Find a vetted blood tracker or drone operator near you

Click your county on the map — or use your location — to see who's available.

VettedEvery listing is reviewed before it goes public.

Free to SearchFinding a tracker here is free — each tracker sets their own fee.

LocalTrackers and drone operators across all 23 counties.

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How It Works

Find help fast when it counts

Find your county

Tap your county on the map, or let the site detect your location, to see who's available near you.

Pick a tracker

Compare experience, certifications, dogs or drones, and daytime hours on each profile.

Reach out directly

Call or text the tracker, or connect through the TRAKR app, and get help on the ground.

Browse by County

Find a tracker in your county

Every county page lists who covers it, plus the local season dates and Sunday hunting rules.

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The Rules

Tracking law in Maryland, the short version

A tracking dog or a recovery drone is legal in Maryland only for an animal that is already dead, wounded or injured, never to find, chase or drive a healthy one. Tracking counts as hunting, so ordinary hunting law applies the whole time you are on the line. That includes a valid hunting license for the current season, for the dog handler or drone operator as well as the hunter. Deer and bear are not governed the same way, and the differences are where people get caught.

Deer

Statewide, every deer season.

Valid hunting license. The dog handler or drone operator needs one for the current season, the same as the hunter, plus an archery or muzzleloader stamp when those seasons are open (and a sika stamp for sika). The license has to be in hand, paper or electronic, while the search is on.
Call before you start, and again when you finish. Notify the Natural Resources Police on the deer hotline, 800-628-9944, before the search begins, then close the track out when it ends. Have the hunter's and the tracker's DNR ID numbers and the location of the hit ready. A dog handler and a drone operator are both covered.
Dog on the lead, drone off the game. The handler keeps physical control of the dog throughout. A drone may only help recover a dead or wounded animal, never locate, drive or flush a healthy one, and you may not hunt ground you flew within 24 hours of the flight.
Who may carry and finish. Only the hunter, the dog handler or the drone operator may have a hunting device along, and only they may put the deer down. It counts on the original hunter's tag.
No trespassing. Written permission from the landowner, for private land and some public land too. A verbal yes is common but not what the law asks for. Recovery never overrides it, day or night.
After dark is allowed. Hit it in legal light and you may pursue and kill it after shooting hours, within 24 hours of that day's close, with a season-legal weapon and a light on the animal. No motor vehicles, and nothing else gets hunted. If a drone is in the air, FAA night and line-of-sight rules still apply.
Reasonable effort to recover required. You must make a reasonable effort to recover the deer and put it to use. Failing to is considered wanton waste. A tracker can help you make that effort.

Black bear

Allegany, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties. Oct. 26–31, 2026, permit only.

Valid hunting license. Same as deer. The dog handler or drone operator needs a hunting license for the current season, and it has to be in hand while the search is on.
Call before you start, and again when you finish. Notify the Natural Resources Police 24 hour emergency number on 410-260-8888 before the search begins, then close the track out when it ends. Have the hunter's and the tracker's DNR ID numbers and the location of the hit ready. A dog handler and a drone operator are both covered.
Dog on the lead, drone off the game. Same as deer. The handler keeps physical control, and a drone may only assist a recovery, never locate, drive or flush a healthy animal.
Who may carry and finish. The regulation allows the hunter or the dog handler; DNR's bear guidance says only the hunter. Make sure you clarify when you call in the track. A recovered bear counts against whoever wounded it first, and the limit is one.
No trespassing. Same written permission as deer, and the tracking rules add that it has to be in hand before the dog starts, not sorted out on the way.
After dark is not allowed. The deer after-hours rule does not extend to bear. A wounded bear has to be finished inside legal shooting hours.
Always call in. You must report any bear you wound, recovered or not. A tracker can help you fill the tag instead.

FAA flight rules (drone only)

Federal. These sit on top of Maryland hunting law whenever a drone is in the air.

Part 107 certificate. A paid recovery operator needs an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate.
Keep the aircraft in sight, stay under 400 feet. The pilot or a visual observer has to see the drone with unaided eyes the whole time, no higher than 400 feet above the ground. In woods or hills that often means walking the aircraft, relocating as trees and ridges hide it.
Check the airspace before you launch. Get FAA authorization for controlled airspace around airports. Military bases, the inner DC no-drone zone, and temporary restrictions (VIP travel, stadiums, wildfires) can close a search area with little notice. Check B4UFLY for the actual point of the hit.
Permission to recover. Landing, walking on private land, or flying so low you interfere with the owner's use need the landowner's permission.
Night flight needs lights and current training. After shooting hours, the drone needs anti-collision lights visible for 3 miles, and the pilot's FAA training has to cover night operations. Keep the aircraft in unaided sight.

Property access agreement (PDF)

Sort permission out before the season, not at dusk with a wounded deer over the line. One page for a neighbor to sign, and the written permission is in hand before you need it.

Counties stack their own rules on top: archery safety zones as short as 50 yards, weapon restrictions, park bans, and in Montgomery County a duty to report a deer you could not recover. Check your county page before you hunt, and the dog or drone guide for how the two compare. Sources: Maryland hunting guide, hunting license, tracking dogs, black bear hunting, bear reporting, wanton waste, after-hours pursuit, unmanned aircraft, FAA Part 107, B4UFLY, DC no-drone zone. Verify anything that matters before you rely on it.

About

More than a directory — a community

The Maryland Blood Tracking Network is a community of hunters, handlers, and drone operators dedicated to the ethical recovery of wounded big game. This registry makes it easy to find qualified, vetted help when it matters most — free for hunters and trackers alike.

The heart of the network is our Facebook group. Join to get direct access to trackers, ask questions, and learn how to successfully recover your deer — from reading the hit and the blood trail to knowing when to back out and call for help. It's a focused, respectful community built for Maryland recovery, without the noise and arguments of the big general hunting groups.

Join the Facebook Group

Prefer email? Reach us at info@mdbloodtrackers.net.

Join

Not on the list?

We welcome experienced handlers and new trackers. If you are just getting started, reach out early for guidance during training and testing, and help finding a mentor who can guide you through your first season. Email info@mdbloodtrackers.net or join the Facebook group.

Applications are closed. We will reopen next summer, July/August, after the testing season, to join for the 2027/28 season.