This bill establishes a new legal framework allowing individuals with a valid hunting license and deer hunting license to use registered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to track and retrieve wounded deer. It specifies that the person who has wounded the deer may dispatch it using a legal method of take as authorized by their deer hunting license, and they are prohibited from using this method to hunt or kill any other animal, except in self-defense. The use of UAVs on private property is permitted at any time, provided the property owner consents.

Additionally, the bill mandates that all UAVs used for this purpose must be registered with both the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Natural Resource Commission is tasked with creating a registration process that adheres to federal regulations and adopting rules to implement the bill's provisions. Violations of these regulations will incur a scheduled fine of $250. The bill also clarifies that the existing regulations regarding UAVs do not apply to the retrieval of wounded deer as outlined in this new section.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 481A.125A, 805.8B