Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Equipped with Thermal Cameras to Survey a Known Population of White-Tailed Deer

Abstract

Abstract New technologies are emerging that may have potential for yielding more reliable population estimates for white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus than traditional manned aerial surveys. In a study conducted in a 116.55-ha enclosure in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion of Texas, USA, we tested the accuracy and precision of population counts by using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a dual thermal–red green blue (heat detection and color video) camera to conduct a complete area count of a known, closed population of white-tailed deer. We flew surveys during 2–4 December 2019 in preprogrammed transects and replicated them three times, in both the morning and afternoon. Detection was higher during morning surveys, when we detected almost all deer that were present, compared with afternoon surveys. The accuracy and precision of morning surveys reported herein justify further research into the development of a method using this equipment for surveying large mammal populations in certain habitats.