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Locating a deer carcass
Locating a deer carcass
Deer Carcass Locating Fees
$350 to arrive, fly, and search for up to 2 hours, another $100 for a successful search
Mileage add-on if over 60 miles from Bartlett, IL
Clients will need to sign a waiver
The laws about drone use in finding deer carcasses vary by state. I am not a lawyer but my understanding is that in Illinois, I cannot aid a hunter in the hunting of deer. I can search during non-hunting hours for a dead deer (carcass) and I can tell my client where the carcass is. See the link below for the details about the Illinois State conflicting laws. UPDATE: There is a new bill (HB1462) in the House of Representatives of Illinois. Please contact your house and senate representatives to show your support for this new bill to codify the responsible and legal use of drones for the recovery of legally shot deer. 2/24/2025 UPDATE: The bill has moved to the Illinois House Agriculture & Conservation Committee and they will be meeting tomorrow (2/25) at 2 PM to discuss the bill. Can you spare 2 minutes to fill out a witness slip? It is not as scary as it sounds. You are simply letting the committee know that you are for (a proponent of) the bill (HB1462) which will make the law clear that drones can be used to find wounded deer after a legal hunt. Step 1: Click on this link to create a witness slip (https://my.ilga.gov/WitnessSlip/Create/157515?committeeHearingId=21456&LegislationId=157515&LegislationDocumentId=197305) Step 2: Fill in the slip with your information, that you represent yourself, that you are a Proponent of the Original Bill, and that you are filling out a Record of Appearance Only. Step 3: Send this to everyone you know that will be for this legislation. They have a tentative effective date of July 1, 2025 so I am hopeful we will have this in place for next deer season. Thank you!
Illinois State Laws related to Drones and Hunting
Illinois State Laws related to Drones and Hunting
Most people agree that using drones to aid in the hunt is against the law and does not promote fair chase. "Not only is drone use for hunting unlawful in Illinois, it goes against the spirit of fair chase and widely accepted hunting ethics," said Jed Whitchurch, director of the IDNR Office of Law Enforcement.
(520 ILCS 5/1.2k) (from Ch. 61, par. 1.2k) Sec. 1.2k. "Hunt" means the act of a person possessing a weapon or being accompanied by a dog or a bird of prey for the purpose of taking species protected by this Act in any location such species may inhabit. (Source: P.A. 85-152.)
(520 ILCS 5/1.2o) (from Ch. 61, par. 1.2o) Sec. 1.2o. "Take" means hunt, shoot, pursue, lure, kill, destroy, capture, gig or spear, trap or ensnare, harass, or to attempt to do so. (Source: P.A. 81-382.)
(520 ILCS 5/2.26) (from Ch. 61, par. 2.26) Sec 2.26. It shall be unlawful for any person to take deer by use of dogs, horses, automobiles, aircraft or other vehicles, or by the use or aid of bait or baiting of any kind. Nothing in this Section shall prohibit the use of a dog to track wounded deer.
(520 ILCS 5/2.33) Sec. 2.33. Prohibitions. (i) It is unlawful to take, pursue or intentionally harass or disturb in any manner any wild birds or mammals by use or aid of any vehicle, conveyance, or unmanned aircraft as defined by the Illinois Aeronautics Act. (hh) It shall be unlawful to kill or cripple any species protected by this Act for which there is a bag limit without making a reasonable effort to retrieve such species and include such in the bag limit. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, leave, dump, or abandon a wildlife carcass or parts of it along or upon a public right-of-way or highway or on public or private property, including a waterway or stream, without the permission of the owner or tenant. It shall not be unlawful to discard game meat that is determined to be unfit for human consumption.
520 ILCS 5/1.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 1.25) Sec. 1.25. Every hunting or trapping device, vehicle or conveyance, when used or operated illegally, or attempted to be used or operated illegally by any person in taking, transporting, holding, or conveying any wild bird or wild mammal, contrary to the provisions of this Act, including administrative rules, is a public nuisance and subject to seizure and confiscation by any authorized employee of the Department. {Don't take my drone since it is not a vehicle or conveyance, it is not being used to hunt, and it is not being used in the taking of deer.}
Sign this petition to help inform Illinois lawmakers that this makes no sense at all! I also do searches in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Missouri, and they have different laws. The client is responsible to know the hunting rules regarding drones as I am not a hunter and I am not a part of the hunt. No hunting can take place while I am on site.
FAQs:
The DJI Matrice 30T is an awesome tool. It takes two batteries and flies around 31 minutes depending on conditions. I have 8 batteries and a way to charge spent batteries so I can stay in the search for a long time. The drone can fly in light rain/snow, and up to 30 miles per hour winds. It has a very bright spotlight and a 200x hybrid zoom to identify heat sources well above the trees. That being said, searches in areas with a full canopy are tough as the thermal camera must be able to penetrate through the gaps between the leaves. I will also have a 24" monitor with me so you can help in the search. And yes, the whole drone kit is expensive which is partially why I need to charge for my services.
Yes, I do need a license to do this. The FAA requires pilots to have a Part 107 commercial drone license. I need to recertify every two years and the drones need to be registered. Some areas also require FAA clearance to fly. Again, this is also a reason for the fee I charge.
A long way...Up to 9 miles under perfect conditions, but FAA rules require that i be able to visually see the drone without aid for the entire flight.
Yes, you learn by failing, and I crashed my first 3 drones, but, knock on wood, I haven't crashed one in a while.
Success rate? No idea really. Did you make a good shot? Did you push the deer? How long ago was the deer shot? There are a lot of factors involved for a success search.
I accept cash, Paypal, Zelle and Venmo.
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