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Commission approves drone deer‑recovery rule, bans drone herd surveys during open deer seasons
Summary
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission voted to approve rules allowing drones to locate and recover wounded deer and elk with limits; commissioners added an amendment barring drone herd analysis or census during open deer seasons and set commercial reporting and pilot requirements.
The Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission on a roll‑call vote approved a new rule allowing the use of unmanned aircraft to locate and recover wounded deer and, in specified cases, elk, while adding a restriction that prohibits drones from being used for deer herd analysis or census during open deer seasons.
Colonel Dale Grandstaff, who presented the draft rule, said the changes implement a 2025 General Assembly law authorizing drones “solely for the purpose of locating and recovering a wounded deer,” with an effective date shown in agency materials of Aug. 1, 2026. He described operational requirements for pilots, including a current FAA remote pilot certificate, use of thermal imaging and a…
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