Had a conversation with a friend. They were trying to find a wounded deer in Val Verde County.
He has a drone and another friend has a drone with a thermal camera.

Asked him if he used the drone to look. He said it's illegal to do that.

I was shocked to learn this is true. Talk about being well behind the technology…..

The use of aircraft (including drones) to pursue or recover wildlife in association with recreational or "sport" hunting activity is not permitted.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/warden/law-enforcement-faq/drones-uavs

I follow my ethical/moral code. Not the govts.

I believe there's a poster here who has used his thermal drone for this purpose.

I'm a little surprised recovery is included. Scouting, hunting, or anything aiding in the killing of an animal I can see drones not being allowed. I think someone posted recently about using a thermal drone to find a downed deer. If I remember correctly they said something like they probably wouldn't have found the deer without the drone because of where it ended up.

Recovering the animal is the ethical thing to do.

This is why I exclusively hunt whitetail with a .458 Lott.

I'm kidding.

In regards to the law, if you have the means to recover the animal, I think you should, laws be damned.

That's the post that made me think to ask him if they used his drone.
If you read the details you'll see that all you'd really need to say is that you are looking for hogs or coyotes.
This is dumb even by government standards but it is illegal and I'm not sure how you'd change it.

I would be shocked if any game warden wrote a ticket to someone who used a drone to help recover an animal, I just don't ever see this law being enforced, it makes zero sense if all other efforts have been exhausted of course.

I wouldn't be

cashag95 said:

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I would be shocked if any game warden wrote a ticket to someone who used a drone to help recover an animal, I just don't ever see this law being enforced, it makes zero sense if all other efforts have been exhausted of course.

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I would agree with this. Anybody who has ever worked around Game Wardens knows they have a lot of leeway on how they prosecute offenses. Just watch the TV show a couple of times and all you see is them give people breaks or trying to work with people to get them to do the right thing. If you are trying to do the right thing then you will be fine.

If you are "wounding" a deer with a .22LR and then using a drone with a thermal cam to "recover" it as a way to get around the law, then you had better watch out of that Game Warden.

cashag95 said:

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I would be shocked if any game warden wrote a ticket to someone who used a drone to help recover an animal, I just don't ever see this law being enforced, it makes zero sense if all other efforts have been exhausted of course.

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You didn't know the Game Warden in Brownwood a decade or two ago.

This is a law/regulation that needs to be cleaned up/clarified. I comepletly understand it being illegal for hunting, I get that, but not for wounded game. That's just ignorant.

Its still illegal to use blood trail hounds in certain areas for finding wounded deer, mainly because years ago people hunted deer with dogs....so they can't use them for a utility purpose either. Dumb.

I know the GWs in Colorado where I live do not mess around with drone use. They will fine you to the max without breaking stride and I am glad they do. Too many times people harrass animals up here just to get that video or pic on IG. Does drone use have a place and purpose, especially to recover animals? I think so if done legally and ethically. But there are a lot of bad actors that ruin the fun for the ethical ones, unfortunately.

Laws are written by flawed men. Therefore, we get flawed laws.

This is illegal in the same line of thought regarding taking the meat of a roadkill deer.

It turns u to a "grey" zone of did you do the wrong thing and use the drone to help kill it or hit it with your truck o. Purpose.

This. In a short while everyone will be using a drone and just say " I was just trying to find the deer I wounded."

And how do you prove it was wounded? Blood? We can all easily get a vile of deer blood every time you dress one. Opening up a whole new method of poaching.
Let the GW use discretion….. my experience is they try to do the right thing if you don't lie to them.

Poachers are going to break the law either way. It's kind of like the gun control debate. Taking guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens is not going to stop criminals from getting them. Banning law abiding citizens from using thermal drones for deer recovery is not going to stop poachers from using them.

Agree but no need giving them another tool to do it with and call it legal. You and I both know it will be abused. As I said let the GW use discretion. In your logic no need to have bag limits cause the bad guys are going to exceed it one way or the other anyhow.

Agreed. It is another tool and like anything in this world, it is getting too complicated and I feel bad for the GWs having to sort it all out. It is widely known that people are using these to push elk herds for better success rates, but it also hurts the migration patterns.

Last year my neighbor leases his place to some guys from a state just east of Texas that starts with a "L".
I was sitting with my nephew in a blind and hear like a wind noise. I can't hear crap but my nephew looks to the sound and it is a drone flying just along our fence.
About five minutes later the drone flew into the area of neighbors property and a shot rang out just behind us.
Had they used the drone to spot deer? I have no proof but it does lend itself to suspicion.
I told my neighbor about it but he is an absentee landowner and really knows little of what goes on…. Nor does he care…. He just wants his high price lease money.

It would not surprise me, Gunny. Wish I could buy you a beer or share a whiskey over a NW Colorado fire and share stories of hunts gone by...(you have an open invite on fishing or hunting, you just tell me when) We can debate how better my Mowdy was than those 'other guys'....

I want to be clear on my stance on this issue. It has a place a serves a purpose. I prefer my cur dog to track an animal over a drone but they both serve a purpose. Both are effective. There are a lot of bad apples that spoil the fun for those of us that obey the law. But there have been some really bad acts performed with this new technology. I have seen first hand on the east side of Rangely, moving herds via drones for hunting. All parties got fines in the 5 figures and many points off licenses. Lastly, This needs to be re-examined and regulated better. It has a great deal of efficacy, but needs to be watched closely.

Gunny456 said:

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This. In a short while everyone will be using a drone and just say " I was just trying to find the deer I wounded."

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Yep, unfortunately there is a large enough % of folks out there who are unethical. This leads to laws and rules that make no sense and seem very counterproductive. For every person who would use a tool/privilege for honorable purposes in good faith, someone else would use that same tool to abuse the intent of the law.

Well said. Would love to do the same sir! You are very kind. Thanks.

He's I see in Webb county are a far cry from the old timers that have all left this earth. Little more than revenuers, much like unmarked radar traps. The academy has a different agenda these days, it would seem.

Gunny456 said:

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And how do you prove it was wounded? Blood? We can all easily get a vile of deer blood every time you dress one. Opening up a whole new method of poaching.
Let the GW use discretion….. my experience is they try to do the right thing if you don't lie to them.

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The same way that you have to be able to show that you are using a dog on wounded game. You must have a blood trail.

Undercover game wardens in Pennsylvania conduct sting operation to convict resident of recovering a deer using a drone. I wonder if they suspected him of doing this previously or if they just went out looking to create a crime that wouldn't have happened if not for them.

Also of note the article states there's currently a bill working it's way through the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize drones for this exact use.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/pennsylvania-drone-sting-conviction/

ATX_AG_08 said:

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Undercover game wardens in Pennsylvania conduct sting operation to convict resident of recovering a deer using a drone. I wonder if they suspected him of doing this previously or if they just went out looking to create a crime that wouldn't have happened if not for them.

Also of note the article states there's currently a bill working it's way through the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize drones for this exact use.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/hunting/pennsylvania-drone-sting-conviction/

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LEOs doing their job but bush league nonetheless.

Gunny456 said:

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Agree but no need giving them another tool to do it with and call it legal. You and I both know it will be abused. As I said let the GW use discretion. In your logic no need to have bag limits cause the bad guys are going to exceed it one way or the other anyhow.

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Hey all, I can actually shed some light on the State of Texas and TPWD's thinking here. My company, Sky Senderos, is the largest provider of thermal drone game surveys in the state and the number one question we get asked by clients is if we can use our drones for recovery. So, I've had multiple conversations with biologists and game wardens about the issue and why it's currently illegal in Texas but legal in other states.

The root of the issue is the federal Airborne Hunting Act (AHA) which states "it is unlawful to shoot or attempt to shoot or intentionally harass any bird, fish, or other animal from aircraft (including drones) except for certain specified reasons, including protection of wildlife, livestock, and human health." It is then up to each individual state to interpret the wording when creating its aerial wildlife permitting laws.

It's my understanding that Texas is overly cautious with what activities it permits so as to not be found in violation of this federal law. Doing so could result in the state not being allowed to permit any sort of aerial wildlife management practices.

In states where drone deer recovery is legal, the consequences of losing aerial permitting are fairly minor since drone deer recovery is really the only type of aerial wildlife management that's performed there. However, in Texas, the fallout would be pretty catastrophic to the entire hunting industry. Imagine not being able to use helicopters, drones, or any other aerial tool for predator control, wildlife capture, or annual census counts across the entire state.

Hopefully that helps clear some things up for everyone. The good news is that many individuals within TPWD are in favor of allowing drone deer recovery so there's a good chance the law will be changed in the next few years.

So essentially more over reach by the feds.

Just one more argument for secession.