Winter Deer Census · Dec 1 – Mar 15
A deer count you can defend
We fly your land before dawn on a cold, clear night, find every heat signature the camera can see, confirm each one, and report the count with its density, range, map, and method.
What you get
One report, every number explained
- Observed count of every deer detected and visually confirmed
- Density per square mile, the figure deer managers compare
- Detection-adjusted range, because no survey sees every deer
- Antlered, antlerless, and unknown where the zoom camera can tell
- Detection map with transects, groups, and survey boundary
- Flight and weather log: times, altitude, temperature, wind, cover
- Written method so next year's count compares cleanly
Report delivered within 7 business days. GIS files and a board presentation are optional.
| Up to 100 acres | $750 flat |
| 101 – 300 acres | + $2.50 per additional acre |
| 301 – 1,280 acres (2 mi²) | + $1.50 per additional acre |
| Over 2 mi² | + $1.00 per additional acre (≈ $640 / mi²) |
Examples: 300 acres $1,250 · 640 acres $1,750 · 3,200 acres $4,650
Get your exact estimateHow the count works
Same design every time, so years compare
- Before the night
Plan transects
We map your boundary and lay parallel flight lines with overlap, sized so the thermal camera covers the whole area at about 300–400 ft.
- 1–2 hours before sunrise
Fly cold
Leaf-off, below about 40 °F, calm, and dry. The coldest hour gives the strongest contrast between deer and ground.
- During the flight
Confirm
Each heat signature is checked with the zoom camera to rule out rocks, stumps, and other animals, and classified where possible.
- Back at the desk
Count and adjust
Detections are GPS-tagged and checked across overlapping lines to avoid double counts, then reported with a detection-adjusted range.
Dense conifer cover, deer bedded under brush, animals moving between lines, and warm ground all lower detection. Published studies find drone surveys detect about 56% to 92% of deer present. We tell you which of these affected your count. Read the full method.
Questions
Before you book
How accurate is a thermal drone deer count?
Published studies find thermal drone surveys detect roughly 56% to 92% of the deer actually present, depending on cover, temperature, and whether deer are bedded. No method counts every deer.
So every report gives the observed count, a detection-adjusted range, and the conditions that affected it. A repeat flight within 14 days tightens the range. Read the method.
When can you fly a deer count?
Full counts fly from December through mid-March, before dawn, on cold, clear, calm nights after the leaves are down. The 2026–27 count season runs Dec 1, 2026 – Mar 15, 2027. Seasonal movement flights run spring through fall, always before dawn when the ground is coolest.
Do you need permission to fly over my land and my neighbors'?
Not by law. The FAA regulates the airspace, and neither federal nor Pennsylvania law requires a landowner's permission for a drone flight over their land that follows FAA rules. Permission is needed to take off and land on private property, so we launch and land only where the owner has agreed.
As a company policy, we survey only land whose owner or manager has agreed: that is the only land we count, map, and report on. If the aircraft passes over a neighbor's land while turning, nothing there is counted or shared. Flights follow FAA Part 107, including night-operation rules and airspace authorization near airports. State Game Lands and many parks restrict drones, and we request their permission on your behalf.
What if a drone flight over my property concerns me?
Please call or text us at (835) 997-2120. We're glad to explain what we're doing, show you our FAA certificate, and put you in touch with the client who requested the survey.
Please don't try to bring the aircraft down or block it. The FAA treats a drone as an aircraft, and damaging or destroying an aircraft is a federal crime (18 U.S.C. § 32). Jamming its radio or GPS signals also violates federal law, and shooting at it endangers people nearby. We report any interference with a lawful flight to local police and the FAA.
Why do you fly before sunrise?
Our thermal camera finds animals by their body heat, and the difference between a warm animal and the ground is largest in the last cold hours before dawn. That's when counts are most accurate. Flights usually start about two hours before sunrise and end soon after it.
Reserve a winter count window.
Counts fly Dec 1 – Mar 15, on cold, clear nights. Windows fill in order of request, and townships often need the numbers before spring board meetings.