum from the deserts of Arizona! Enjoy.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Welcome to the AIR 2S family

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your AIR 2S in the RAIN and Land on the Water.

 

[vindibona1]

I am not against lawful hunting, and I could be way wrong, but something in the back of my mind tells me it is illegal to use drones for hunting animals. Can someone more knowledgeable chime in?

Edit: After posting my initial response I googled the issue and found that many states ban any sort of drone use for hunting. You need to check the laws of the state in which you intend to hunt. But on a personal note, regardless of the legality, I would encourage you to rethink using a drone for hunting, especially with lights. Something just doesn't feel right about it. If nothing else, be aware that those of us who operate drones professionally or recreationally face a lot of blowback, reasoned or unreasoned and we need to maintain the perspective that UAV's are a safe and healthy activity. Half the population already hates both drones and guns. I don't have to tell you what they think when you add hunting into that mix.

 

[texashunter]

Thank you for the welcoming notes and the feedback. Maybe hunting was the wrong word.. I've got 1,000 acres and hogs that are tearing up the land, in Texas, they are an escalating problem for property/wildlife here. I'm looking to see where they are coming into my property, where they are hanging out, and ultimately block there entry to preserve my property/wildlife. They come out of hiding at night, so identifying those locations it's next to impossible from anywhere but the air. 1 more point - there is a game warden that flies around on a helicopter and shoots them to continue to control the problem, so don't believe identification w/ a drone would be a problem.

 

[Hobo]

Thank you for the welcoming notes and the feedback. Maybe hunting was the wrong word.. I've got 1,000 acres and hogs that are tearing up the land, in Texas, they are an escalating problem for property/wildlife here. I'm looking to see where they are coming into my property, where they are hanging out, and ultimately block there entry to preserve my property/wildlife. They come out of hiding at night, so identifying those locations it's next to impossible from anywhere but the air. 1 more point - there is a game warden that flies around on a helicopter and shoots them to continue to control the problem, so don't believe identification w/ a drone would be a problem.

Those are good points you make, I have relatives with a small ranch near Calvert, TX and I'm aware of these hogs being a menace... the problem is that drones in general are continually fighting a bad rap with the general public. If the media got involved (local paper or TV channel), they'd be all over this. And they'd blow it way out of proportion as just another opportunity to condemn the use of drones.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Thank you for the welcoming notes and the feedback. Maybe hunting was the wrong word.. I've got 1,000 acres and hogs that are tearing up the land, in Texas, they are an escalating problem for property/wildlife here. I'm looking to see where they are coming into my property, where they are hanging out, and ultimately block there entry to preserve my property/wildlife. They come out of hiding at night, so identifying those locations it's next to impossible from anywhere but the air. 1 more point - there is a game warden that flies around on a helicopter and shoots them to continue to control the problem, so don't believe identification w/ a drone would be a problem.

I think this is what you may want to look into
Its a little bit heavy at 4.6 ounces and I think it could be modified a little better to be more stream line .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your AIR 2/S in the Rain.

LED Searchlight for DJI Mavic AIR 2

Combine the High Intensity LED Searchlight with the Drone-Sky-Hook Release & Drop PLUS device to Enhance your DJI Drone night flight experience and see places in a different light at night! The High Intensity LED Searchlight shines bright light at night on objects as far as 425 feet (130 meters)...

www.droneskyhook.com

 

[zocalo]

There was a news story posted and discussed here a while ago about someone getting successfully prosecuted for using a drone to locate prey with to assist with hunting (he was caught with both drone and carcass though), so definitely check your local laws and regs. IIRC from the thread, there's a lot of legal variation on this depending on legal jurisdiction, e.g. static camera traps might be OK but use of drones would not be, so I'd definitely recommend checking with someone local who could give solid legal advice, like law enforcement. Reaching out to the game warden you mentioned in a later post might be a good starting point.

My guess (IANAL) would be that if all you are doing is running recon, and not actually killing the hogs yourself as you imply, then that's almost certainly fine under any circumstances. However, if there's any legal ambiguity at all and you do tend to carry a weapon around for any chance encounters, then it might be a good idea not to combine the two activities in a single trip.

 

[BillD]

Someone on the forum is using a Klarus G15 flashlight on their Air2S. This light is apparently very small (5 inches long), and weights only 5 ounces. It has 4,000 lumens on turbo mode, and apparently works well as a spotlight mounted on an Air2S. I am thinking about getting one myself, and it may be a solution for spotting problem areas on your property.

 

[vindibona1]

Now that we've cleared up the fact that you're only doing recon, that's a hog of a different color. Lume Cube makes lights for such things. Not sure if they have mounts for MA2. If not then perhaps visit Streamlight. I know they have lightweight lights that attach to handguns and rifles that are pretty bright, some 500 lumens. You might find something that you can "custom mount" to your MA2. You don't want anything too heavy.

Good luck.

 

[cgmaxed]

Hello fellow pilots, newbie with the MA2s. Wondering if anyone has found lights bright enough that can give me the ability to spot animals from the sky? I have acreage in the country and it's very dark at night - would love to be able to spot hogs from the drone. Thanks for any/all suggestions.

Someone on the forum is using a Klarus G15 flashlight on their Air2S. This light is apparently very small (5 inches long), and weights only 5 ounces. It has 4,000 lumens on turbo mode, and apparently works well as a spotlight mounted on an Air2S. I am thinking about getting one myself, and it may be a solution for spotting problem areas on your property.

That would be me. I love the thing. I bought 2 of them. I attach both to my stronger drones and use just one when fly my AIR2S or MA2.

Klarus G15 : I bought at least 12 different pocket carry/tactical lights looking for one that would maintain THE HIGHEST CONSTANT Brightness at high heat (they run hot). Maintains constant brightness of 1500 lumens when hot. The one that I found to maintain the highest brightness and the whitest light is the KLARUS G15 (about 80 us dollars, Amazon). The light's spread is very good. If you put one, velcroed to the side of you MA2 you will be able to see the ground and any animals at least the size of a regular dog really easily from 100 feet. 150-200ft is a little dim but still works well. The light weighs 5oz. The MA2 and Air2S tolerate the weight well. It will reduce your flight time to maybe 20-22 minutes. I attached a pic with my Klarus G15 attached to the side of my Air2S. Use industrial velcro you get at lowes or home depot. Good hunting. Just don't let a game warden see you using a drone to locate prey. I think it's against the law. Best of luck.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

but something in the back of my mind tells me it is illegal to use drones for hunting animals.

I do recall threads on here about drones used to spot / herd deer in a hunt is illegal.
Perhaps they wouldn't be for feral animal control / hunting.
But you know the woke old world now, PETA and such would be up in arms over the 'unfair advantage' !!!

 

[cgmaxed]

Those are good points you make, I have relatives with a small ranch near Calvert, TX and I'm aware of these hogs being a menace... the problem is that drones in general are continually fighting a bad rap with the general public. If the media got involved (local paper or TV channel), they'd be all over this. And they'd blow it way out of proportion as just another opportunity to condemn the use of drones.

Wild hogs are a big nuisance problem in most states. They are hunted all year down here in florida, i think. People actually make money off bringing hunters on their land and using dogs to chase the pigs out of the brush. Then when the hog is trapped out in the open by the dogs, you kill it. ACTUALLY USING A DRONE IS MUCH MORE HUMANE THAN USING DOGS. The dogs are always getting injured by the wild boar's tusks and bites, some dogs are even killed.

 

[cgmaxed]

I do recall threads on here about drones used to spot / herd deer in a hunt is illegal.
Perhaps they wouldn't be for feral animal control / hunting.
But you know the woke old world now, PETA and such would be up in arms over the 'unfair advantage' !!!

It's more humane than using dogs to hunt boar. They get severely injuried and often killed during the hunt. PETA may hale it as a safer way to control these pests.

 

[Hobo]

Wild hogs are a big nuisance problem in most states. They are hunted all year down here in florida, i think. People actually make money off bringing hunters on their land and using dogs to chase the pigs out of the brush. Then when the hog is trapped out in the open by the dogs, you kill it. ACTUALLY USING A DRONE IS MUCH MORE HUMANE THAN USING DOGS. The dogs are always getting injured by the wild boar's tusks and bites, some dogs are even killed.

That may be the case. Unless I misread he wants to take photos of them with his drone, not kill them with it.

 

[cgmaxed]

That may be the case. Unless I misread he wants to take photos of them with his drone, not kill them...

Just looked at the thread in more detail. He want's to find out where they are getting into/ onto his property. What to do, when he finds out.

 

[vindibona1]

I do recall threads on here about drones used to spot / herd deer in a hunt is illegal.
Perhaps they wouldn't be for feral animal control / hunting.
But you know the woke old world now, PETA and such would be up in arms over the 'unfair advantage' !!!

It's not even so much the repercutions of today, but going forward, if the power trajectory the WOKE crowd have been on, they won't just "cancel" you, but have you placed in a re-education camp for flying your drone over animals.

 

[cgmaxed]

It's not even so much the repercutions of today, but going forward, if the power trajectory the WOKE crowd have been on, they won't just "cancel" you, but have you placed in a re-education camp for flying your drone over animals.

What country is WOKE and WHAT do the initials stand for? Is it like PETA in the USA?

 

[cgmaxed]

Air2S with Klarus G15 attached to side of fuselage. Air2S with Klarus G15 attached to side of fuselage.

You'll find what you need to find with this spot light. No need to buy those expensive designer spot lights. Here in Florida we look for the Alligators.

 

[TailBent]

It's not even so much the repercutions of today, but going forward, if the power trajectory the WOKE crowd have been on, they won't just "cancel" you, but have you placed in a re-education camp for flying your drone over animals.

Hello fellow pilots, newbie with the MA2s. Wondering if anyone has found lights bright enough that can give me the ability to spot animals from the sky? I have acreage in the country and it's very dark at night - would love to be able to spot hogs from the drone. Thanks for any/all suggestions.

Thank you for hunting the hogs. Everyone outside of feral hog states calm down. I also am a land owner in Texas and the hogs are not just a problem or a nuissance, they are a threat to property, wildlife, and humans. They do hundreds of millions of dollars of damage a year and destroy wildlife, crops, and lawns, and have killed humans. All bets are off in Texas for killing them, no license or season required. People pay to shoot them from helicopters. It is said they reproduce so fast that if 40% of them were killed in a year in 12 months their population would be back to the same number. Texas A&M University is researching a method of mass poisoning. The joke in Texas is that they reproduce so fast they are born pregnant. So texashunter, keep doing what you can to help control the hogs, stay in touch with your game qarden, don't listen to the people here that don't have a clue about feral hogs, and don't run out of ammo.