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  1. #1
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    Philippolis
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    Default Helicopter Game Census.

    Today we completed the second day of a 3 day helicopter game census. The breathtaking scenery and occasional adrenaline rush amply compensates for the discomfort of spending 6 hours a day in the cramped rear seat of a door-less R44 in winter.










  2. #2
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    Jan 2010
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    Pretoria
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    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Wow!!
    Just out of curiosity, how is the game counted?
    I’ve seen traffic counters with one of those clicker devices, or do you just try to keep count?

  3. #3
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    Philippolis
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    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    We contract an ecologist who logs the sightings (species and numbers) into a tablet linked to a GPS. Three persons count, the ecologist, the pilot and an assistant sitting behind the pilot (me). In the case of large herds photos are taken, the photo is liked to a gps waypoint. Afterwards a computer program counts the animals in the photo. After the physical count, the ecologist does his magic using the data obtained during the count to produce a report.

  4. #4
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    Oct 2017
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    Western Cape
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    728

    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Looks like a really great place!

    Thanks for always sharing, you should share more please.

  5. #5
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    Dec 2009
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    Vereeniging
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    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    If it takes three days, can the area be split into 3 sections where migration of the herds will not cause double noting of the same animals?

    This is not a cheap exercise !!!!!!!!!!

  6. #6
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    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Quote Originally Posted by driepootx View Post
    If it takes three days, can the area be split into 3 sections where migration of the herds will not cause double noting of the same animals?

    This is not a cheap exercise !!!!!!!!!!
    A third is separated from the rest by the Orange River. The rest is divided in part by a deep ravine. While some animals might move between two counts it is not a major factor.

  7. #7
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    Jun 2013
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    PMB
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    699

    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Some of my best memories are of a stiff back from sitting in a robbie for a week straight counting animals... Thanks for the pics, bought back some good memories

    Sent from my VTR-L09 using Tapatalk

  8. #8
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    Jun 2017
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    841

    Lightbulb Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    I have been thinking about this

    Quite a number of places use the R44 / R66
    Helicopters work out REALLY expensive ( ask me )
    There are "eye-in-the-sky" video setups for helicopters these can get very sophisticated and extra expensive

    Now
    One can get incredible hi-res footage from a drone ( now DJI Phantom 4 with RTK as well as multi-spectral )
    For a little money ( relatively )
    The problem is your flight time is limited to about an hour as well as BVLS and all the red tape regulations

    I wonder if one could use the "guts" of a drone -- the gimbled camera / controls / and GPS and create an "inexpensive" eye in the sky for an aircraft

    I imagine something like the below with the above mentioned -- DJI .. eye in the sky linked / slaved to the joystick

    RANS Stinger S-18 Mark II




    Such a working system would operate at magnitudes of cost less than a helicopter and do just as good a job.

  9. #9
    Banned
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    Jun 2017
    Posts
    841

    Talking Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Quote Originally Posted by TStone View Post
    Today we completed the second day of a 3 day helicopter game census. The breathtaking scenery and occasional adrenaline rush amply compensates for the discomfort of spending 6 hours a day in the cramped rear seat of a door-less R44 in winter.
    TStone
    I think you need one of those Sunset booze cruise boats -- like they have at Vic Falls

  10. #10
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    Jun 2013
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    699

    Default Re: Helicopter Game Census.

    Quote Originally Posted by Brenneke View Post
    I have been thinking about this

    Quite a number of places use the R44 / R66
    Helicopters work out REALLY expensive ( ask me )
    There are "eye-in-the-sky" video setups for helicopters these can get very sophisticated and extra expensive

    Now
    One can get incredible hi-res footage from a drone ( now DJI Phantom 4 with RTK as well as multi-spectral )
    For a little money ( relatively )
    The problem is your flight time is limited to about an hour as well as BVLS and all the red tape regulations

    I wonder if one could use the "guts" of a drone -- the gimbled camera / controls / and GPS and create an "inexpensive" eye in the sky for an aircraft

    I imagine something like the below with the above mentioned -- DJI .. eye in the sky linked / slaved to the joystick

    RANS Stinger S-18 Mark II




    Such a working system would operate at magnitudes of cost less than a helicopter and do just as good a job.
    In Zim we were trialing drones for game counts and anti poaching patrols, the battery life vs recharge time vs cost actually didn't work out to be very efficient as it would take way too long to survey large areas to make any count data reliable. So it works for small reserves, but the smaller you go the less need there is for aerial counts.

    Sent from my VTR-L09 using Tapatalk

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