Tracking your shot deer in Pennsylvania may land you in jail.

[JeffreyS]

That's not hunting. It's an assassination. Sickos.

 

[Rchawks]

I had forgotten until just now about a gentleman I was friends with many, many years ago for vacation would travel to Texas to hunt feral hogs at the request of the farmer, rancher on their dime for a full week just to kill as many as possible. He warned me about them being the most aggressive dangerous prey he had ever hunted. You would shoot them and they would just keep coming at you, scary from his descriptions.

 

[HoozierDroneDaddy]

Using a drone for locating a wounded deer might be a good thing. Using drones to hunt deer is wrong, in my opinion, as many state laws state.

The problem with allowing drones for deer recovery is that it complicates enforcement of laws against using them for hunting. When a warden finds a fellow with a drone and rifle, the fellow can claim to be searching for a lost deer rather than hunting. And people using a drone for deer recovery can shoot a different deer and claim it was shot earlier without the drone.

I understand that as well. Unfortunately, as with other drone laws, as well as laws in general, the few bad apples make it hard for those that want to do the right thing. As a result someone suffers, in this case the injured animal.

 

[MS Coast]

That's not hunting. It's an assassination. Sickos.

No, it's definitely not hunting. And I'm put off by the machismo and wannabe-Rambo bluster of the commercial operations. But helicopter control methods are used effectively by USFWS and state agencies to help reduce wild hog populations. They're a very serious ecological problem throughout the country. Here on the coast, hogs are doing horrible damage to salt marshes. The hogs have figured out that fiddler crabs are a good food opportunity and tear up the banks of bayous digging them out of their burrows..

 

[mswlogo]

Personally I don't think drones should have any part in hunting. Hunting is a sport to do with out help from drones or anything else that make it easier for the hunter. You want to hunt do it the way it was done before drones and other devices to make it easier for you. Be a real hunter and do it right.

Yeah, they should be limited to wooden spears.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

I wholeheartedly agree with not using drones to track, herd, monitor animals during a hunt. That said I have no issue with a drone being used to track and recover an animal that has been shot. Once shot an animal should be recovered by any means that aids in its life not being a waste of resources. While I no longer hunt, I have no issue with those that hunt for food and have never found credence to hunting “horns”. Hunting for food means the animal needs to be recovered. Drones can provide a safe and effective means to do so.

You're the first person to respond in line with OP. I agree with you.

This thread is about what to do after you shoot and need to track an animal that is likely to die. Maybe the game wardens feel, it's not fair to track a partially wounded animal that may not die after it has been shot, OR, they feel the animal, if lost by the hunter, will better serve the wolves, coyotes, beers and birds of prey for food than the hunter.

 

[DoomMeister]

You're the first person to respond in line with OP. I agree with you.

This thread is about what to do after you shoot and need to track an animal that is likely to die. Maybe the game wardens feel, it's not fair to track a partially wounded animal that may not die after it has been shot, OR, they feel the animal, if lost by the hunter, will better serve the wolves, coyotes, beers and birds of prey for food than the hunter.

A friend of mine in southeast Michigan offers a service to track deer that were shot and lost. He uses a Dachshund as a tracker. I’m sure he would love to be able to use a drone with a thermal camera to help in the search also.

I can see being able to use a drone to track a wounded animal. To help exclude using a drone to hunt no weapons other than a hunting knife should be in immediate possession while the drone is in use.

 

[BigAl07]

A friend of mine in southeast Michigan offers a service to track deer that were shot and lost. He uses a Dachshund as a tracker. I’m sure he would love to be able to use a drone with a thermal camera to help in the search also.

I can see being able to use a drone to track a wounded animal. To help exclude using a drone to hunt no weapons other than a hunting knife should be in immediate possession while the drone is in use.

I can see your points as to how to try and "maintain" laws etc but that's not how "hunting" a potentially wounded and dangerous animal works I'm afraid.

For those who don't know, if the animal is seriously wounded and you approach it, even if it's mortally wounded and immobile, they have majorly sharp hooves and deadly antlers and getting within reach of it could trigger a Fight/Flight response. Since Flight (Fleeing) is not an option, the animal will lash out violently (understandably so) and if you're within reach you're not going to fair well. For transparency, I've seen an "assumed" dead squirrel do this and latch on to the guys arm (guy being me) and another fellow hunter had to "remove" it from his arm with a high-speed lead device.

The safe and humane way to dispatch the animal, if it's still alive, is with a high-speed lead device. For those who are anti-hunt or anti high-speed lead device, this will seem barbaric and unimaginable but for some of us, this is big part of our heritage and part of our daily lives. I respect those who are against this, as that is your right, but I also ask that this conversation stay on topic and that you respect the opinions of those who may not agree with yours.

 

[mobilehomer]

Boy, that's a good question. But how do you open the door on one without affecting the rules on other animals, good point though. Cool avatar!!

Easy, feral hogs are considered pests. NOT game animals. In most locales there are NO laws concerning them.

 

[MS Coast]

I've seen an "assumed" dead squirrel do this and latch on to the guys arm (guy being me) and another fellow hunter had to "remove" it from his arm with a high-speed lead device.

Well, I have to admire someone with the backbone, confidence, and self-awareness to admit in a public forum that he was attacked by a squirrel and required assistance from an armed friend.

I'm still alternating between laughing and cringing about what a fully latched-on squirrel bite feels like. I hope you weren't wearing your best hunting jacket that day.

 

[BigAl07]

Well, I have to admire someone with the backbone, confidence, and self-awareness to admit in a public forum that he was attacked by a squirrel and required assistance from an armed friend.

I'm still alternating between laughing and cringing about what a fully latched-on squirrel bite feels like. I hope you weren't wearing your best hunting jacket that day.

That story gets told many many times by my brother-in-law (he is the "armed friend") throughout the year. He even told it over the air to a radio station he calls into every-single-morning. Sadly, that's one of many "Allen" stories that are told over the air. Thank God he never mentions names.

I thought/assumed the squirrel was DRT (dead right there) and when I reached down to harvest it into my game bag he became very much NOT DRT. It was a very good heavy (aka thick) hunting coat and while I did have some minor cuts (bites/scratches) from my wrist up to my elbow as the squirrel found new energy to call full ATTACK mode. Fortunately neither my arm nor the coat were any worse for wear. It was an eye opener and I do get a good chuckle, now LOL.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

I wholeheartedly agree with not using drones to track, herd, monitor animals during a hunt. That said I have no issue with a drone being used to track and recover an animal that has been shot. Once shot an animal should be recovered by any means that aids in its life not being a waste of resources. While I no longer hunt, I have no issue with those that hunt for food and have never found credence to hunting “horns”. Hunting for food means the animal needs to be recovered. Drones can provide a safe and effective means to do so.

The issue I see with this is while you are following your wounded deer.... it's only a half step sideways to help a hunting buddy find his target. How would a Game Warden know the difference. Also, isn't part of hunting being able to track your kill?... and a dead animal left in the wild is never wasted. It will return to the earth via being eaten by other animals and decay.

 

[DoomMeister]

The issue I see with this is while you are following your wounded deer.... it's only a half step sideways to help a hunting buddy find his target. How would a Game Warden know the difference. Also, isn't part of hunting being able to track your kill?... and a dead animal left in the wild is never wasted. It will return to the earth via being eaten by other animals and decay.

I see both sides of the coin, but using a drone can help speed up the search and also help avoid some potentially dangerous situations. Swampy areas in cold weather are a pain in the posterior to deal with and deer will go there in a heartbeat trying to avoid being followed. The older I get the more I look for ways to reduce expending energy in endeavors where tech makes life easier.

There are pros and cons for the use of drones. Unfortunately at this point the cons pretty much outweigh the the pros.

 

[AMann]

I wholeheartedly agree with not using drones to track, herd, monitor animals during a hunt. That said I have no issue with a drone being used to track and recover an animal that has been shot. Once shot an animal should be recovered by any means that aids in its life not being a waste of resources. While I no longer hunt, I have no issue with those that hunt for food and have never found credence to hunting “horns”. Hunting for food means the animal needs to be recovered. Drones can provide a safe and effective means to do so.

No. Then people will use drones to track animals they should never have taken a shot at, and who’s to say that the animal definitely got shot first?

 

[DoomMeister]

No. Then people will use drones to track animals they should never have taken a shot at, and who’s to say that the animal definitely got shot first?

Anyone that would take that kind of shot would do it drone or no drone. My opinion is based on how I would use a drone to track an animal after the shot should it elude normal tracking.

I am not going to argue about hunting ethics. Those that are ethical hunters will do right with or without being able to use a drone for tracking after a kill. Those that are not will also be unethical either way.

The issue is moot at this point unless someone knows of a state that even allows the use of a drone for post kill tracking.

 

[mavic3usa]

Anyone that would take that kind of shot would do it drone or no drone. My opinion is based on how I would use a drone to track an animal after the shot should it elude normal tracking.

I am not going to argue about hunting ethics. Those that are ethical hunters will do right with or without being able to use a drone for tracking after a kill. Those that are not will also be unethical either way.

The issue is moot at this point unless someone knows of a state that even allows the use of a drone for post kill tracking.

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[DoomMeister]

Thanks @mavic3usa !

51 Drones pretty much summed up my feelings when it comes to drones and hunting.

 

[StevenBrodsky]

A friend of mine in southeast Michigan offers a service to track deer that were shot and lost. He uses a Dachshund as a tracker. I’m sure he would love to be able to use a drone with a thermal camera to help in the search also.

I can see being able to use a drone to track a wounded animal. To help exclude using a drone to hunt no weapons other than a hunting knife should be in immediate possession while the drone is in use.

You raise a good point. To do what you suggest, the hunter would have to go back and put their firearms away, then go back out with the drone. This would be prohibitive. I suggest, IF SOMEONE WANTS TO USE A DRONE TO TRACK, AFTER SHOOTING, they take an unarmed drone carrying partner, whose job it is specifically to track the animal after the shot is taken. The hunter can then go back and store his weapons and catch up with his drone operating partner later.

But I have a feeling, just having a drone with you on a hunt, but not using it, will still get you in trouble. For example, i was trespassing one time, unrelated to drones, I had a video camera with me, but had not used it. The police tried to claim I was illegally videotaping people in the area i was trespassing in. They even persisted with the claim after the video camera storage showed no recording that entire evening. Sometimes law enforcement do not always operate in good faith.