The Department of Environmental Conservation is reminding St. Lawrence County hunters that drones are not allowed to be used to assist in the recovery of hunter-harvested game such as deer or bear.

“Recently, DEC has received inquiries about the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) to assist with the recovery of hunter-harvested deer or bear,” a press release from DEC said.

Tracking and recovery of a deer or bear are part of the hunt, and New York laws do not allow drones to be used in this way.

Drones are defined and regulated as aircraft by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and aircraft may not be used to aid deer or bear hunters. This applies to both hobby/recreational drone pilots and drone pilots flying under FAA commercial regulations.

“Confusion comes because the same section of law that prohibits use of aircraft also prohibits use of dogs to aid in hunting deer or bear,” DEC said. “However, a separate section of law authorizes DEC to regulate and license the use of leashed tracking dogs specifically to aid in the recovery of deer and bear. The law does not make a similar provision for aircraft, including drones, and DEC cannot regulate or license the use of drones without authorizing statute.

Local hunters seeking assistance to locate dead or wounded deer or bear may contact The following teams are serving the area for tracking needs:

• Matt Miller & Greta, Lisbon, 585-409-9834

• Mike Barcomb & Nala, Massena, 518-353-4490

• Pat Lowery & Gooc, Morristown, 315-322-8662

• Kyle Reynolds & Denali, Malone, 518-651-6261

• Ben Clark & Jasper, Copenhagen, 315-405-5640

• Tim Suiter & Piper, Turin, 315-542-5598

• Jordan Besio & Marshall, Jay, 518-420-8112

• Eric Waganaar & Champ, Chaumont, 315-955-487