random question but one im sure we've all thought about. we are told to stay away from wintering animals, as our presence is enough to stress them past the point of surviving throughout the winter. I was wondering, when they fly a helicopter down low to count deer and to capture them for tests..... if that doesn't kill stressed wintering animals, what will outside of shooting them? when I come across wintering deer or elk while shed hunting , they never bolt scared for their lives as they do during fall hunt. the notice me and move 50 or a hundred yards away, sometimes not even that far. some of them just keep eating not giving a rats arse that im even there. but when the chopper flies in those animals run harder and faster than ive ever seen, forcing them into deep snows that they otherwise would have avoided. is it worth the risk? just an honest question im curious about.
fawn capture death rate
- Thread starter ivorytip
- Start date
When I've done wildlife survey work, we would fly at an altitude of 1000-1200' or so. The counting I did generally involved flying bisect routes of 1/2 mile with a counter on each side of the airplane. We rarely, if ever, would change course or altitude. It didn't seem to spook the animals much, probably due to our lack of loiter time over them. Of course, I am a fixed wing guy and dealt mostly with caribou, moose and some Dall sheep.
The capture of animals with helicopters deploying nets and muggers may be a different story. I'm sure it stresses the animal a fair bit, but it's a one time event and over, unlike shed hunters who may go into the same area several times and may not be the only ones doing it. Most wildlife is accustomed to being afraid of predators on the same ground as them, less so an aircraft tormenting them once a winter. I do know that a certain amount of captures result in the demise of the animals, even bears, which of course are darted instead of netted and mugged.
That's just my .02. I'm not taking a position against you. I'm sure shed hunting can be done with relatively little harm to animals in all but the worst of conditions.
The capture of animals with helicopters deploying nets and muggers may be a different story. I'm sure it stresses the animal a fair bit, but it's a one time event and over, unlike shed hunters who may go into the same area several times and may not be the only ones doing it. Most wildlife is accustomed to being afraid of predators on the same ground as them, less so an aircraft tormenting them once a winter. I do know that a certain amount of captures result in the demise of the animals, even bears, which of course are darted instead of netted and mugged.
That's just my .02. I'm not taking a position against you. I'm sure shed hunting can be done with relatively little harm to animals in all but the worst of conditions.
RICMIC
Veteran member
I can't speak to the effect of aerial counting, but in Minnesota, the governor stopped a DNR research on moose. They had tagged adult cows, and when they dropped their calves, the DNR swooped in, darted momma, collared the newborn, did their tests, etc. Well, after 19 out of 19 calves died (13 or so from "abandonment", and the rest from predators), the research was ended. DUH!!
i need to find some statistics on that around here. im not saying im against it, I understand why its done. but if it turns out a majority of them die after, then yeah im against it.