Wounded Game Recovery

---

When a legal shot is made and the blood trail goes cold, Madison Drone Operations can help you locate a wounded or downed deer from the air. We use enterprise thermal imaging to search thick cover, tall grass, and timber day or night — without pushing the animal or tearing up the woods the way a long foot search often does.

This is recovery after a lawful hunt. It is not hunting from the air.

1. Back out and call. If the hit is questionable or the trail fades, stop walking it. Give the deer time and give us a pin.
2. Tell us what happened. Shot placement, how the deer reacted, last blood, last sighting, weapon, and whether anyone has already been on the track.
3. We fly the search. Radiometric thermal picks up heat. Zoom confirms it is the deer you hit. You can watch the search in real time.
4. You get a location. If we locate the animal, you get coordinates you can walk to. Retrieval is yours, on ground you have permission to enter.

- We locate. We do not drag the deer out, cross property for you, or take a follow-up shot. -

• You had a hit and lost the blood trail
• The deer ran into cover you cannot see into
• It is dark, overcast, or the track has gone cold
• You do not want to bump a questionable hit out of its first bed
• Traditional tracking has reached a dead end

Do not wait until the next afternoon if you already know the trail is gone. Heat signatures fade. Call while there is still a chance.

If you believe it was a good vital hit and the deer went down in sight, recover it yourself. Save the drone for the jobs where ground sign has run out.

• Last known location (OnX pin, GPS, or a landmark we can find in the dark)
• Direction of travel after the shot
• What you saw at the hit: reaction, tail, sound of the impact
• Blood color and how much sign you found
• How long you have already waited, and whether the deer was jumped
• Landowner permission to retrieve if it is not your property
• A place we can launch from that is legal and safe

Search fee starts at $350 within about 30 miles of Madison and includes up to two hours on site.
$100 finder fee if we locate the deer — dead or alive.
Mileage and extra flight time are quoted before we roll.

The search fee is due whether the deer is found or not. Recovery is not guaranteed. Weather, canopy, time since the shot, and whether the animal was pushed all affect the outcome.

We will give you the number on the phone before we leave the shop. Cash or instant pay on arrival. Card and app payments may include a processing fee.

This service is for an animal you reasonably believe has already been legally shot.

• The drone is a locating tool, not a pursuit tool
• We do not scout, herd, or hunt with the aircraft
• We do not fly to help take an unshot animal
• You are responsible for checking current Alabama (or Tennessee) wildlife rules before we launch
• Trailing or retrieving onto land without permission is on the hunter, not the pilot
• Wildlife Management Areas and other restricted lands have separate rules — tell us where the hunt was

If the deer is located alive, do not use the aircraft to chase it. Back out, wait, and plan the recovery the same way you would on a gut-shot or liver-shot track.

Based in Madison, Alabama. We cover North Alabama and South Tennessee within a practical night-driving radius of the shop. Farther jobs are quoted with mileage before we drive.

Do not use the quote form if you are standing over last blood.

(256) 870-9767
WhatsApp: same number
contact@madisondroneops.com

FAA Part 107 certified. Insured. Enterprise thermal aircraft.