With firearms season for deer and bear underway, the Department of Environmental Conservation says you need to leave your drones at home.
The DEC says it has received questions about using drones to assist in the recovery of hunter-harvested deer or bears; the answer is drones are not allowed to be used.
The department adds confusion arises because, while New York law prevents the use of aircraft and dogs to aid in hunting deer or bear, the same section of law authorizes the DEC to regulate and license the use of leashed tracking dogs to aid in recovery; however, as the law says nothing about drones, the DEC can’t authorize it.
Hunters seeking assistance to locate dead or wounded deer or bear may contact volunteer, licensed, leashed-tracking dog handlers at:
- Deer Search, Inc. serving hunters in central and eastern New York
- Deer Search FLC, Inc. serving hunters in the Finger Lakes Region
- Deer Search of WNY, Inc. serving hunters in Western New York
