Drone Deer Recovery in Ohio

How a recovery works

1. 1

   Call before you push

   Stop tracking and get off the trail. A deer that beds down stays findable; one that gets pushed can travel for hours. The sooner we know, the smaller the search area and the better the odds.

2. 2

   We confirm it is a recovery

   Ohio allows a drone to help find a deer that has already been taken, so we confirm the shot is done and nobody in the party is still hunting before the aircraft leaves the truck.

3. 3

   We fly the search

   A thermal drone covers ground a search party cannot: standing corn, thick bedding cover, creek bottoms, and cut banks, in the dark, without pushing anything that is still alive.

4. 4

   You get a pin, not a guess

   When we spot your deer we mark exact coordinates and walk you in, or hand the location to whoever is doing the dragging.

Have this ready when you call

• Where you were sitting and where the deer was standing
• The time of the shot and what you saw after it
• Shot placement, and the colour of any blood or hair you found
• How far you tracked before you backed out
• Permission to fly the ground the deer likely ran onto

The rules in Ohio

Ohio allows a drone to help recover a deer that has already been taken. It does not allow one to hunt with. The difference matters, so here is how we fly it:

• The deer has to be taken already. A drone may not be used to hunt, track, drive, or locate a live animal you are still hunting.
• Nobody in the party may have a hunting device in hand while the drone is flying.
• If we find the deer alive, the flight ends. We can tell you where it was last seen, and hunting resumes on foot from there.
• We fly under FAA Part 107 with a licensed remote pilot and lit aircraft, which is what makes legal night flight possible.
• We fly private ground only with the landowner's permission, same as you would need to walk it.

The rule is Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-02. Regulations change, and they differ by state. Confirm the current rule with the Ohio Division of Wildlife before any hunt, and tell us if you are hunting outside Ohio so we can check that state first.

Questions hunters ask

Is drone deer recovery legal in Ohio?

Yes, for a deer that has already been taken. Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-15-02 prohibits using aircraft to hunt, track, drive, or take game, with a narrow exception for recovering a deer after the shot, provided nobody in the party is holding a hunting device during the flight. If the deer turns out to be alive, drone use stops before hunting resumes. AcreWatch flies recovery only, under those rules.

What does drone deer recovery cost?

$250 for the call-out and the search, plus $100 more if we find your deer. Payment is on site, and there is nothing to pay up front. If we fly and come up empty, it is $250.

How far will you travel?

Anywhere within about 100 miles of South Charleston, Ohio, which covers most of western and central Ohio including the Springfield, Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati areas, plus eastern Indiana and northern Kentucky.

Can you fly at night?

Yes. Night is often the best time to search, because the temperature gap between a deer and the ground is widest after dark. AcreWatch flies under FAA Part 107 with a licensed remote pilot and properly lit aircraft.

How long does a search take?

Most searches are flown in under an hour once we are on the ground. A thermal drone can sweep hundreds of acres in that time, which is more ground than a party can walk in a night.

What if it has been several hours, or since yesterday?

Call anyway. A deer stays warmer than its surroundings for hours, and even once it cools we can often pick it out on the zoom camera. Success drops with time, so the sooner you call the better, but an old track is still worth a look.

Will the drone spook other deer?

We search from altitude with thermal rather than low passes, so the disturbance is far less than a party of people walking the bedding area with flashlights.

Do I need to be there?

Someone who knows the ground and the shot should be, and we need the landowner's permission to fly over the property. You do not need to walk the search with us.