Mavic 3T Deer Recovery

[DroneOnDaBayou]

Short video I created from a recent deer hunt. I used my Mavic 3T for recovery. I've recovered 4 out of 6 deer for myself and friends since I started with the drone. 2 of the deer were later found to have been complete misses.

This video does show harvesting of deer. If you are upset by that, please feel free to skip watching it. Thank you.

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[Conservative Nihilist]

I've lost a couple of brush-land deer in the past after what I was sure would be a clean kill-shot, and I did on those occasions wish I had some manner of heat-sensing device to locate a wounded deer. Years later DJI has solved that hunters' predicament with their line of thermal-sensing drones.

Your handle suggests you hunt in the Louisiana Bayou, meaning that tracking a deer is that much more of a challenge, which makes your recovery record of 4 out of 6 all the more remarkable. I would not want to be searching a 'gator-infested swamp looking for a deer that might already have been confiscated by an 11-foot dinosaur who doesn't take kindly to competition over food.

 

[DroneOnDaBayou]

I've lost a couple of brush-land deer in the past after what I was sure would be a clean kill-shot, and I did on those occasions wish I had some manner of heat-sensing device to locate a wounded deer. Years later DJI has solved that hunters' predicament with their line of thermal-sensing drones.

Your handle suggests you hunt in the Louisiana Bayou, meaning that tracking a deer is that much more of a challenge, which makes your recovery record of 4 out of 6 all the more remarkable. I would not want to be searching a 'gator-infested swamp looking for a deer that might already have been confiscated by an 11-foot dinosaur who doesn't take kindly to competition over food.

True I am from Louisiana, but I don't hunt in the swamps due to the aforementioned gators. I hunt in Mississippi where there are thousands more deer and great management regulations provided by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife. There are antler size regulations in place which limits the take of younger deer. On our lease we limit ourselves to mature deer and only take 2 bucks. Legally we can harvest 3, but we don't. In fact, that buck was only the second buck I've shot in 4 years. I like to see deer when I hunt and not feel like it's a fleeting opportunity pressuring me into making a bad decision. Hunting in Louisiana, most places are "if it is brown, it is down" which is a terrible way to deer hunt in my opinion.

I'm getting my Part 107 soon and I may try and branch out offering recovery services next season.

 

[Cafguy]

What you are doing is not legal!
The state of Louisiana will not even issue permits for it. There are NO states that allow tracking of ANY animal with the use of aircraft without specific permits. The fines for this are outrageously high.
Please refer to the appropriate State Fish and Wildlife Dept. Websites and note that although some aircraft may receive a waiver for such activity. It is rarely given to Camera Equipped Drones!
Just sayin..

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

Well, I'll be. One would have thought that recovering a wounded deer using technology would be permissible by law, even if tracking a potential quarry with a drone remains illegal.

 

[Cafguy]

Well, I'll be. One would have thought that recovering a wounded deer using technology would be permissible by law, even if tracking a potential quarry with a drone remains illegal.

I can see the benefits of it BUT the Law does not.
Just letting the OP know.

 

[DroneOnDaBayou]

What you are doing is not legal!
The state of Louisiana will not even issue permits for it. There are NO states that allow tracking of ANY animal with the use of aircraft without specific permits. The fines for this are outrageously high.
Please refer to the appropriate State Fish and Wildlife Dept. Websites and note that although some aircraft may receive a waiver for such activity. It is rarely given to Camera Equipped Drones!
Just sayin..

l'm not doing it in Louisiana. I hunt in Mississippi. The game warden where I hunt is a friend of ours. He knows and it is legal and thinks it is a great tool to prevent lost game. Just to make sure he wasn't giving us the "good 'ole boy" treatment and looking the other way, I have called the actual enforcement division at MDWFP and verified it is legal prior to using the drone.

I appreciate your response and understand that it was in the spirit of helping another drone pilot stay out of trouble.

 

[DroneOnDaBayou]

Well, I'll be. One would have thought that recovering a wounded deer using technology would be permissible by law, even if tracking a potential quarry with a drone remains illegal.

It is legal in Mississippi. Cafguy does bring up a good point. Absolutely know the legalities of using your drone wherever you are flying.

 

[Cafguy]

l'm not doing it in Louisiana. The game warden where I hunt is a friend of ours. He knows and it is legal and thinks it is a great tool to prevent lost game. Just to make sure he wasn't giving us the "good 'ole boy" treatment and looking the other way, I have called the actual enforcement division at MDWFP and verified it is legal prior to using the drone.

I appreciate your response and understand that it was in the spirit of helping another drone pilot stay out of trouble.

Thank you and I am glad to see you going about this sensibly and legally!.. SOO many don't.
GOOD LUCK and it seems like a great thing to get into with your Drone!
I did check again for you in that state only because I had a member who was fishing with his Drone with his police Buddy that told him Wrongly that they were legal. You are correct and are Flying with no problems.
I would like to Know more about it actually so give us more details in other posts!
I think it would be a very humane way to recover Deer if done right.
Without your 107 you can only do this for yourself tho.

 

[sarahb]

It is illegal in most, if not all states in the USA to use a drone to assist in hunting. The OP might want to read this article.

 

[sarahb]

I would like to ask the OP to consider removing this illegal video and/or thread.

 

[Conservative Nihilist]

To play devil's advocate, the OP did mention checking with a game warden to ensure that his drone recovery idea would be legal in his location. Since the response he was given, which tallied with his own independent findings, was that he was in the clear to use this method in his area, then his post and the accompanying video are perfectly legal in the jurisdiction where he lives.

I suppose the OP could add a disclaimer that his idea is not universally permissible, so that other hunters facing a similar predicament retrieving game can also conduct their due diligence before attempting anything along the lines of what he described above.

 

[Cafguy]

To play devil's advocate, the OP did mention checking with a game warden to ensure that his drone recovery idea would be legal in his location. Since the response he was given, which tallied with his own independent findings, was that he was in the clear to use this method in his area, then his post and the accompanying video are perfectly legal in the jurisdiction where he lives.

I suppose the OP could add a disclaimer that his idea is not universally permissible, so that other hunters facing a similar predicament retrieving game can also conduct their due diligence before attempting anything along the lines of what he described above.

There was a member who's game warden fishing buddy invited him to go fishing in Florida with their DJI's. He told the Member it was perfectly legal YET It is illegal anyplace in Florida to use camera equipped Aircraft to fish.
It is still illegal in ALL states to "track or monitor" a certain Animal In other words you can go out and find animals to take pictures of BUT you cant take your Drone and look for a specific animal to photograph without a permit.
EDIT Mississippi seems to have exceptions for UAV's not sure how that holds up with Federal protection laws tho.
I too am an Animal lover and I respect Nature. If the OP is doing this Legally I have no problems with it.

 

[Dalton916]

There’s a tremendous difference between using a drone to “assist in hunting” and in using a drone to recover a harvested animal. Perhaps some of y’all attacking the OP should do some research of your own in regards to the legality of using drones to recover animals.

 

[Cafguy]

You still need a part 107 to do it.........Even for yourself!!!

 

[Dalton916]

That much is true.