Seems like you're taking the challenge, fun, tracking, skill, game, hunt out of the hunting. While you're at, why don't you buy that new gun with bullets that will fly around corners? Just mark the target with a laser dot using your drone. Then, fire the self-steering bullet from your computerized gun linked to your iPad that can self compensate for wind, distance, and other environmental factors. One shot, one kill, from a MILE away.
Remington 2020 with Trackingpoint, computerized self-compensating rifle:
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Auto-Steering Bullet:
http://theweek.com/article/index/223898 ... selvesnbsp
FLIR camera (thermal camera) is $6300 from Cabela's:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Shooting ... t104463180
Arduino Drone, DIY for around $1000:
http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/ardupilot-main-page
The rifle is $27,500 and the bullet costs $14.5 million. A drone that can fly high enough and quiet enough not to spook game and still give you a decent video image with infrared is gonna be very expensive and millitary grade hardware, NOT civiilian grade hardware. It is a free country so you can buy it, but it would be very expensive. An alternative would be to build your own Arduino drone from plans off the internet. This is not copter but a plane drone, so you could fly to max altitude, then glide around to scout, and finally glide to a landing. The gliding is silent. Just be sure to fly to max altitude in an area away from the expected game so you don't spook the game with the motor sounds.
Dave2 wrote:My dad just sent me a video about a new consumer drone that comes with either its own built-in video camera or a mount for a GoPro. Seems to me that if you take the IR filter off the built-in camera (I don't actually know if that's possible), or find a wifi-capable GoPro that's setup for night vision, you could send one of these things up and have a look around for anything nearby that's warm. Of course it goes without saying (yet here I am saying it anyway) that you can't go blindly shooting towards blobs of heat without verifying that it's an actual valid target and not some kid lost out in the woods, but you'd at least be able to quickly see if anything's in the area.
The big potential problem is noise... They're clearly audible in the not-completely-overdubbed videos I've seen, but I have yet to come across one that features one of these flying more than a couple feet away and has some other sound for reference (like someone talking or a car driving by) and does not have music mixed in loud enough to drown out any noise from the Phantom. Also I don't know how sensitive game animals to droney buzzy noises.
And finally, having never been hunting, I don't even know if not being able to find a target is a problem that needs solving. I should probably find out before getting one, since they aren't exactly free and I can't think of any other use for them around here. Maybe to inspect a roof or something... hmm... I need to send someone an email...