Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Scouting while flying.

I've always done most of my new ground scouting out of an airplane. Personally I don't know why it's not recommended on the Campfire, especially for public land hunting. You'll learn more from the air in a couple of hours than walking around for a week.

Don’t forget to take a camera/cell phone for aerial photos.

Legality, for one thing. State laws concerning scouting from the air vary but some consider any looking for animals for hunting purposes as “hunting” and may be illegal to do so from the air, regardless of how long before you actually hunt the area.

Cost is likely another. Flying gets expensive fast and sometimes a person has a lot of ground to cover.

I would bet big money that the #1 reason people don't talk about it is that they don't want to give up their "secret" method.

Plenty of places where it's the only practical way to see anything.

Not many ,but several small airplanes have augered in over the years trying to fly around 12,000 + mountains in the west. Plus I' d bet the average hunter does not have the means to do it

Used to scout by air years ago. Locals were quite hostile and shot at me a lot.

Google earth is a hell of a lot cheaper….

Airplane hunting falls in the same class as long range shooting at animals as far as I am concerned. A bit beyond what I consider fair chase.

Of course, I can't afford it, either......

So called "scouting" from the air during season deserves a good round or two. I'm tolerant if you do it before season opens.

Much as I'd have liked to, I've never loosed a round at a low-flying, scouting" plane while hunting/ during season. I have unloaded the rifle, completely, and "scoped" two.

I love to see those SOB's hang their plane on a wing.

Well, that's pretty stupid. But I guess we all do stupid things from time to time.

LMAO

🦫

The was an outfitter that did that years ago here in SW Colorado. Plane crashed killing him, his brother & the pilot. Small plane in the Rockies with the thin air----looking for trouble IMO.

Mountain flying in hot weather at anything over 4,000 ft MSL but less than 500 AGL (above ground level) is asking for trouble - even if you're trained for it - at 8000ft a whole other world - " scouting"at 12,000ft make sure you're 'crash beacon' works and you have good hiking boots, cause the odds are you'll be walking out with your rescuers . . . if you survive the 'landing'

As a private pilot I built up time towards my commercial license flying surveys of feral burros and bighorn sheep down in the tight corridors of the Grand Canyon at elevations of 4000 to 9000 feet and temperatures as high as 100 degrees.
The pilot just needs to know what they are doing and to pay attention to the flying.

If one is doing it very near hunting season I am mostly against it.
During season I am FULL ON AGAINST it.

Looking over a hunting area from the air in the months before season just gives one a feel for the area.

If you have the means, by all means then, get in that plane and look around. Doing it a few weeks before season or during the season and I'll think you're a cheatin' crappy hunter, probably fat and out of shape too. I've heard drones flying over us during elk season in CO. It's 100% illegal in CO as an aid in hunting, and I'm quite certain they weren't using it to find a lost dog. Drones during hunting season are fair game IMO.

This, I've used to find game trails and choke points.

Can't say I've used that practice but have hunted and lodged from the comfort of an yacht. Spotting from a private deck is pretty awesome and so is coming back from land to have fresh 5 star meals and a jump in the hot tub at the end of the day.

Ethics are always difficult to enforce legally.
Game cameras, spotting from the air , long range shooting, continuing to hunt after wounding animals, etc, etc.

If it's legal - have at it and good luck.

I don't like the idea but it's legal in Idaho. You just can't fly and hunt the same day, either with manned plane or a drone.
I've been in the high mountains and had pilots from the Mountain Home AFB fly over a VERY low altitudes, practicing mountain flying. That would be spooky flying through a deep draw at 300 to 500 mph. Man do those engines roar in the mountains.