Tally WildHow to do a deer herd analysis with a thermal drone
A herd analysis is one planned flight over the whole property: fly every line once, pin every animal you count, film, photograph and age each buck, then build the report. Tally Wild subscribers get the full step-by-step guide.
Full guide included with a Tally Wild subscriptionThe full step-by-step guide, check sheet, pin log, buck aging sheet and fawn and doe guide come with the subscription. The free trial includes everything else.
What's in the full guide
- The full step-by-step guide for every part of the flight, with the settings for each drone
- A printable check sheet and pin log to take to the field
- How to age every buck from the drone before you fly on, with drawings from 1.5 to 6.5+ years
- A buck aging chart with tarsal gland colors, for every age
- A printable buck aging sheet, one row per buck
- How to tell a fawn from a doe from the drone, with side-by-side drawings, for fawn recruitment
- A printable fawn and doe tally sheet
- Video lessons for each drone (coming soon)
Step-by-step videos for your drone, coming soon
Short videos for each part of a herd analysis, filmed on each drone, so you can follow along on the controller you fly.
DJI Matrice 30T
Coming soon- Before you go and the property boundary
- Setting up the mapping route
- Flying the lines and pinning every animal
- Bucks: film, photograph, count the points and age
- Getting the files off the drone and controller
- Building the report in Tally Wild
DJI Matrice 4T
Coming soon- Before you go and the property boundary
- Setting up the mapping route
- Flying the lines and pinning every animal
- Bucks: film, photograph, count the points and age
- Getting the files off the drone and controller
- Building the report in Tally Wild
DJI Mavic 3T
Coming soon- Before you go and the property boundary
- Setting up the mapping route
- Flying the lines and pinning every animal
- Bucks: film, photograph, count the points and age
- Getting the files off the drone and controller
- Building the report in Tally Wild
Herd analysis guide questions
Do I need a subscription to see the full guide?
Yes. The full guide, the printable check sheet and pin log, the buck aging guide and sheet, and the fawn and doe guide are part of a Tally Wild subscription. The free trial includes everything else.
Which drones does the guide cover?
Thermal drones that run DJI Pilot 2, such as the DJI Matrice 30T and Matrice 4T, plus the DJI Mavic 3T. Video lessons for each of these are coming soon.
Can you age a buck from a drone?
Often, yes. How to do it, the buck aging chart and the aging sheet are part of the paid guide that comes with a Tally Wild subscription.
Do I need to be licensed?
Flying for pay needs an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate. Always get the landowner's permission, check airspace, and follow your state's wildlife and hunting rules. Never push deer with the drone.
Can you tell fawns from does from a drone?
Usually, from late summer through early winter, when fawns are still clearly smaller than does. How to do it, with drawings and a tally sheet, is part of the paid guide that comes with a Tally Wild subscription.
Offer herd analysis? Get found by landowners
Landowners search the Find a Pilot map by zip code. Tally Wild subscribers are listed free.