House File 2365 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2365 BY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2180) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the retrieval of wounded deer by use of a 1 registered unmanned aerial vehicle, and providing penalties. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5229HV (1) 90 lh/js

H.F. 2365 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 481A.56B Retrieval of wounded deer 1 by use of a registered unmanned aerial vehicle. 2 1. A person having a valid hunting license and a valid deer 3 hunting license who has wounded a deer while hunting may use a 4 registered unmanned aerial vehicle to track and retrieve the 5 wounded deer. The person may dispatch the deer using a legal 6 method of take authorized by the person’s deer hunting license 7 consistent with all rules and regulations for that season. 8 A person shall not use that method of take to hunt, wound, 9 or kill any animal other than the deer that the hunter is 10 tracking, except in self-defense. Using a registered unmanned 11 aerial vehicle on private property is permissible at any hour 12 with consent of the property owner. 13 2. All unmanned aerial vehicles must be registered with 14 the department of natural resources and the federal aviation 15 administration. The commission shall implement a registration 16 procedure for unmanned aerial vehicles to be used in wounded 17 deer recovery. The registration requirements must comply 18 with the federal aviation administration regulations. The 19 commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to 20 implement this section. 21 Sec. 2. Section 481A.125A, Code 2024, is amended by adding 22 the following new subsection: 23 NEW SUBSECTION . 5. This section does not apply to the use 24 of a registered unmanned aerial vehicles to retrieve a wounded 25 deer under section 481A.56B. 26 Sec. 3. Section 805.8B, subsection 3, paragraph r, Code 27 2024, is amended to read as follows: 28 r. For violations of section sections 481A.56A and 481A.56B , 29 the scheduled fine is two hundred fifty dollars. 30 EXPLANATION 31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 32 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 33 This bill allows a person with a valid hunting license and 34 deer hunting license who wounds a deer while hunting to use a 35 -1- LSB 5229HV (1) 90 lh/js 1/ 2

H.F. 2365 registered unmanned aerial vehicle to track and retrieve the 1 wounded deer. The person may dispatch the deer using a legal 2 method of take authorized by the person’s valid deer hunting 3 license. The bill provides that a person may use a registered 4 unmanned aerial vehicle to track a wounded deer on private 5 property at any time with the consent of the property owner. 6 Persons must register the unmanned aerial vehicle for 7 wounded deer retrieval with the department of natural resources 8 and the federal aviation administration. The natural resource 9 commission (NRC) is directed to create a registration process 10 that complies with the federal aviation administration’s 11 regulations for unmanned aerial vehicles. The bill directs NRC 12 to adopt rules to implement the bill’s provisions. 13 A violation of the bill’s provisions is punishable by a 14 scheduled fine of $250. 15 -2- LSB 5229HV (1) 90 lh/js 2/ 2