I don't know about getting a starting note or key from a drum intro, but I hear pitches in certain drum parts; that's why you can sometimes sing along with a drum roll or part. I think it's the fundamental I'm hearing.
But as far as getting the key - maybe just on that one song because that particular drummer had his kit tuned that certain way. Like with tympani, you can hear pitches. Another drum kit might throw you off though.
Found this article on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum_se...ning_intervals
Where, toward the bottom, it talks about drummers tuning in intervals; maybe not specific pitches you could check with a tuner, but relative intervals that suit their ear and make the drum heads neither too loose nor too tight. And the idea of intervals would assume some way of differentiating pitches, which would also hint that there are basic pitches/frequencies being brought into the equation.
So over all, I think it's very possible to get a starting note from a drum intro, all conditions being right.
