Herd Movement & Seasonal Patterns · Year-round
See how your herd uses the land, season by season
Repeat predawn flights show where deer yard up in winter, scatter for fawning in spring, shade up in summer, and travel during the fall rut, and where they cross your roads.
Sample study
One property, four seasons
Switch seasons to see how a herd's bedding, feeding, and travel shift on a typical mixed woods-and-field property. Your report maps the same things on your land.
Herds yard up in cover and feed close to it.
- Two large groups bed in the conifer draw out of the wind.
- Short trips to the old field and the east field edge at dusk.
- Best season for a full count: no leaves, strong thermal contrast.
Sample data for illustration. Numbers show deer per group.
What it answers
Decisions a single count can't make
- Where deer cross roads, and when, to place signs, reflectors, and warning lights
- Which woodlots carry the browse pressure so fencing and exclosures go where they matter
- Where a management program isn't reaching the animals it targets
- How a new road, building, or clearing changed the way deer move
- Winter yards and travel corridors to protect in land-use plans
Four flights, one per season, with movement maps for each and a season-by-season report. Larger areas scale with census pricing.
One flight focused on a road crossing, corridor, or problem area, with annotated stills and a one-page summary.
Timing
Every season has its own rules
Thermal contrast is strongest in winter and weakest on summer nights, so summer flights run in the last cool hour before dawn and report wider ranges. During fawning season (May–June) we map from altitude and never approach bedded fawns.
Thermal cameras see deer best when the canopy is bare and the ground is cold. Summer flights run before dawn and report wider error ranges.
Start with this winter's count.
The winter flight of a four-season study doubles as a full census, so the 2026–27 count season is the best time to begin.