My First Upset Encounter

[S5S5G6]

I just change the subject.

I'm always looking for a lost dog/sheep/emu/hen/wombat and am glad they showed up when they did cause I could use some more help.

They never stick around.

Your mileage may vary if you're outside the states or in the central or northwest areas of the U.S. Where people are actually friendly/helpful.

 

[4wd]

Even at 100' feet I don't think much wildlife living in and around a populas area like that would be spooked. The smell of the guys 2 dogs are more likely to scare the deer off.

I'm going to side with the complainant to some extent.
It's not relevant that they see cars and trucks and ignore them, they could be spooked by a quadcopter because it's new and unfamiliar to them.
Same is true with horses and to a lesser extent cattle - even when you are 200 feet up it can startle them.
Not being aware they were there or might be scared isn't much of an answer if they crowd into a corner and break the fence. Then get out on a busy highway.
Just like in old westerns, cattle and horses sometimes get in a big silly panic and stampede over stupidest thing if there's an unusual sound.

 

[beauyoung85]

I'm going to side with the complainant to some extent.
It's not relevant that they see cars and trucks and ignore them, they could be spooked by a quadcopter because it's new and unfamiliar to them.
Same is true with horses and to a lesser extent cattle - even when you are 200 feet up it can startle them.
Not being aware they were there or might be scared isn't much of an answer if they crowd into a corner and break the fence. Then get out on a busy highway.
Just like in old westerns, cattle and horses sometimes get in a big silly panic and stampede over stupidest thing if there's an unusual sound.

I see where you're coming from but I gotta politely disagree. I'm an avid deer hunter with 2 separate 1500 acre deer leases and I can say that in my 25 years chasing these critters, I've never seen a group knock down a fence when spooked. I've seen cattle and even sheep do it, but deer are much more likely to jump it. Or scatter if whatever's spooking them gets too close. While I understand it's important to be polite and respectful, especially to elders, it's also important to stand your ground if you're not doing anything wrong. Our hobby is constantly taking a lashing and given the medias overzealous reporting of these "encounters" we're already fighting an uphill battle. Don't let people change what you're doing or how you're doing if if what your doing is perfectly legal. The op had a right to fly just like the complainant had a right to walk dogs. Anytime someone tries to use the privacy card I just laugh and tell em the smartphone they're carrying can invade more privacy than my phantom can any day. Then I like to point out the telephoto lenses on just about every soccer moms Nikon walking around the park and suggest they go complain to them. Maybe I'm a bit abrasive but then again I'm a redneck so it is what it is. Have fun and forget about the paranoid people lol.

 

[RedHotPoker]

Flying in a local nature preserve yesterday, several people out enjoying the weather would walk past me, very quietly. They were more concerned about disturbing my concentration, than of my upsetting the native wild life. Even a fellow with two small boys, whispered to his sons, look at the drone, way up there. They stopped and watched me fly for about five minutes, but never said one word to me. Not even Hello. Seems the folks in my city are extremely polite.
Especially while being in the middle of nowhere. . . ;-)

RedHotPoker

 

[tcope]

I'm going to side with the complainant to some extent.
It's not relevant that they see cars and trucks and ignore them, they could be spooked by a quadcopter because it's new and unfamiliar to them.
Same is true with horses and to a lesser extent cattle - even when you are 200 feet up it can startle them.
Not being aware they were there or might be scared isn't much of an answer if they crowd into a corner and break the fence. Then get out on a busy highway.
Just like in old westerns, cattle and horses sometimes get in a big silly panic and stampede over stupidest thing if there's an unusual sound.

Sure it's possible but I still doubt it. They can hear dogs, people, lawn mowers, planes, construction equipment, etc. All of the time. They have zero predators so they would grow accustom to pretty much every noise.. At 200 feet the drone just makes a slight buzzing noise.

 

[Milly]

I think the guy was just grumpy because his wife wouldn't let him spend his hard earned on a drone and he was jealous. On a side note, I was at the local pub last night and I was offered eight legs of venison for £40.00, (about $61.37) Do you think that was two deer?

 

[unclejas]

I would've been a little snarky most likely.

Douche: "Don't fly over the deer."
Me: "You betcha!" (then turned my back to him and continued flying as usual)

 

[RedHotPoker]

@acherman,
It's very true isn't it? About the city folks here... Most people will let you do your thing, if you aren't disturbing their activities. I have witnessed extreme cases of this. Of the romantic nature. Hahaha
I guess it depends where you're at and where you are coming from...
Where you want to go, with it. Perhaps my green and black SpYder
RS-S sitting close by, puts them at ease too. Not intrusive.
But I've seen it all pretty much already, so there aren't very many surprises for me anymore. Anyone 'Could' potentially be a sour apple.

So far, I have experienced no negative reactions, only inquisitive.

RedHotPoker

 

[AirApparent]

I am going to mount my P3 to the hood of my car if it really works to scare off those dumb bastards. Perhaps they won't stand in the middle of the road next time I come around the corner and cause $6K in damage. Thanks for the tip.

 

[acherman]

@acherman,
It's very true isn't it? About the city folks here... Most people will let you do your thing, if you aren't disturbing their activities. I have witnessed extreme cases of this. Of the romantic nature. Hahaha
I guess it depends where you're at and where you are coming from...
Where you want to go, with it. Perhaps my green and black SpYder
RS-S sitting close by, puts them at ease too. Not intrusive.
But I've seen it all pretty much already, so there aren't very many surprises for me anymore. Anyone 'Could' potentially be a sour apple.

So far, I have experienced no negative reactions, only inquisitive.

RedHotPoker

I haven't had a single bad experience. People either ignore me or are really curious. Having the big Air 2 screen helps draw them in - way easier for people to get a peak on that than the iPhone 6.

That said, I am pretty careful to not fly around anyone for any length of time. I either wait until people leave the area, move to another area to take off, or take off and fly away very quickly. I like to think I'm fairly courteous.

The other thing is, act like you're supposed to be there, like it's your job and you've done it a hundred times. I do this all the time at work - walk with purpose and confidence, don't look around to see if someone is watching or "catching you" doing something. You will be surprised the places people let you go when you appear to be official in some capacity.

Also, Canadians. 'Nuff said. Haha

 

[RedHotPoker]

Yes, you need to walk with purpose and behave like you belong, with everything under complete control. Having Full command of the drone as well. Yes, most people are more curious and courteous than contentious and full of negative intent.

Unless you buzz their house. ;-)
I agree the larger iPad Air, looks like a more Professional setup too.

RedHotPoker

 

[Bryce]

I see where you're coming from but I gotta politely disagree. I'm an avid deer hunter with 2 separate 1500 acre deer leases and I can say that in my 25 years chasing these critters, I've never seen a group knock down a fence when spooked. I've seen cattle and even sheep do it, but deer are much more likely to jump it. Or scatter if whatever's spooking them gets too close. While I understand it's important to be polite and respectful, especially to elders, it's also important to stand your ground if you're not doing anything wrong. Our hobby is constantly taking a lashing and given the medias overzealous reporting of these "encounters" we're already fighting an uphill battle. Don't let people change what you're doing or how you're doing if if what your doing is perfectly legal. The op had a right to fly just like the complainant had a right to walk dogs. Anytime someone tries to use the privacy card I just laugh and tell em the smartphone they're carrying can invade more privacy than my phantom can any day. Then I like to point out the telephoto lenses on just about every soccer moms Nikon walking around the park and suggest they go complain to them. Maybe I'm a bit abrasive but then again I'm a redneck so it is what it is. Have fun and forget about the paranoid people lol.

I agree with you 100% !!!!

 

[Bryce]

I haven't had a single bad experience. People either ignore me or are really curious. Having the big Air 2 screen helps draw them in - way easier for people to get a peak on that than the iPhone 6.

That said, I am pretty careful to not fly around anyone for any length of time. I either wait until people leave the area, move to another area to take off, or take off and fly away very quickly. I like to think I'm fairly courteous.

The other thing is, act like you're supposed to be there, like it's your job and you've done it a hundred times. I do this all the time at work - walk with purpose and confidence, don't look around to see if someone is watching or "catching you" doing something. You will be surprised the places people let you go when you appear to be official in some capacity.

Also, Canadians. 'Nuff said. Haha

Social engineering opens every door, whatever nationality.

I like the hard-hat idea with orange vest... but.. I rather like the encounter with the old angry farts... I've stood hours waiting for the cops that they say they will call... but they never seem to arrive.

 

[George F]

My wife and a neighbor love to feed hummingbirds, so I was a little concerned if mu P3 would affect my "domestic tranquility", but after many flights I can report that no wildlife seem to care or notice my flights. We have a cat who doesn't even look up from his naps when the bird flies by. I can understand how a non flyer might be afraid that we would spook the deer, but I'm pretty sure that most quads are accepted an just part of the ambient noise pollution. I would also be real sure that you could not convince your guy of this. but you might try this next time, "Oh, you might be right, I didn't think about that." This usually stops people in their tracks. Or tell him you are surveying the deer! There are always going to be people who are stuck in their thoughts.
I didn't realize what an international scope was here! From sunny South Carolina, USA

 

[cleaner1369]

My cat yawns when I land my P3 anywhere near it, rolls over and goes back to sleep.

 

[GoodnNuff]

I have a cat that can jump about 4 feet and knock my little Blade Nano out of the air. But I often fly accompanied by my two dogs, and they ignore the drone completely. Maybe I will have to start checking their heart rates though?:

"...The study, released Thursday in the journal Current Biology, suggests that black bears can be stressed out by the presence of UAVs, even if they don’t outwardly show it.

Ditmer and his colleagues outfitted four bears in northwestern Minnesota — two mothers with cubs, one hibernating female, and one young male — with GPS collars and cardiac “biologgers,” or devices that collect heart rate data. Then, they flew a UAV over each bear anywhere from one to nine times (for a total of 18 flights) while observing the bears’ movements and heart rates.

They found that each of the bears’ heart rates spiked every time the drone flew overhead, suggesting that they were stressed by the UAV’s presence. But surprisingly, even though their hearts were racing, the bears tended to stand still rather than run away. This reaction underscores the importance of conducting physiological tests on wildlife, such as heart rate monitoring, rather than just watching to see what they do when a drone is around, Ditmer says..."

How Drones Are Affecting Wildlife in Surprising Ways

My Brother-in-law, a wildlife biologist (and RC flyer) in Colorado sent me the link to this article last week. Interesting. Perhaps the deer are stressed?

 

[Othan1]

We have deer in the dried up lake bed of Lake Hodges and the only thing they do, even at 100' is continue to eat grass.

The only birds who seem to care, too, are the smaller ducks but they fly away even when helicopters and planes fly by.

Animals are less frightened than humans.

 

[GoodnNuff]

We have deer in the dried up lake bed of Lake Hodges and the only thing they do, even at 100' is continue to eat grass.

The only birds who seem to care, too, are the smaller ducks but they fly away even when helicopters and planes fly by.

Animals are less frightened than humans.

I seem to attract birds, from swallows and swifts to hawks and an occasional eagle.
It certainly can't be stressing them, but must pique their curiosity.

 

[dirkclod]

Animals are less frightened than humans.

Not in Mississippi their not . We eat em !
And they know it

 

[texcoonazz]