Anyone ever do any wildlife survey, captures or cattle work?

[zippiesdrainage]

For the benifit of our students I've started putting together a list of companies and jobs that hire at various low hours to show our students and potential students that the helicoper industry is bigger than tours or flying in the gulf. Has anyone ever done any wildlife related jobs? The reason I ask is because I've noticed that most of the ones that I found use R22s and R44s for the jobs leading me to believe that these might be lower time jobs but I can't find any examples of hour requirements for these type of jobs. If anyone can help I would appreciate it.

[r22butters]

There's a thread buried somewhere within this site with a video of Hog Control (or whatever they called it?) being done in an R22,...followed by a long argument of how such things are/are not for low-timers!

[Helipilot PTK]

Hello,

 

I live in Waterford, Michigan (North West of Detroit). I am not a commercial pilot, but I do have my PPL(H) currently. My flight instructor was telling me that he has done wild life surveys for the DNR in the past, as in counting deer for the upcoming hunting season type of thing. My flight school is Magnum Helicopters, they do have a website if you would like to check them out. I am not positive if my IP got the wildlife survey job through Magnum Helicopters or how that worked, I would have to ask him to get more details on that. I don't know if this is what you are looking for but I hope it helps.

[rotormandan]

Most wildlife survey contracts that use a 22 or 44 are done through a flight school. Most likely it's a CFI at that school who gets to go do that job. The school I worked at would do a few surveys a year for a couple days at a time. It'd be a different CFI doing the flying depending on what was on the schedule.

[avbug]

I've done survey work, chasing big horn sheep and other animals. It's more of an occasional assignment, than a career track. it's fun, for a while, then more tedius than fun.

[Trans Lift]

Was flying from Denton, TX to Roswell, NM the other day and ended up talking to guys on the radio in a 44 that do hog hunting. Seems to keep them busy. I hear there is a good bit of that work in Texas but I don't know who does it.

[BH206L3]

The Texas State Legislature has passed a bill that will Allow the Shooting of Pigs by sport hunters from airplanes and helicopters. Feral Pigs are a real problem in Texas and in other parts of the country. So there might be some avenues for work. My guess the helicopter of choice will be the R-22/ 44 types since there so many around and cost to operate. How much flying and how much time you are going to need in the logbook, I have no Idea. I flew a number of Game Surveys in Bell 47 years ago, counting Moose Elk and Deer. Most game departments will do that sort of thing in late winter. I would keep an eye on Texas, they love there hunting and the pigs are considered big time pests now. Look up Pig Bomb its a well known problem.