AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39 and Title 70, relative to the use of unmanned aircraft for deer recovery when hunting.
Summary
HB0175 authorizes the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Commission to adopt rules and issue proclamations allowing the use of unmanned aircraft, including drones, for a narrow hunting-related purpose: locating and recovering a deer that has been wounded, or is reasonably believed to have been wounded, while a person is lawfully hunting. The bill is framed as a wildlife-management measure rather than a broad expansion of drone use, and it limits the authorization to deer recovery only.
The bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 70 by adding a new section to Chapter 4, Part 1. It gives the commission rulemaking authority under the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act to define how drones may be used in this context. Although the bill’s caption references Title 39 as well, the operative text focuses on hunting and wildlife regulation, and it takes effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
The bill changes Tennessee wildlife law by expressly permitting the Wildlife Resources Commission to regulate drone use for deer recovery during lawful hunting. It creates a statutory basis for future agency rules and proclamations, which means the practical details of when, how, and under what conditions drones may be used will be set administratively rather than directly in the statute. The measure affects hunters, wildlife officers, and anyone involved in tracking wounded game, while leaving broader restrictions on unmanned aircraft otherwise intact.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported and noncontroversial. It advanced unanimously through the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee, the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee, and the House Government Operations Committee, and it passed the House floor without any recorded opposition. The consent calendar passage and unanimous committee votes suggest the measure was viewed as a practical, limited adjustment to hunting rules.
Contention
No significant opposition is reflected in the available votes or transcripts. The only likely area for policy concern is the scope of drone use in hunting, including whether allowing unmanned aircraft for deer recovery could create enforcement issues or raise questions about fair chase and hunting ethics. However, the bill’s narrow focus on recovering wounded deer, and its delegation of details to the Wildlife Resources Commission, appear to have minimized controversy.