Why I Trust Sky Senderos For My Thermal Drone Wildlife Count

For over 14 years, I’ve managed an 1,100-acre family ranch in Seymour, Texas. Like many landowners practicing Level 3 Wildlife Management, I've spent countless hours trying to keep an accurate count of our deer population. I’ve personally reviewed 25,000 to 30,000 trail camera photos every single year, spending 40 to 50 hours sorting, printing, and labeling bucks, does, and the occasional fawn. It became a full-time job I never signed up for.

Seven and a half years ago, I asked my Texas Parks and Wildlife biologist whether drone technology could help make the process more accurate and efficient. At the time, it wasn’t an approved method, so I tried working with a few recommended individuals. One simply didn’t have the tools to do the job well. Another was accurate, but far too expensive for a family-run operation, and he insisted on flying twice a year.

So I kept doing it myself. Until I didn’t want to anymore.

That’s when I turned to Google, hoping there was finally a Texas-based company that could deliver what I needed: a reasonably priced, accurate (90% plus) game count, broken down by antlered vs. non-antlered deer, and ideally, one that could identify fawns, even in January.

That’s how I found Sky Senderos.

What caught my attention initially was that they were based in Austin. I visit Austin often and liked the idea of working with someone local enough to meet face-to-face. After a phone call and a good conversation, I took a leap of faith and scheduled a January survey.

That night, the wind was howling. That night, the wind was howling. I used to fly jets in the Navy, and I can tell you with confidence: flying a drone in those conditions would challenge even the most skilled pilots. But the two Sky Senderos pilots who showed up were professional, polite, and determined. They gave it a valiant shot, flew for hours, drained every battery, and ultimately came back in, frustrated but unwilling to deliver sub-par data.

What happened next told me everything I needed to know about this company.

The following morning, I got up early, around 6 a.m., expecting they’d already left for their next job. Instead, I stepped outside and heard the soft hum of a drone in the distance. They had gotten up at 4 a.m., checked the wind, and headed back out on their own. No prompt from me. No expectation that they had to. They just did it because they wanted to get it right.

That kind of initiative speaks volumes.

Within 24 hours, I had a preliminary report: 19 bucks, 48 does, and 23 fawns. I had some questions, especially about younger bucks that might not show up clearly on thermal imaging, such as spikes and 3-pointers. However, Ethan, the founder, reassured me that the final report would clarify everything.

And it did: 26 bucks, 43 does, and 23 fawns. Total: 92 deer.

Now here’s the kicker. I purposely hadn’t told Ethan or his team how many deer I believed were on the property. I didn’t want to bias their results. But based on 14 years of trail cam reviews and the input from my three hunting sons, I knew we had between 85 and 95 deer, with 27 to 30 bucks. Their numbers were almost spot-on.

Someone might ask, "If you already knew the population so well, why pay for this at all?" Because I’m 79 years old, and I’d rather spend my time enjoying the photos, identifying cull bucks or potential trophies, not sifting through tens of thousands of pictures. Once a year, I want to hand it off to someone I trust and get a clean, accurate breakdown.

Sky Senderos gave me that.

They’ve invested in the technology, equipment I can’t even imagine the cost of, and more importantly, they’ve invested in people who take pride in doing the job right. Their flexibility with timing, their affordability, and their integrity are why I’m already planning to have them back next January.

If you’re managing wildlife and want a reliable, efficient, and honest partner to help you do it, I can’t recommend Sky Senderos highly enough. You’re welcome to call me. I’ll tell you the same thing I’m writing here.

Thanks again to Ethan and his team. You’ve earned my trust.

Michael Love
Seymour, Texas

‍

Join Mr. Love and our other satsified clients today by requesting your free quote!

‍