River Buck: Tracking My First Buck in the River With a Thermal Drone
It was a cool, overcast Sunday afternoon on October 26th. At any moment, it looked like rain could fall from the clouds. I had already decided I was going hunting no matter what the weather conditions were.
This hunt was like any other, except I was hunting by myself that afternoon. My brothers were off doing their own thing. Kris was actually getting ready to take a trip to Ohio, and I had to take him to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport early the next morning. That detail comes into play later.
The Hunt Begins
So here is where the hunt begins.
I arrived at the property, geared up, and started my long walk to the stand. And I mean a long walk. I didn’t want to drive in too close and risk jumping deer where we had been seeing them bed down on our Moultrie trail cameras.
After the long downhill walk, I finally got up in the stand and settled in.
It wasn’t even 20 minutes into the hunt when I saw him.
The Buck Steps Out
A big 8-point buck stepped out of a funnel and walked about 20 yards into the next tree line. The same tree line where we had been capturing him on our trail cameras. Looking at him through the scope, there was no doubt. He was a big-bodied 8-point buck.
My heart started racing uncontrollably.
About five minutes later, another buck came out behind him and walked across the open field toward me. This one was much smaller.
After sitting for another 20 to 30 minutes, I decided to hit the grunt call since the big 8-point was still in the same woods. I figured if I hit the grunt call, he would think it was the smaller buck that had just crossed in front of me and entered the woods about 40 yards away.
I hit the grunt call twice.
Not even two minutes later, he came trotting down the hill straight toward me. I couldn’t believe it. The call worked.
At this point, I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. The scope would not stay still.
Imagine playing Call of Duty and looking through the scope without pressing the L3 button to stabilize your weapon. That is exactly what I was seeing.
After giving myself a quick pep talk and controlling my breathing, I managed to tap into my internal L3 button and steady the scope.
By then, the buck had stopped about 75 yards away.
The Shot and the Mistake
I aimed just above his shoulder.
Took a deep breath.
And pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The buck dropped, flopped around on the ground, then got up and slowly walked into the tree line. I thought about shooting again, but I honestly believed he would fall any second.
He didn’t.
He kept walking out of sight.
After reviewing the footage later, I realized that just before I pulled the trigger, he took two steps forward. I ended up hitting him about six inches in front of his right back leg.
I took too long and made a bad shot. I didn’t even notice him stepping when I had him in my sights.
At that point, there was nothing I could do except wait.
I waited about 30 minutes, thinking that would give him enough time to expire. When I climbed down and walked to where I shot him, there was no blood anywhere. Knowing the direction he ran, I searched for him, scanning the woods, brush, and swamp. Nothing.
At one point, I heard what sounded like a deer taking off. I assumed it was the other deer in the area.
After hours of searching and coming up empty-handed, I called Kris to see if he would come help. I told him I wasn’t leaving until I found the buck. He laughed and said, “Well, since you’re taking me to the airport in the morning, I guess I better come help.”
We had to be up by 4 a.m., and it was getting late fast. Thankfully, he said he was on his way.
I trekked through hills, brush, and swampy areas with no luck.
About 30 minutes later, Kris called and mentioned he had seen a Facebook post where someone was offering a service to help find deer using a thermal drone. I told him to call the guy and get him out there because I wasn’t having any luck.
Using a Thermal Drone for Deer Recovery
About an hour later, Brady Robertson with Thermal UAV Solutions showed up. By then, the rain had set in, and it was fully dark. It was 10 p.m. on a rainy Sunday night when Brady and Braxton arrived. These guys were awesome.
Brady searched the property and located a group of deer bedded down and eating corn. He even spotted an armadillo walking around. Watching that thermal drone work was one of the coolest things I had seen in a long time.
Within about 30 minutes, Brady scanned the riverbank, and a heat wave popped up. He maneuvered the drone over, hovered about 200 feet above it, turned on the spotlight, and zoomed in.
BAM.
We had ourselves a dead deer.
I couldn’t believe it. He actually found him. I had almost given up hope.
Finding River Buck in the River
Once we realized the buck was across the river, we knew the fun part was just beginning. Getting him back across the river and up the hill to the Jeep was going to be a task.
To save you the recovery details, we managed to get him across the river and up the hill thanks to Brady, Braxton, and Kris. Brady didn’t just find him. He was the first one to slide down the muddy riverbank and cross the river to help drag River Buck back.
You can watch the full recovery video here.
Huge thanks to Brady, Braxton, and Kris for all the help. If you ever need a thermal drone for deer recovery, I highly recommend reaching out to Brady with Thermal UAV Solutions.
And if you were wondering, Kris did make it to the airport on time. It was just an extremely early morning. Earlier than I even wake up to go hunting.
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