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Tennessee agency previews rules to allow drones for locating wounded deer
Summary
Colonel Dale Grandstaff previewed a draft rule allowing drones to locate and recover mortally wounded or dead deer on private land, with FAA‑certified pilots, thermal imaging, a proposed 30‑minutes‑after‑sunset to midnight window, and registration for commercial operators; the rule will be voted on at the January commission meeting in Dyersburg.
Colonel Dale Grandstaff, presenting at the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission’s December meeting, previewed a draft rule that would permit the use of drones to locate and recover mortally wounded or dead deer on private property with landowner permission. The General Assembly this spring authorized drone use for recovery with an effective date noted in the presentation as 08/01/2026, and the commission will consider a final rule at its January meeting in Dyersburg.
Grandstaff said the agency’s draft limits operations to situations where a deer is “reasonably believed to be mortally wounded or dead” and only after traditional tracking has failed. The proposal would allow flights beginning 30 minutes after sunset until midnight, require the pilot to hold a current FAA remote‑pilot certificate, and mandate thermal imaging plus a light source so operators can verify an animal’s status. Pilots and hunters may not carry hunting weapons during an operation, Grandstaff said, and drones may not be used to harass, chase, lure or otherwise hunt wildlife.
The draft draws a line between private users and commercial operators: private landowners using their own drones remain subject to the time limits and other restrictions, while pilots who perform recoveries for a fee would be asked to register with the agency via a ReadyOp form (one‑time, no fee) so the agency can collect pilot contact information, remote pilot certificate numbers and drone registration numbers for program monitoring. Grandstaff said the agency would also request post‑operation reporting — whether the deer was found, its condition, and the time spent — to evaluate success and refine the program.
Commissioners questioned the midnight cutoff and practicalities such as operator travel time. Commissioner Greg Davenport asked whether the end time could be extended; Grandstaff replied the concern is ending well before daylight so a recovery does not become an opportunity to harvest at first light. Commissioners also raised concerns about paperwork and accessibility in areas with limited cell service. A commercial operator who spoke described common pricing and operational patterns — “a $200 search fee and then another $200 recovery fee” in one example — and recommended allowing sufficient time for operators to travel and complete typical two‑hour searches.
No vote was taken; Grandstaff noted the presentation was informational and that the formal vote is scheduled for the January commission meeting. The agency is accepting public comment through December 26; Grandstaff asked commenters to include “drones for deer recovery” in the comment title so staff can separate feedback on other proposed rules.
Next steps: final rule hearing and vote in January in Dyersburg. The agency will collect public comments through Dec. 26 and expects to incorporate stakeholder feedback before the vote.
