Drones help Vorarlberg hunters save fawns from mowers

About half of the roe deer fawns at risk from mowing machinery in Vorarlberg are now being rescued, the Vorarlberg Hunting Association says. ORF reports that the association estimates 300 to 400 fawns were killed by mowers in earlier years, though exact comparisons are difficult because not all deaths or rescues are recorded.

Since 2020, hunters have used drones to search tall grass before fields are cut. Ten pilots are now equipped with drones, and farmers can request a search before mowing. Pilots often know where to look because does tend to hide their young in the same places.

Fawns lie still in the grass when danger approaches, relying on their spotted coats for camouflage. Their mothers stay nearby and return to feed them. The behaviour helps protect the young from predators but can leave them vulnerable to mowing machines.

When a fawn is found, hunters prefer to move it while it is still small. Wearing gloves, they place it in a box with grass to avoid transferring human scent, then leave the box in the shade away from the mowing route. Once the work is finished, they return the fawn to where it was found so its mother can retrieve it. Older fawns may run back into the field before mowing is complete.

Last year, drone teams searched 800 to 900 hectares. Another method uses blue warning lights and sound signals set up in fields the evening before mowing. The pause between signals gives does time to move their fawns to safety.

Searches focus on larger meadows in the Rhine Valley and in Vorderwald. The risk is considered lower in mountain areas where smaller machinery is sometimes used, although a drone has also been deployed in Gaschurn.

The hunting association says its cooperation with farmers has strengthened since the project began. Farmers can use the Rehkitzrettung.at platform to find hunters and available drones nearby. The Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture also recommends mowing from the inside of a field outward to leave wildlife escape routes.