Thermal Drone Deer Recovery in Western Wisconsin


 

As with most all thermal search requests. It is best to get a pilot on the way as soon as you find you are unable to locate your animal. Warm temperatures also play a part when considering spoilage of the meat.

Consider calling Drone-Search when you've lost the blood trail, the deer has entered dense cover, wetlands, or difficult terrain, or you're uncertain about its direction of travel or condition.Before continuing an extensive ground search, call or text Dave and describe the shot placement, the deer's reaction, direction of travel, and the blood or other sign you've found. That information can help determine the best next step and plan the thermal drone search before additional foot traffic disturbs the area or potentially pushes a wounded deer farther away.If the deer may have crossed onto neighboring property, remember that permission from the landowner is required before physically entering private property.

YesThermal drones locate the animal itself. Unlike tracking dogs, they do not rely on scent or trail evidence to locate the animal.

Both thermal drones and tracking dogs can be valuable deer-recovery tools, but a drone offers several important advantages in the right situation.A thermal drone can search large areas quickly without a dog and handler physically moving through the hunting property. This greatly reduces ground disturbance, human scent, and activity that could disrupt the area for other hunters or push deer out of their normal patterns.From lawful airspace, the drone can also search neighboring land without the pilot, hunter, or dog handler physically entering that property. If a deceased deer is located there, the hunter must still obtain landowner permission before entering to retrieve it.If the deer is alive, we can observe it from the air rather than sending a dog or people toward it. Thermal and high-resolution zoom cameras can provide photos and video showing the deer and visible signs of injury. We then discontinue the recovery search rather than continuing to pursue the animal.Drones are also extremely effective for quickly scanning swamps, cattails, creek bottoms, tall grass, fields, woods, and other difficult terrain. When a deceased deer is located, we provide a photo and precise GPS coordinates to help guide the hunter directly to it.

A thermal drone locates your deer in wooded terrain by detecting exposed heat signatures through openings in vegetation. Thermal cameras cannot see through solid tree trunks, branches, or leaves. Dense tree cover can make a thermal search more challenging, but it does not necessarily prevent us from locating a deer.By changing altitude and viewing angle, we can look through openings in the canopy for small flashes of heat from exposed portions of the deer.Dave often explains it this way: “If you're in the woods and can see any sky, there's a good chance I can see you.”Vegetation, terrain, canopy density, weather, and the deer's position can all affect visibility, so every search is different.

If we locate your deer and determine that it is still alive, we discontinue the recovery search and do not provide its location to the hunter.We can show you thermal or zoom-camera photos and video of the deer and discuss what we observed, including any visible signs of injury.If the deer appears likely to expire from its injuries, Drone-Search may return the following day at no additional charge to attempt to relocate it, reassess its condition, or confirm that it has expired.This procedure helps ensure that the drone is being used for recovery purposes rather than to pursue or hunt a live animal.

Wisconsin prohibits using a drone or other aircraft to hunt or pursue wildlife. A drone may, however, be used to assist with locating a deer believed to be dead. If a drone-assisted recovery is investigated by a Wisconsin DNR conservation warden, the warden considers the facts and circumstances of that individual search when determining whether the drone was being used for recovery or for hunting.Drone-Search conducts deer recovery searches with these requirements in mind. Before a search, we ask the hunter why they believe the deer has expired and provide a waiver and acknowledgment explaining applicable Wisconsin drone-recovery requirements.If we locate a deer that is still alive, we discontinue the recovery search and do not provide its location to the hunter. We can provide photos or video and discuss what we observed. If the deer appears likely to expire, we may return the following day at no additional charge to attempt to relocate it and determine its status.Hunters remain responsible for complying with Wisconsin hunting regulations, shooting-hour requirements, weapon restrictions, and private-property access requirements. Here is also a link to the Wisconsin DNR Regulations regarding the use of drones: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/hunt/DroneUsePolicy

Thermal imaging works by detecting differences in surface temperature. Generally, the greater the temperature difference between a deer and its surroundings, the easier the thermal signature is to identify.Cooler conditions often provide excellent thermal contrast, and snow cover can make a deer stand out exceptionally well against the surrounding landscape. In favorable conditions, thermal detection can happen very quickly—our fastest deer locate to date was just 17 seconds after beginning the flight.Snow is not required for a successful search. We conduct thermal drone searches in a wide range of conditions. Air temperature, sunlight, wind, precipitation, vegetation, terrain, and time of day can all affect thermal visibility.

Yes. Thermal drone searches can be conducted both day and night. In our experience, nighttime and the early morning hours around dawn often provide favorable conditions because cooler surroundings can create stronger thermal contrast.Thermal cameras detect infrared radiation emitted by objects and do not require visible light to locate a heat signature. This allows us to search effectively in darkness.When we locate a possible deer-sized thermal signature at night, our drone's high-resolution camera and powerful spotlights can help us visually examine and confirm what we've found.Search conditions still vary with weather, vegetation, terrain, air temperature, and other factors.

The search costs $350, with no additional locate fee. If we locate the deer alive, we end the recovery search and do not provide its location. If we believe it may expire from its injuries, we may return the following day at no additional charge to try to locate it again and reassess its condition.

Before the search, we ask you to text us a GPS location pin for where we will meet and launch the drone. When possible, an open area on higher ground with gravel, pavement, or mowed grass makes a good launch and landing location.Once on scene, Dave will talk with you about the shot and what happened afterward. Helpful information includes where you believe the deer was hit, the deer's reaction to the shot, broadhead or ammunition used, direction of travel, blood color and other sign, the last known blood location, and where you believe the deer may have gone.We have been collecting this type of information from our deer searches since we started. Comparing what hunters observed with what we ultimately find from the air has helped us build valuable firsthand knowledge about wounded-deer behavior and use that experience when planning future searches.

Drone-Search answers calls and texts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year during deer season and throughout the year.We respond as quickly as possible after receiving your call or text. If Dave is currently conducting another recovery, he will reply as soon as he is able and provide an approximate arrival time.Once Dave is on the road and headed to your location, he will provide an updated estimated arrival time based on the location you provided.Because response time depends on our current search commitments, your location, weather, and flight conditions, we recommend contacting us as soon as you believe a thermal drone search may be needed.

Drone-Search provides thermal drone deer recovery throughout Western Wisconsin from our locations in Eau Claire and New Auburn.We generally serve locations within about 60 miles of either location, including Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Buffalo, Rusk, Clark, and Trempealeau counties. We may travel beyond our normal service area depending on location and availability.If you're unsure whether your hunting location is within our service area, call or text Dave with the location.

A deer can remain detectable with thermal imaging much longer than many hunters expect. Its body mass, hide, and insulating hair can contribute to a thermal signature after death.In our field experience, we have successfully detected deer more than 48 hours after death, and we have located deer that had been down for as long as five days.There is no guaranteed detection window. Air temperature, sunlight, weather, vegetation, terrain, decomposition, and the temperature difference between the deer and its surroundings can all affect how clearly it appears on thermal imaging.If your deer has been down for a day or more, don't assume it is too late for a thermal drone search.

Yes, in many situations. As an FAA Part 107-certified remote pilot, Dave can conduct an aerial search from lawful airspace without the hunter, pilot, or a tracking dog and handler physically entering the neighboring property.This is one of the important advantages of a thermal drone for deer recovery. We can search woods, fields, wetlands, and other areas from the air while minimizing ground disturbance and avoiding unnecessary foot traffic on neighboring hunting property.If we locate a deceased deer on neighboring property, we can send you a photo and precise GPS coordinates. You must obtain the landowner's permission before physically entering private property to retrieve the deer.In our experience, having a photo and GPS location can make that conversation with the landowner much easier because you can show exactly where the deer was located.

Every search is different, but when we successfully locate a deer, our flight time to locate it averages about 20 minutes. We have found some deer within seconds, while more difficult searches have required two hours or more on-site.Travel, meeting with the hunter, reviewing the shot and tracking information, selecting a safe launch location, setting up equipment, and conducting the search all add time. From travel through completion, we generally plan 3–4 hours for an appointment.Terrain, vegetation, weather, the size of the search area, and the information available from the hunter can all affect how long a search takes.

When we locate a deceased deer, the drone records its GPS location and we send the coordinates directly to your mobile phone by text or QR code.Opening the coordinates on your phone's mapping app allows you to navigate directly to the area where the deer was located. GPS accuracy can vary depending on the drone, phone, satellite reception, terrain, and surrounding cover, so we don't guarantee an exact distance—but the coordinates typically provide a very precise starting point for recovery.We also provide a photo of the deer to help confirm what you're looking for when you reach the location.