(Louisiana Illuminator) - Hunting regulators in Louisiana are considering a change to state rules to allow the use of drones to help hunters locate prey after it’s been shot, but would have to step lightly so as not to fly in the face of a federal law that bans hunting by air.
The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission is considering changes to state 2026-28 hunting season regulations that currently prohibit the use of drones to find hunted animals. If approved, drones could be used to track wounded or dead deer and bears that permitted hunters shot during approved hunting hours.
Members of the commission discussed the proposal Thursday during their monthly meeting at Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters.
“I’m all for it,” said Kevin Sagrera, the commercial fishing and fur industry representative on the commission.
The suggested changes come in response to wider availability and interest in using drones to locate game, LDWF Commission chairman Kenneth “Andy” Brister said. He also noted a desire for hunting regulators to stay abreast of rapidly evolving technologies.
“One thing that I’m glad of is that it restricts being able to mount a gun on a drone because technology is staying ahead of us as a commission in a big way, in every area of our dealings,” Brister said during the meeting.
“I could see the future of somebody sitting in their office watching their deer camera or their drone shooting a deer from their office, you know, going out and getting it later afterwards,” he added.
Using drones or aircraft to hunt or harass deer is prohibited under the Federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1956. The Louisiana drone proposal enters a gray legal area when it comes to tracking dead or wounded animals outside of hunting hours on private land.
“If the deer is wounded and not dead, and you used a drone or an aircraft to identify it, and now you’re going to retrieve it and dispatch it, is that considered hunting?” Wildlife and Fisheries general counsel Cole Garrett asked commission members, pointing out the fine line that the changes would have to walk in order to be legal.
Language in the proposed amendments will address these situations to make sure Louisiana doesn’t run afoul of federal law, he said.
For example, the updated rules would have to allow drones to be used outside of official hunting hours and be equipped with lights and infrared cameras capable of telling whether prey is alive and healthy. Should a pilot see an animal that isn’t dead or near death, their drone would need to leave the area immediately and not share the animal’s coordinates with any hunters.
Drone pilots would also need Federal Aviation Administration certification, a process open to people over age 16 that includes passing an unmanned aircraft general test, available at an approved testing center. The cost to take the test is $175, and the federal agency collects a $5 fee every three years for each certified drone aircraft.
Missouri and Tennessee already have rules allowing the use of drones to recover deer shot by hunters, and they take delicate steps around the Federal Airborne Hunting Act similar to those the proposed Louisiana regulations suggest.
The rule changes would go into effect after they receive approval from the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and its legislative oversight committees, likely becoming official before the fall 2026 hunting season opens.
