Thermal drone deer recovery.
Drone recovery of mortally wounded deer and bear is legal in Louisiana beginning with the 2026-27 season. When tracking fails, a thermal drone can locate a downed animal at night on private land.
How a recovery works.
Call
Shot details and time, what tracking was already tried, and confirmation of landowner permission for both hunter and pilot.
Fly
The flight happens outside legal hunting hours, with a thermal sensor and a status light. All firearms and bows are stowed for the duration.
Confirm
The light is used only to confirm the animal’s status. Dead or clearly mortally wounded: the hunter gets the coordinates.
Recover
The hunter recovers the animal. If the animal is alive or its status is unclear, the session ends immediately and no location is shared, as the rule requires.
What Louisiana law requires.
The 2026-2027 Louisiana hunting regulations set out how a drone recovery has to run. These conditions apply to every recovery flight.
Source: 2026-27 LA Hunting Regulations · Use of Drones for the Recovery of Wounded Deer or Bear
Both the hunter and the pilot need permission to be on the property. No WMAs or public land.
Flights run roughly 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Night is also when thermal works best.
Traditional tracking has to have been tried and failed before a drone goes up.
Neither hunter nor pilot may possess a weapon capable of taking deer or bear during the recovery.
An FAA Part 107 remote pilot flying an FAA-registered, thermal-capable drone with a status light.
If the animal is not clearly dead or mortally wounded, no location is shared and the flight ends immediately.
Frequently asked questions.
Is drone deer recovery legal in Louisiana?
Yes, beginning with the 2026-27 season. The regulations expressly allow drone recovery of mortally wounded deer and bear, with conditions: private land with permission, outside legal hunting hours, no weapons in the recovery party, a Part 107 certificated pilot, and an FAA-registered thermal drone with a status light.
When can a recovery flight happen?
Only outside legal hunting hours, which in practice means roughly 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Cool night air is also when a deer’s heat signature stands out sharpest.
What if the deer is still alive?
The session ends immediately and no location information is shared. Locating a live deer with a drone is legally hunting, and the rule requires the flight to terminate if the animal’s status is not clearly mortal. The hunter then handles the situation under the normal rules once the drone session is over.
What should I have ready when I call?
Your hunting license, when and how the deer was shot, what tracking you have already done, and confirmation that the landowner allows both you and the pilot on the property.
How is a recovery priced?
As a flat call-out, not no-find-no-fee. The law can force a session to end early with nothing to show for it, so the price covers the response, not the outcome.