For hunters who have watched a deer disappear into the woods after a shot, the search can be frustrating, time-consuming and many times unsuccessful.
Helping to locate that deer or other animals has become a business venture for Preston Gaskin.
Gaskin, owner and operator of Fly High Thermal Recoveries, uses drone technology to help locate deer, livestock and even lost pets. He is in his third year of operating the business and remains on call 24/7, especially during deer season.
When Gaskin receives a call about a deer recovery, he begins with a few basic questions.
What county is the hunter in? Was the deer shot with a bow, crossbow, or gun? How far was the shot? How did the deer react when it was hit?
He says the most important question he asks is how the hunter reacted.
“‘How long did you wait before you went in and looked for blood?’ That’s a big thing,” he said.
“If it’s an arrow, you want to wait an hour. If you go in looking, you’ve bumped that deer and pushed him farther away than where he would have been,” said Gaskin.
Once Gaskin arrives, most hunters can provide him with a starting point using the OnX hunting app. The app can show where the hunter was standing, where the deer was located when it was shot and where blood was found.
From there, Gaskin uses his drone and thermal technology to determine a direction of travel before beginning a grid pattern search, working back and forth through the area in an effort to locate the deer.
The conditions can make a significant difference.
When leaves are still on the trees, locating a deer can be more difficult. When the leaves have fallen or a deer is lying in an open field, the search can be much quicker.
That is where Gaskin’s experience comes into play. He has located deer that he could only see the nose between the trees or the antlers sticking up because he has learned to look for the small things.
Gaskin said he operates differently from some other drone recovery businesses because he does not put a time limit on a search. He continues looking until the hunter is satisfied.
“So, whenever the hunter is standing with me, I have my monitor that they are watching while I am watching my remote. They see everything I see. They see the map; they see everything that I have covered,” he said.
Gaskin continues until the hunter tells him they are satisfied that everything has been covered and efforts have been exhausted. His longest search lasted four hours.
In 2025, Gaskin had 61 successful recoveries and said his success rate for the year was 96 percent.
The service operates on a flat rate for the initial trip, with an additional fee once the deer is located. The base fee covers a 50-mile radius, with a mileage fee for locations beyond that distance. Gaskin also offers discounts to veterans, first responders and youth.
Operating a drone commercially comes with requirements beyond simply owning the equipment. Gaskin holds an unmanned aircraft pilot license through the Federal Aviation Administration.
Gaskin can operate the drone in airspace freely, but, if a deer crosses onto another person’s property, the hunter is responsible for obtaining permission from the property owner to retrieve it. He said that most property owners give permission without issue, but occasionally someone will refuse to allow the animal to be retrieved from their property.
Deer are not the only animals Gaskin has been called to locate. He also assists with pet recovery occasionally.
“Pets are so hard because they move so much. Where you may have seen them an hour ago, they may be a mile from there,” he said.
Gaskin said he will search as far as his drone will reach, but there are no guarantees when searching for an active animal. Pets that continue moving can be difficult to locate, while animals that become frightened and hunker down are easier to detect with thermal technology.
Gaskin, who is also a full-time paramedic, did not originally set out to build a deer-recovery business.
He initially thought he would use drone technology to photograph family farms and people’s property. At the same time, he was following a group from another state that used drones for deer recovery. Gaskin was intrigued and eventually purchased a thermal drone. After some practice and training, he began offering recovery services.
The business has since expanded to include livestock recovery and drone photography when requested.
The technology is only part of what makes the job worthwhile. Gaskin says he enjoys doing recoveries for youth hunters. Seeing their excitement never gets old.
“The biggest thing is everybody’s reaction when they see my recovery vehicle,” he said. “Even if we don’t find the deer or if we find the deer and it’s not a big one, everybody is so impressed with the way my set up is, the way that I operate.”
Gaskin can also be reached at 270-634-4987.
By Amy Pike
amy@adairvoice.com
