Thermal Drone vs. Tracking Dog: Which Should You Call?

When the blood trail runs out, most hunters have two good options: a thermal drone pilot or a blood-tracking dog. Both find deer, elk, bear, and other game that would otherwise be lost. They just work in different ways, and the right call depends on your situation, and on your state’s laws.

How each one works

A thermal drone searches from above for body heat. A downed deer usually stands out clearly against cooler ground, and a pilot can search fields, thickets, and swamp edges in minutes that would take hours on foot. A downed deer often still shows up on thermal more than 24 hours later.

A tracking dog works on the ground, following the deer’s scent from the hit site, even where there’s no blood left to see. A good dog and handler can follow a trail through brush, across creeks, and long after the last drop of blood.

Where a thermal drone shines

• Big or open areas. Fields, CRP, cutovers, marsh edges, and open hardwoods can be searched fast.
• Lost trails. The drone doesn’t need a trail at all, just a search area.
• Time. A downed deer on land often still shows up on thermal more than 24 hours later.
• Less pressure on the deer. A drone flying overhead usually doesn’t push a deer the way people walking in do.

Where it struggles:

• Pine thickets. Pines keep their needles, so they block the view from above, and the trees themselves give off a warm signature that makes a deer harder to pick out.
• Early season, full leaf. When the leaves are still on, a drone can still find deer, but it’s harder. Late fall, after leaf drop, is easier.
• Water. A deer that dies in or under water cools down much faster, and a deer under water can be invisible to the drone unless the camera settings are tuned just right.
• Warm ground on a sunny afternoon makes the picture busier. Cool nights and mornings are best.

Where a tracking dog shines

• Early season, with the leaves still on, when heavy canopy makes it harder to see from above.
• Pine thickets and other thick cover, where a drone can’t see the ground.
• Following the actual path the deer took, which can reveal where it bedded or turned.
• Legal in more places. Many states that don’t allow drone recovery do allow leashed tracking dogs. For example, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, and Illinois ban drone recovery but allow tracking dogs.

Where it struggles: heavy rain and a lot of time can weaken a scent trail, and dogs have to cover the ground on foot.

What the law allows

This is often the deciding factor.

• Drone recovery is allowed in some states, banned in others, and unclear in many. See drone deer recovery laws by state for your state.
• Tracking dogs are allowed in many states, but the rules vary: some require a leash, a permit, or a licensed handler, and some limit hours or who can carry a weapon. Each of our state guides covers that state’s dog rules where they exist.

Wherever you hunt, check with your state wildlife agency before using either one.

So which should you call?

• Your state allows drone recovery, and the deer went into fields, open woods, or mixed cover: call a thermal drone pilot.
• Your state doesn’t allow drone recovery: call a tracking dog.
• Early season with full leaves, or the deer went into a pine thicket: a tracking dog often has the edge, though a drone can still work.
• The deer may have gone into water: a dog can follow the trail to the water’s edge. A deer in water cools fast and can be hard for a drone to see.
• Not sure? Call early. A good drone pilot or dog handler will talk through the shot with you and tell you honestly whether they’re the right fit. In some cases, the best plan uses both.

Either way, call early. It gets you on their schedule before they’re booked, and gives you time to make a plan. A good pilot or handler will decide when it’s best to start, which isn’t always right away.

While you wait

• Stay out of the woods. People walking around, talking, and leaving scent can push a wounded deer farther, and can foul the trail for a dog.
• Mark the last blood on the ground, and drop a pin on your phone.
• Get the landowner’s permission for any land you’ll need to go onto.

Find a thermal drone pilot on the map, or see how to find a drone deer recovery pilot fast. For more on what to do before you call, see can’t find your deer?