With more than 95 percent of its land listed as privately owned, Texas is home to an abundance of farms, ranches and forests. These sustainable areas cover more than 142 million acres, making Texas the top working lands state in the nation. This wealth of land has an extreme impact on the state’s economy and an environment. Both South Texas and the Hill Country are popular regions for farming and ranching.
While landowners spend their days herding livestock, mending fences and caring for sick animals, they are likely to notice when wildlife has invaded their property. Left unchecked, these animals feed on grass, hay and feed that was meant for livestock. Having a large deer population on a cattle ranch can be disastrous, since both animals thrive on a similar diet and living conditions. Scheduling an aerial Wildlife Management survey provides a farmer or rancher with an accurate count of the offending population.
Benefits of an Aerial Survey
Although there are many different ways for a wildlife survey company to conduct a count, aerial or helicopter surveys are often considered the most efficient. Aerial surveys not only provide a higher level of accuracy, but they also require much less time to conduct. Unlike herd composition counts or spotlight surveys, an aerial census provides landowners with fast results. Receiving an accurate, timely count allows ranchers to decide whether they need to conduct a deer harvest.
What Information Does a Survey Provide?
Conducting a helicopter Wildlife Management survey provides ranchers with information that is valuable to their business success. A typical survey to monitor deer populations provides ranchers with the following statistics:
* Buck-to-doe ratio
* Buck antler development
* Fawn production
* Vegetative state of property
* Distribution of deer on ranch
* Location of deer for harvest
After considering the data, ranchers can then decide on an effective harvest number. Though percentages may vary, many landowners choose to harvest at least 30 percent of the adult doe population. By doing so, they can decrease the size of the herd in order to protect their assets.
For more information on helicopter surveys or to conduct a wildlife capture for relocation purposes, contact Smith Helicopters. Their experienced team has assisted ranchers and farmers for over 34 years with valuable services that include helicopter hog hunting, wildlife control and predator management.