08/11/2026
When a blood trail crosses a property line, everything changes.
In Wisconsin, you can’t step onto private property to search or retrieve without landowner’s permission. It’s one of the most frustrating parts of recovering a deer after the shot.
This is where drones have changed the game. A drone can legally fly over private land to search — once a deer has expired, that search can continue well past where a foot search would have to stop, often without needing any special FAA airspace authorization to get up and look.
Walking in to retrieve the deer still requires the landowner’s permission that part of the law hasn’t changed. What has changed is the conversation: landowners are usually a lot more willing to say yes when you can tell them exactly where the deer is and confirm it’s already down, versus asking to walk a blood trail that could turn into a long, invasive grid search across their land. Much easier “yes,” much less invasive ask.
Only one month away! Hope you don’t need to call me 😅 — but if you do, I’ve got you covered.
