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Flyover scouting #6883283
05/27/20 08:50 AM
05/27/20 08:50 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,863
SE Kentucky
K
kytrapper Offline OP
trapper
kytrapper  Offline OP
trapper
K

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,863
SE Kentucky
Who’s been around long enough to remember back when the pros rented planes and did flyover scouting? Couldn’t have imagined Google Earth sitting in your living room back then.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883320
05/27/20 10:17 AM
05/27/20 10:17 AM
Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,741
Beatrice, NE
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loosegoose Offline
trapper
loosegoose  Offline
trapper
L

Joined: Jun 2018
Posts: 4,741
Beatrice, NE
Way too young for that, but I've got places where the coons have such well defined trails that they can be seen from space using Google maps.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883366
05/27/20 11:48 AM
05/27/20 11:48 AM
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 380
Carlisle, PA
T
trap-alaska Offline
trapper
trap-alaska  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 380
Carlisle, PA
Tom Miranda was famous for scouting and running the line in a plane and had it in his book. Gas was cheap and fur was valuable back then.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883382
05/27/20 12:11 PM
05/27/20 12:11 PM
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 57
KY
P
Pawbracelets7 Offline
trapper
Pawbracelets7  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 57
KY
I use Google earth and street view the night before I go to a clients house to acclimate myself to the surroundings, especially in unfamiliar neighborhoods, and try to find possible travel routes into folks yards, roofs, etc. Works great on finding the house, occasionally on travel routes, but enough to make it worth the effort.


Darkness flees in the presence of light. Jesus Christ, lighting the way for over 2000 years.
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883450
05/27/20 02:02 PM
05/27/20 02:02 PM
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,874
Adirondacks, NY
Fisher Man Offline
trapper
Fisher Man  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,874
Adirondacks, NY
When I was young I had a friend that owned a plane. In the fall when the leaves were off, but before freeze up we would fly over the mountains to locate new and active beaver colonies..
Deer hunters were another good source of info. Those were the days when beaver were worth something.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883467
05/27/20 02:31 PM
05/27/20 02:31 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,129
McGrath, AK
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white17 Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
white17  Offline

"General (Mr.Sunshine) Washington"
W

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 35,129
McGrath, AK
Still common to use a plane here once there is snow on the ground


Mean As Nails
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: trap-alaska] #6883554
05/27/20 05:00 PM
05/27/20 05:00 PM
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,769
Central, SD
Law Dog Offline
trapper
Law Dog  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 34,769
Central, SD
Originally Posted by trap-alaska
Tom Miranda was famous for scouting and running the line in a plane and had it in his book. Gas was cheap and fur was valuable back then.



Them river breaks made for a rough ride some days with uneven currents, the lake I live on now was covered with cattails so thick you could not see the water most of the time, even caught on fire from lightening strikes. The deer trails going all different ways looked like a map from the air. Tom flew out to White SD to visit me once even.


Was born in a Big City Will die in the Country OK with that!

Jerry Herbst
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883571
05/27/20 05:20 PM
05/27/20 05:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
[Linked Image]

Flying a trapline is about the only accurate way for a trapper on a new line to count his live beaver houses and set a maximum/minimum sustainable harvest quota.With the price of beaver being low,and most trappers knowing their traplines well it is not done very often anymore.Usually when a guy buys a line he will fly it.
Here is a map of an aerial survey on a trapline from years back with the live houses marked.


Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883607
05/27/20 06:23 PM
05/27/20 06:23 PM
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,581
sometimes PA sometimes ME
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ebsurveyor Offline
trapper
ebsurveyor  Offline
trapper
E

Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 2,581
sometimes PA sometimes ME
Originally Posted by kytrapper
Who’s been around long enough to remember back when the pros rented planes and did flyover scouting? Couldn’t have imagined Google Earth sitting in your living room back then.


Can't remember if it was 2010 or 2011 when two guys hired a plane to scout for beavers near me in Northern Maine.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6883637
05/27/20 07:00 PM
05/27/20 07:00 PM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 4,529
MN
D
Donnersurvivor Offline
trapper
Donnersurvivor  Offline
trapper
D

Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 4,529
MN
Seems like if legal a drone would be a very cost effective way to go about it in the modern era.

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884529
05/28/20 10:54 PM
05/28/20 10:54 PM
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 761
minnesota
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gman Offline
trapper
gman  Offline
trapper
G

Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 761
minnesota
I scouted beaver from the air in the mid 70's the first time. Still trap some of the same ground from back then. It is still a very effective way to do it-my opinion...

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884536
05/28/20 11:05 PM
05/28/20 11:05 PM
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672
Ohio
W
Willy Firewood Offline
trapper
Willy Firewood  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 2,672
Ohio
I used to rely on USGS topo maps and go to the county map office and buy aerial photos. $3 per 8x10.
Then I started flying my own trapping and hunting locations.


FRAC LIVES MATTER
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884608
05/29/20 12:00 AM
05/29/20 12:00 AM

O
Oh Snap
Unregistered
Oh Snap
Unregistered
O



Half the fun beaver trapping is scouting in the winter off of a snow machine!

Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884621
05/29/20 12:19 AM
05/29/20 12:19 AM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,850
Beaver Bayou MN
Mike Kelly Offline
trapper
Mike Kelly  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,850
Beaver Bayou MN
Quicker and cheaper to scout by plane than by truck or boat in many areas. You can cover more ground in a few hours in a plane than you can in a week out of a truck or boat.


www.WildRiverTraps.com - Oversized Pans for you Mink, Muskrat and Bobcat Traps!
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884633
05/29/20 12:48 AM
05/29/20 12:48 AM
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
B
Boco Offline
trapper
Boco  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 45,271
james bay frontierOnt.
Its not too costly to fly a line here.We have a couple trappers in our council with planes that will fly you on your line.Our council also uses some of the revenue from the nuisance beaver program to subsidize any member that wants to fly their line.They pay 50%.
So the cost to fly depending on the distance involved to get to the line,will be between 200 and 300 dollars,with half of that coming out of the trappers pocket.
If you have a good experienced spotter with you you wont miss any live houses.
Many times when you fly a line for the first time after trapping it for several years you will find several colonys you have been passing right by on the ground and never knew they were there.
Just the time alone not to mention the gas saved in planning out the harvest using an aerial survey map will more than pay for the cost of flying the line.
Back in the hayday guys would fly their lines about every 3rd year so the cost per yr is pretty low.

Last edited by Boco; 05/29/20 12:53 AM.

Forget that fear of gravity-get a little savagery in your life.
Re: Flyover scouting [Re: kytrapper] #6884665
05/29/20 02:42 AM
05/29/20 02:42 AM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 404
kodiak alaska
O
otter3006 Offline
trapper
otter3006  Offline
trapper
O

Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 404
kodiak alaska
Its a great way to see and feel the flow of the land . Did it twice and was worth it {FUR} . in penns.1980 [local airport]. and alaska 1991 bush pilot "just to scout," but sure like the maps online . if new area is involved it will have advantage in time of knowledge gained and clear direction to go or AVOID

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