Is Drone Deer Recovery Legal in Illinois? Full Court Case Breakdown | The DroneOn Show Ep 49

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike and Kevin sits down with Jeremy Shelton, an Illinois drone deer recovery pilot, and his attorney Ed Fanning to break down a landmark court case. Jeremy received a citation for using a thermal drone to search for a wounded deer. The case went to trial and he was found not guilty — not on a technicality, but because the judge ruled that simply searching for a lost deer with a drone does not violate Illinois statute. The conversation dives deep into the actual law versus the conservation department’s interpretation, what “hunting,” “pursue,” and “take” really mean, why conservation has stated they will ignore the ruling and continue seizing drones, and practical advice for pilots who want to offer this service legally. A must-listen for anyone running or considering thermal drone deer recovery in Illinois. Edward J. FanningFanning Law Office - Hardin, IL(618) 576-2284 Jeremy Shelton - https://www.dronedeerrecovery.com/pages/pilots/midwest-thermal-drones Chapters (00:00:00) - Drones for Deer Recovery in Illinois(00:02:24) - Illinois Conservation Officers: They Don't Like to Lose(00:03:50) - Lawyers on Wildlife Conservation Issues(00:04:18) - Drone Business in Illinois(00:05:59) - Drone Hunting in Illinois(00:10:46) - Waterfowl Hunting Cases(00:15:07) - game warden issues drone ticket(00:19:48) - Drones in Illinois(00:23:46) - Defense on Drone Case(00:28:41) - The Drone Case: Pursuing a Deer(00:33:21) - Don't Use a Drone to Find a Deer(00:36:44) - Defense of Drone Deer Recovery(00:41:43) - Flying a thermal drone is a violation of conservation law(00:45:29) - Democracy on Drone Hunting in Illinois(00:49:23) - How to locate a wounded deer by thermal drone(00:51:36) - Flying a drone in the woods(00:55:45) - How to Get Your Drone Prosecuted(00:59:52) - Do Conservation Officers Need to Charge Drone Users?(01:03:47) - Deer Recovery in Pike County(01:08:38) - Drones for Business: How to Run a Drone Business(01:09:31) - The Dad on the Drone Case(01:13:26) - Drones Are Coming after You in Illinois