Thermal wildlife census · Montgomery County, PA
Know what's on your land.
Predawn thermal drone counts and year-round herd movement studies for townships, land trusts, farms, and landowners. Every number comes with a map and the method behind it.
Services
Three ways to see your herd clearly
Every service uses the same aircraft, the same survey design, and the same reporting standard, so this winter's numbers compare cleanly with next winter's.
Winter Deer Census
A predawn thermal count of every deer on your land, reported as a density per square mile with a detection-adjusted range, a map, and the method behind every number.
Herd Movement & Seasonal Patterns
Repeat flights across the seasons to show where deer bed, feed, travel, and cross roads, and how that changes from winter yards to fall rut.
Deer Program Evaluation
An annual count, trend chart, and board-ready summary for townships and preserves running archery or culling programs, so you measure the herd and not just the harvest.
Deer are our specialty. We also survey coyote, red and gray fox, black bear, bobcat, and elk. Other wildlife surveys
Why it matters here
Measure the herd, not just the harvest.
Most deer programs around Montgomery County track what they remove: deer taken and crashes reported. Few know how many deer are left, or whether the program is working.
The deliverable
A report your board can act on
Count, density, range, map, and method on one page, with flight logs and conditions behind it. This excerpt uses sample data.
Observed density
142 acres · 0.22 mi² · leaf-off
- Deer observed
- 23
- Antlered / antlerless / unknown
- 5 / 14 / 4
- Detection-adjusted range
- 110–125 / mi²
- Flight window
- 05:10–06:40
- Conditions
- 21 °F · clear · calm
Year-round
Where they bed, feed, travel, and cross
A winter count tells you how many. Seasonal flights show how the herd uses your land as cover, food, and daylight change.
- Bedding and yarding areas in winter cover and summer shade
- Travel corridors between woodlots, fields, and creek bottoms
- Road-crossing hot spots to guide signs, reflectors, and warning lights
- Rut-season movement when deer-vehicle crashes peak
How it works
From request to report in about two weeks
- 5 minutes
Request
Tell us where and what you want to learn. You'll hear back within one business day.
- 2–3 days
Plan
We confirm boundaries, permissions, and airspace, then send a fixed written quote. A deposit reserves your window.
- First good night
Fly
We fly before dawn on the first cold, clear, calm night in your window. You don't need to be there.
- 7 business days
Report
Count, density, range, map, and method, with a call to walk through the findings.
The survey year
Counts in winter, patterns the rest of the year
Thermal cameras see deer best when the canopy is bare and the ground is cold. Summer flights run before dawn and report wider error ranges.
Who we serve
Built for the people who manage deer
Townships & parks
Measure the herd, not just the harvest. Baseline and annual counts for archery and culling programs, with a board-ready summary.
Land trusts & preserves
Tie deer pressure to the habitat you're restoring. Deer pressure tied to regeneration and restoration goals, preserve by preserve.
Farms, estates & private land
Know how many deer your acreage is really feeding. Herd size and movement on farms, estates, golf courses, campuses, and HOA open space.
Meet your pilot
Flown and reported by Dale Porter
Dale is a Cold War Army veteran and a former Chief of Animal Control who went on to spend two decades in IT, rising to department manager. He started Frontier when nobody could tell him how many deer were actually here. He plans, flies, and reports every survey himself.
- Service-disabled veteran-owned small business
- FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot, certificate #5250269
- Former Chief of Animal Control, with wildlife work alongside California Fish and Game
Questions
What people ask first
How accurate is a thermal drone deer count?
Published studies find thermal drone surveys detect roughly 56% to 92% of the deer actually present, depending on cover, temperature, and whether deer are bedded. No method counts every deer.
So every report gives the observed count, a detection-adjusted range, and the conditions that affected it. A repeat flight within 14 days tightens the range. Read the method.
When can you fly a deer count?
Full counts fly from December through mid-March, before dawn, on cold, clear, calm nights after the leaves are down. The 2026–27 count season runs Dec 1, 2026 – Mar 15, 2027. Seasonal movement flights run spring through fall, always before dawn when the ground is coolest.
How much does a deer census cost?
A winter deer census starts at $750 for up to 100 acres. Larger areas add $2.50 per acre up to 300 acres, $1.50 per acre up to 2 square miles, and $1.00 per acre beyond. Travel is included in Montgomery and the adjoining counties. Get an instant estimate.
Do you help hunters find or recover deer?
No. The Pennsylvania Game Commission treats using drones for any part of hunting, including recovering deer, as unlawful. We survey for counts and management decisions only, and we never share live or recent locations of deer or other wildlife with hunters or trappers.
Reserve a winter count window.
Counts fly Dec 1 – Mar 15, on cold, clear nights. Windows fill in order of request, and townships often need the numbers before spring board meetings.