Outdoor helicopter evasion

I'm interested in tips to prevent outdoor plants from being spotted by helicopters. Most chopper security threads seem to be about indoor grows.

I'm in Canada, where Operation SABOT is active and where the Canadian Armed Forces collaborate with the RCMP (feds). And here in the province of Quebec, L'Opération Cisaille (Scissors) is in effect. California has CAMP of course, and I'm sure many other states have outdoor chopper programs.

Generally, in Canada at least, I think these activities peak near harvest in late August and throughout September. But there is some activity throughout the summer apparently, in addition to some around planting times.

The Canadian programs seem to be mostly aimed at eradication and not arrests. I suspect this is only because they rarely catch growers at the big guerilla grows. But when they can/DO catch people, arrests are in order of course. In situations such as my own, with a few plants in the backyard, I suspect it is easier to arrest the property owners, even though the busts are smaller.


Now many people would say that my mere 3 plants, each around 10 square feet in size currently, are nothing to worry about here in Canada. Now that may seem to be but I don't want to take any unnecessary chances. If I got a knock and talk, that would be a big lose IMO, as I might feel forced to destroy the plants at best, and at worst... well anything is possible. I've read enough security threads to realize my and my wife's anxiety issues will almost guarantee some sort of slip up in a knock and talk.

4 years ago I started my first and only other outdoor grow. I quickly came to notice all the air traffic over my house, including multiple instances of military choppers flying low, sometimes in formation. I had been thinking Canada was now a cool place to grow but some quick Internet study proved otherwise. We went from a country where the Liberal (leftish) prime minister joked about holding a joint in one hand and fine money in other, to a Conservative (rightish) prime minister now about to spend 9.5 billion dollars on new prisons and trying to get 6 month mandatory minimums for 6 plants.

I've seen choppers that appear to be flying a grid pattern at low altitudes, perhaps as low as 100 feet. They come back after 10 minutes or so flying the other way around 300-400 feet away from the previous line. And they repeat this going down the street. The lines are east to west and west to east. I would presume the look north as they fly.

At one point I saw a chopper that seemed to hover for way too long over my patch in the forested back acre of my 3 acre lot. I and my wife were both convinced they saw it and I destroyed them that night. I had about 7 of medium size clustered together. No knock and talk or anything came of this. I've heard from many that a mere 7 plants or so will not result in any action, considering the many other much larger grows found. But who ever knows for sure ? They may feel a few outdoors is accompanied by many more indoors.


Currently I have just 3 plants, each around 10 square feet in area. They are LST tied down so don't have the tree look. Given the size of the plants, it's possible that a sighter might think there are many more than just 3.

The plants are in large grow bags sitting on the ground. They are together and in a straight line. I understand this is less than ideal and am considering moving 2 of them.

The surrounding trees are mostly cedar and a decent number of trees are fallen. The cedar green is definitely a different, lighter green, but I've heard that cedar and pine make for decent camofluage. At least most of the trees remain green year round.

The plants would be rather difficult to see from directly overhead. They get direct light for about 3-4 hours in morning and 2-3 hours in afternoon, but are shaded by a tree around 1 hour about noon. Except for these light holes I think the plants would be difficult to see. (But what do I know given keen eyes and perhaps electronic/optical assistance such as FLIR or whatever.)

Sometimes grows may be findable by FLIR by the cold of water lines. I have no water lines, just buckets and muscle power.

I get a bit antsy when tending the plants and I hear aircraft noises, which is often. At least once I thought I heard a plane engine but it turned into chopper noises. I'm starting to more carefully pick the color of clothes I wear to the plants.


I've been able to find VERY little usable information about these chopper operations. I guess that's on purpose on behalf of the cops and military. It would be wonderful to know what days or hours they fly, particularly in my area. I'd guess mostly 9-5 Monday to Friday. I heard about some radio station in BC that has some reports on areas getting busted or some such ?

Would also be great to have and be able to understand aeronautical charts, especially since I seem to be in a flight path. Nav Canada sells these charts but I think it'd take some studying to learn them and my time might be better spent elsewhere.


I've been considering some camoflauge netting or similar built with live or dead cedar branches etc. I'd be willing to sacrifice some sun power if it made my plants less detectable.


Anyone else with thoughts or information about evading helicopters for outdoor grows, especially for smaller grows ? Thanks !

If they are to noticable go and buy some green fishnet. Put in stakes and stretch it above the plants and it will break up the outline of the plants. It also has holes so the sun can get through...

Dont grow strains that have huge leaves.... Ive seen some Grapefruit x Blueberry and BigBud x Haze that had leaves that where 16 inches long and about 12 inches wide......did not take long for the choppers to see them......They where the biggest leaves Ive ever seen, by far.... and like Scorpio said, Ive heard the camo netting works good too.....

phrike said:

I had been thinking Canada was now a cool place to grow but some quick Internet study proved otherwise. We went from a country where the Liberal (leftish) prime minister joked about holding a joint in one hand and fine money in other, to a Conservative (rightish) prime minister now about to spend 9.5 billion dollars on new prisons and trying to get 6 month mandatory minimums for 6 plants.

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What the fuck is that about? Sounds like a real dick head....Man, I was not aware that it was that bad for our northern neighbors..Sounds like America is rubbing off on y'all....Sad to hear. Unfortunatley, prisons are big business, and money prevails in most instances, atleast in the U.S it does. Shit heads, the entire lot of 'em.

Green fishnet sounds reasonable, but I can't find online sellers with that name.

Perhaps "Camouflage Netting" is the term to search for. Something like you see at the beginning of a MASH episode looking skyward.

I wouldn't want to use any product, or in such a way, as to draw attention TO it of course.

dont grow in a pattern. most big grows have irrigation and have easilly spotted patterns. like rows for 1. plants scattered and blended into natural vegitation are harder to spot. then just pray

Yes, no row. Mine are about 3 1/2 feet in diameter now so my row is about 10-11 feet long, and lined up perpendicular to the noon sun. I wonder if separating them by 10-15 feet is enough, or perhaps I could find another light hole in the forest some 40-100 feet away.

I figure there's a possible downside to using multiple plant locations however. I'm positive that when a chopper finds one plant, they will hover and move slowly to see if there are others. If they DO find others they may assume there are a lot more hidden and that a bust might be big.

OTOH, if they only find one plot, with just 3 large plants, they may assume they've found them all (after searching) and the bust is small potatoes. I DO think a 2nd spotting will make them search the area longer, thus contributing to my anxiety if I witness them do that...

Pray, huh ? To Budha ?


I've seen some greenhouse types grows where translucent windows are used. Might cut down on lumens by 50% but really obscures what's under there. But I wonder if greenery under translucent material might stick out as suspicious. I don't think translucent would work well in the forest, so perhaps the camo netting is the best obscuring option.


We had more helicopters (non-pot patrol AFAIK) earlier in the summer, but for some reason I haven't noticed a single one in the last 3 weeks, and I'm home most of the day. Then tonight I saw one with some red lights, but AFAIK not a pot spotter, unless those red lights were for FLIR and targetting some house(s) or another area.

I wonder if choppers might be used less in hot and humid summers, or if the summer vacation effect is at play. Just seems so quiet the last 3 weeks and I expect general chopper traffic to pick up in September.

if they are using FLIR, you will do no good with the fish netting. You are pretty much SOL. I am pretty sure that military FLIR gives off no indication (other than infrared light) that it is on.

You wouldnt be able to see the FLIR active without IR Gear

If FLIR detects infrared radiation, doesn't logic dictate that it doesn't give it off? Space Infrared Telescopes are chilled to hundreds of degrees below zero for that very reason, so it won't get a false positive by detecting its own radiation.

Space Toker said:

If FLIR detects infrared radiation, doesn't logic dictate that it doesn't give it off? Space Infrared Telescopes are chilled to hundreds of degrees below zero for that very reason, so it won't get a false positive by detecting its own radiation.

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Yes. From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forward_looking_infrared

"First, the imager itself is nearly impossible for the enemy to detect, as it detects energy that's already there and doesn't have to send out any energy of its own. Second, it sees heat, which is hard to camouflage. Thirdly, FLIR systems can see through smoke, fog, haze, and other atmospheric obscurants better than a visible light camera can."


There always seems to be much debate as to exactly how well FLIR works and what it does, perhaps even more so for outdoor grows.

AFAICT the easiest use for FLIR outdoors is to detect the cold of any water lines feeding the plants. Perhaps even the cold of freshly watered soil, relative to hot outdoor temps.

I'm not convinced one way or another that FLIR could be used to detect different heat signatures on the pot plants themselves, relative to local flora, although I've heard something about heat signatures of cedar and pine to be similar to pot. Perhaps because those trees are still green in late fall, like pot plants ?


AFAIK, the pot spotters' eyes are the most used sensor for (small at least) outdoor grows. They look for patterns of plants, the traditional shapes of tall pot plants, and the different shade of green. AFAIK, the only augmentation for the keen eyes are binoculars, or some other optical system.

And AFAIK, aeronautic pot spotting is only done during the day. from perhaps a few hours after sunrise to a few hours before sunset or 8-9 AM to 5-6 PM.

Grow it around something that's naturally there and looks similar in shape and color.

It's tough to find a GREAT outdoor spot that doesn't take all day to get to.

The spotters look for the unusual. As others said...patterns, different color green, that sort of thing. It has to catch their eye to warrant a closer look. Otherwise they'd have to fly at 50ft very slowly looking at each and every plant. If you can make your plants blend in...you're golden.

I've had plants in the San Bernardino mountains that were easily 12-15ft. Nobody ever found them. Why? Because they blended in with their surroundings. I found a spring on the side of a mountain that was so steep you had to be a goat to get there. This spring had trees and bushes...lots of "willow" (skinny pointed leaves) looking stuff already growing there. Hell...I couldn't tell if my plants were still there until I got close, and I knew where to look.

This was years ago though...maybe it IS a lot tougher these days...maybe they come close enough to the "good places" like springs to see them now...I don't know. But "camouflage" is still your best bet.

Oh...about the FLIR...it's not used to find the plants...it's used to find the people and their equipment used to grow the crops. A person sleeping even in a tent at night or in the early morning will light up the FLIR scope. Anything man made will also light up the scope around sunrise. You see, our stuff is plastic and metal, the sun heats it much faster than the surrounding rocks/soil/plants...it too lights up the FLIR scope. THAT'S how they find grows using FLIR. FLIR sees heat...you have to eliminate the heat difference to avoid detection.

I've seen a couple of videos posted (sadly I don't remember where) that highlighted what the 'copter spotters are looking for.

Basically, anything that doesn't belong in the woods. Examples they highlighted were:

Distinctive colors. White buckets, blue grow bags, white pipe, etc.

Shiny stuff. Grow bags, black poly pipe, trash bags, fertilizer bags, anything that reflects light. (Best of reasons to haul all of your trash out!!!)

Patterns. As mentioned above, rows or regular repeated patterns.

Things out of place. Green robust vegetation with dried-out stuff all around in a drought. Bright green well fertilized vegetation in pale green-yellow area of poor soil. Campsites, etc.



If you have camouflaged your grow bags, you might be fine.

Good Luck

Add fake flowers to the plants so they look like other types of plants. Use fake roses or BIG fake flowers throughout and it will just look like random pretty plants from above.

Chester said:

Distinctive colors. White buckets, blue grow bags, white pipe, etc.

Shiny stuff. Grow bags, black poly pipe, trash bags, fertilizer bags, anything that reflects light. (Best of reasons to haul all of your trash out!!!)

Patterns. As mentioned above, rows or regular repeated patterns.

Things out of place. Green robust vegetation with dried-out stuff all around in a drought. Bright green well fertilized vegetation in pale green-yellow area of poor soil. Campsites, etc.

If you have camouflaged your grow bags, you might be fine.

Good Luck

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Yeah I still have a clear plastic reservoir to be removed. It's reasonably well hidden, but why take the chance.


The large grow bags continue to concern me. I was hoping the plants would grow to camouflage them, but they can still be seen from the side. They are dark black with maybe some very dark green, but still stand out IMO.

I can't bury the bags here. No more than an inch or so of soil on bedrock. On the most visible east south and west sides I'll have to stack some local flora to camo.


I'm realizing the guerilla grower and the backyard grower have some different concerns. Guerillas just wants a high percentage to remain unfound. Backyard I want NONE of them found, to a higher degree of probability.

Guerilla goes on if some percentage are found. Not his property, not his concern during the long days he's not there.

I can get caught if ANY are found. My property, more/easier control, but immediate suspicion if any seen.

(Although I'm sure a lawyer could argue they were not mine since they were in the remote forested area, and could have been planted without my knowledge.)

medmaker420 said:

Add fake flowers to the plants so they look like other types of plants. Use fake roses or BIG fake flowers throughout and it will just look like random pretty plants from above.

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I think fake flowers, particularly plastic ones that may look fake, are more appropriate to fool the neighbors when growing within sight of them.

In my woods location, I think they might draw attention and raise suspicion.

Moving the plants next to local flora or bringing the local flora to them would work better against cop pot spotters hovering over my forested area.


I have some willows and other trees/plants that are young, and I could transplant them next to the pot. I'll post pics when done and let y'all comment.

Here's what the 3 plants together looked liked 5 days ago:

The 3 plants have been untied, for now at least, as I think their area was getting large enough to make them more visible.

The strings were also white and somewhat conspicuous (close or perhaps 50+ feet away through binoculars). Next time I tie I'll used colored, perhaps custom color painted string, wire or whatever.

The plants are now at least 10 feet apart and placed next to trees etc. Foliage was bent and moved to help with camo.

I'm using mostly bark, branches and logs to try and hide the grow bag view from the sides. To me, close up, it looks a bit contrived/suspicious ; I'm hoping it's not noticeable from 50-100 feet up, but might consider improving on it anyway.

Broken cedar and other trees on the ground are normal in this forest, so the partial sun opening being used is not suspicious, nor are the trees on the ground. Live trees on the ground can be good for camo-ing grow bags, but 3 in a triangle might look funny.

Here are the pics; each shows all 3 plants. First is from south-east, second is from south. Of course these pics are useless to see where the helicopter peeking holes are in the tall surrounding forest.

Pics in next post.

Here are the pics; each shows all 3 plants. First is from south-east, second is from south. Of course these pics are useless to see where the helicopter peeking holes are in the tall surrounding forest.

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Notice how the well fed plants stand-out from the other paler greens in photo 1776??

If you sprinkle some fertilizer around in other nearby clearings (and possibly on the perimeter of your clearing), the lucky local weeds might make the well-fed plants look less "unique".

Your ladies are happy and well fed. If some of the local "toughs" are equally well fed, the ladies won't stand-out.

I like your Camo. Nice job.

you should be fine, i would think the spotters are looking for trees, your training has totally changed the classic look of the plants. once the bags are camoed you should be fine. it is hardly worth their time to come at you for 3 plants. i'm sure they would get laughed at if they used a chopper to bust some one with 3 plants.

best of luck to you hope you can share some pics when they are done.

Chester said:

Notice how the well fed plants stand-out from the other paler greens in photo 1776??

If you sprinkle some fertilizer around in other nearby clearings (and possibly on the perimeter of your clearing), the lucky local weeds might make the well-fed plants look less "unique".

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Thanks Chester. Yeah some fertilizing of the weeds etc. sounds like a great idea. I will hopefully be using this location as long as I live here and don't get busted so I can get things started for next year if not much this year.

I HAD been thinking of transplanting some greener plants/trees from the pond/swamp area, but those may look out of place in an area without water.