Surveys

July 09, 2025 by Matt Nuernberg

The use of drones is increasing rapidly in many industries, everything from roofing and infrastructure inspections, land surveying, spraying crops and search and rescue. Drones have been used in wildlife management for more than a decade. We started using drones to collect data for clients in 2016 and are still finding new uses for them to assist landowners in their management decision making. Texas Parks and Wildlife has recently begun accepting survey data of white-tailed deer collected from thermal drones for MLD compliance. 

April 17, 2020 by Macy Ledbetter

If you are a practitioner of deer management and have been reading this publication very long, then you are well aware of the importance of deer surveys.  Deer surveys are surveys, not inventories, meaning we likely will never know exactly how many deer are on your property nor do we need to know that exact number.  Deer typically don’t want to be counted and game fences do NOT contain all of them, despite common perceptions.  So a survey is done each year at approximately the same time and by the same method so that any changes in the data must be from the deer themselves.  A survey is meant to provide estimates, ratios, and percentages and then used to apply harvest pressure to alter those numbers into the desired direction and levels.  Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offers specialized permits to assist qualifying landowners and those permits are based on survey data.  So know that survey data is mission critical for results-oriented management as well as specialized state issued management permits.  TPWD has a list of approved survey methods and the three most used methods for whitetail deer include spotlight, trail camera, and helicopter.  Each method has specific guidelines to be used in order for the data to be of value, but each technique also has advantages and disadvantages.  For this article’s purposes, let’s look only at the spotlight and the helicopter survey method.

January 23, 2017 by Macy Ledbetter

For those choosing spotlight surveys this year, consider the following tips:

October 11, 2016 by Macy Ledbetter

For those choosing the aerial helicopter survey this year, consider the following tips:

July 06, 2016 by Macy Ledbetter

The foundation of any wildlife management program involves collecting survey data. Survey data may be collected in a variety of ways but consistency and trends are critical.

With recent advances in technology, the use of infrared-triggered cameras (trail cameras) may be used as an acceptable form of gathering such data, especially on properties that may not be conducive to spotlight or helicopter surveys. These devices have become an invaluable tool in the deer manager’s toolkit.

April 16, 2015 by Macy Ledbetter

Deer surveys come in many forms, but it is up to the individual manager to decide which method is best suited for the particular property and needs. Habitat type, topography, expense, and vegetation density are primary factors influencing the decision as to the type of census one should use.