Today I’m going to show you the best hunting drones on the market today.
In fact:
I’ve hand-tested over 10 hunting drones alone for this review.
The best part?
I’ve sorted them by use. So whether you’re on a budget or looking for the most premium drone, you’ll find it here.
Let’s get started!
The 4 Best Hunting Drones
If you’re pressed on time, here’s a quick list of the best drones for hunting:
- Parrot Anafi Base: Best Overall
- DJI Mavic 2 Zoom: Best for Deer Hunting
- Potensic D85: Best for the Budget
- DJI Mavic 2 Pro: Best for Hog Hunting
1. Parrot Anafi Base: Best Overall
Parrot’s Anafi Base is the best overall drone for hunting.
It’s lightweight, easy to use, and incredibly quiet so it won’t spook any animals!
Can this drone really do everything a high-end drone can do at a fraction of the price?
Let’s find out!
Camera
The Anafi’s camera is its most impressive feature.
It offers 4k or 1080p image and video quality, along with 3x digital zoom, auto-focus, and auto-exposure features. It has a standard 1.2/3” camera sensor.
The Anafi creates smooth footage, even while in motion. The HDR capabilities are great for shooting with lower contrast – you can see shadows in more detail, and highlights won’t be as bright.
Parrot advertises “lossless quality,” and in 1080p, this seems to be true! You can zoom up to 2.8x before any quality decrease occurs.
In 4k, you will notice some quality loss as you zoom in. However, it’s still decent up to 2x zoom.
The app does feature a setting that, in 1080p, lets you limit the zoom to this lossless range. While there’s no preset for this in 4k, you can manually cap the zoom at 2x.
One thing this drone isn’t ideal for is night hunting. The high-quality camera’s capabilities are most noticeable in well-lit environments, so try to use it on a day when the sun is shining!
Flight Specs
Parrot advertises a 25-minute flight time with the Anafi Base.
Typically, the advertised flight time is exaggerated. But, this is actually a pretty close estimate – after a 20-minute flight, I still had about 20% battery life remaining!
It maxes out at 34.1 MPH horizontal speed, and 9 MPH vertical speed. It’s advertised with a 2.5-mile horizontal range and a 2.8-mile maximum height.
This range varies depending on your surroundings. Unfortunately, the Anafi seems to be more susceptible to wifi interference than other Parrot models.
You’ll have the best connection in wide-open areas, away from other wifi connections. This actually works to a drone hunter’s advantage, as you probably won’t be hunting in a suburban neighborhood!
Use
The Anafi is very easy to fly and holds its position well.
It’s also quick to set up. All you have to do is open the remote, clip in your smartphone, connect it to the remote, and click “Fly!” That’s it – you’re flying within 30 seconds.
The new-and-improved 3-axis gimbal offers great control and image stabilization. Even in sports mode, you’ll get 100% stable footage.
The gimbal even offers 180-degree tilt – you can look straight down and straight up to get those angles that other drones just can’t!
When your battery is low or the signal cuts out, the smart Return-to-Home feature automatically flys the drone back to your location. It’s wind-resistant up to 31 MPH and features great GPS position-holding.
It’s also incredibly quiet, thanks to its compact size. This is excellent for hunting purposes, as your target won’t be able to hear the drone overhead.
The only downside – it doesn’t include obstacle avoidance. So, keep this in mind and make sure to stay aware of your surroundings.
Controls
The Anafi uses the Skycontroller 3 remote. It has both USB-A and USB-C ports, and charges via USB-C.
The remote is made of plastic and approximately the same size as a video game controller. It can hold smartphones with screens up to 6”, although you may need to remove your case so it fits properly. It is a bit bulky, but still pretty comfortable to hold.
It has two control sticks – the left adjusts altitude and yaw, and the right moves the drone horizontally. The shoulder buttons and rocker controls are used to adjust tilt and zoom, and the return-to-home and take off/land buttons are at the center of the remote.
One thing to note is that there’s no on/off switch – it just turns on as soon as you flip up the phone clip!
Smartphone App
The Free Flight 6 app has some positives and some negatives.
On the plus side:
- Navigating the settings and in-app features is simple
- It features a user-friendly FPV screen
- And it shows an easy-to-read GPS map of where your drone is flying
On the downside:
- It may take a minute for the app to recognize and pair with your phone
- And two different flight modes, Follow Me and Free Flight, require an in-app purchase to use
For most people, a Follow Me feature is non-negotiable, especially for hunters who move quickly to catch their targets. Having to pay for this certainly puts a damper on things.
Battery
The Anafi’s battery can be charged with an included USB-C charging cord and a standard AC charger.
The battery includes a light strip that shows how much of a charge it has – a simple feature that’s actually very helpful!
It does take around 2.5 hours to charge, but you can cut this down by using a high-speed AC charger. You could also buy an additional battery or two, but they don’t come cheap.
- Battery provides up to 25 minutes of flight time
- Easily check your battery's charge level
- Charge it on the go with USB-C
Size
The Anafi was designed with travel in mind.
It folds down quickly, and won’t add much weight at all to your hunting bag.
With the arms out, it measures 2.5×6.9×9.4”. Folded, it’s 2.5×6.9×9.6”.
At 11.3 oz, its lightweight plastic and carbon fiber construction make it one of the lightest drones on the market!
Price
The Anafi MSRPs for just under $700.
This includes the drone, carrying case, controller, 2700 mAh lithium-ion battery and charging cable, as well as additional propellers and the tools needed to mount them.
It’s an incredible value for the money, and much cheaper than comparable drones like DJI’s Mavic models.
Is the Parrot Anafi Base Worth it?
The Parrot Anafi Base is a great hunting drone from a great company.
- This drone with a camera equipped with f/2.4 wide angle ASPH lens, HDR, and up to 2.8 times digital zoom captures spectacular 4K videos, Full HD or 2.7K videos (2704x1520), and 21 MP photos without...
- The ANAFI Parrot Drone can have up to 25 minutes of filmed flight time thanks to an intelligent Li-Po battery that optimizes its life and charges 60% faster using the Power Delivery USB Type C...
- With its ultra-compact and lightweight carbon frame (320 g), this quadcopter drone unfolds in less than 3 seconds, reaches a speed of 55 km/h in sport mode and withstands bullets up to 50 km/h
It’s lightweight, quiet, and very easy to fly.
If you’re looking for the perfect drone for drone hunting, look no further than the Anafi.
2. DJI Mavic 2 Zoom: Best for Deer Hunting
The DJI Mavic 2 Zoom is the best drone for deer hunting.
When deer hunting with a drone, image quality is everything.
The Mavic 2 Zoom is loaded with features to help you easily spot deer, even from miles away!
Is this drone worth the high price?
Let’s find out!
Camera
The camera’s zoom feature works fantastically, and you’d be shocked by how far it can zoom in without distorting image quality!
It features image stabilization and on-sensor phase-detection autofocus that even works well while the drone is moving.
It features 4x zoom with 2x optical zoom and has a 24 – 48mm full zoom range. The image sensor is 1/2.3” with a 12mp resolution.
Despite the small size of the sensor, it produces a very high-quality image thanks to the zoom lens!
The camera is controlled with a 3-axis gimbal that keeps it steady even while moving and at full-zoom. You can tilt, roll, and pan the camera with the gimbal.
Overall, I’m very satisfied with the camera quality on the Zoom. While some shots can look a bit pixelated as the drone moves further away, the vast majority of video is smooth and sharp with minimal distortion.
Flight Specs
DJI advertises the Zoom as having up to 31 minutes of flight time and a 44 MPH max speed. Of course, this depends on several factors, like the flight mode, weather conditions, and speed.
On average, my Zoom will fly for about 26 minutes on a full charge.
The battery holds about two hours on a full charge, but this, of course, can be extended with a second battery.
- Authentic DJI Mavic 2 Batteries for Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic 2 Zoom. Not Clone, Not Fake
- Bundle includes 2 batteries, and one Safety page for battery storage
- The Mavic 2's Intelligent Flight Battery has a capacity of up to 3850mAh, and provides a maximum flight time of 31 minutes.
In my experience, the Zoom is very easy to fly, and fully operable in temperatures from 0 – 40 degrees Celsius.
Controls and Use
You turn the Zoom on by pressing and holding a button on top of the battery.
It’s been designed to optimize flight propulsion and lower both power consumption and noise levels, which is great for deer hunting.
Just ozone treat your hunting gear and use this drone to spot deer from above, and they’ll never know you’re there!
You operate the Zoom with the DJI GO 4 App on your smartphone and the included remote control.
You can see the camera view and adjust your settings within the app. It also features a GPS, which lets you see the drone’s exact position.
The remote control includes folding clips that hold your phone, and it attaches with a USB cable.
The control wheels at the shoulders adjust the gimbal tilt and zoom, and a joystick on the right side controls the image brightness.
There’s a pause button on the left that lets the drone hover in place, a switch on the side to change flight modes (which we’ll get into later), and two buttons on the front to return-to-home or turn the controller off.
You can use all these controls within the app as well, but having the option to use the remote makes the drone a lot more user friendly!
Features
The Mavic 2 Zoom has a ton of cool features that make it simple and fun to fly.
Arguably the most useful is its omnidirectional obstacle avoidance system. It includes forward, rear, up, and down sensors that detect obstacles and freeze the drone in place to avoid a collision.
There are also left and right obstacle avoidance sensors, but these only work in certain modes.
One of these is ActiveTrack 2.0, or a “follow me” mode. In this mode, the drone will follow the remote control so you can move without needing to bring it down first.
You can change flight modes with a switch on the side of the remote control. Flight modes include:
- Tripod (T) Mode, which slows the drone down for a smoother video
- Positioning (P) Mode, the standard flight mode
- Sports (S) Mode, which lets you get up to the maximum 44 MPH speed
A much-needed feature for deer hunting, the FlightAutonomy system offers noise control for a smooth and quiet flying session.
DJI claims the Mavic 2 Zoom can travel up to 5 miles on a full charge. I haven’t tried going that far yet, but I can say I’ve flown nearly 2.5 miles away without any signal loss whatsoever.
It can travel impressively far, and I wouldn’t doubt it could make it 5 miles without issues.
However, heed any low battery warnings so it doesn’t run out 4 miles from where you are!
Size
The Zoom has a compact, foldable, rectangular design for easy carry.
With the arms extended, it measures 3.3×9.5×12.7”. With the arms folded, it’s 3.3×3.6×8.4”.
It weighs just around 2 lbs with a 905g takeoff weight, making it very portable and compact.
Price
The Mavic 2 Zoom retails around $1,350. This price includes all the drone parts, a battery and charger, gimbal protector, remote control, propellers, and all the necessary connection cables.
It does not, however, include a carrying case. If you want a case, I’d recommend purchasing this one.
- Compatible with Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom drones.
- The versatile Mavic 2 Shoulder Bag is specially designed for the Mavic 2.
- It is capable of holding one aircraft, one remote controller, four Intelligent Flight Batteries, a smartphone, extra propellers, ND filters, SD cards, and plenty of other accessories. It also serves...
The Zoom does come with a one-year limited manufacturer’s warranty, and you can get an extended warranty for an additional fee.
I have, however, read some stories about DJI not honoring this warranty. So, this is something to keep in mind.
Is the Mavic 2 Zoom Worth it?
In my opinion, the Mavic 2 Zoom is great for deer hunting and one of DJI’s best drones to date.
- Powered by a 1/2.3-inch 12MP sensor with up to 4x zoom, including a 2x optical zoom (24–48 mm), 4 the Mavic 2 Zoom camera drone is all about dynamic perspectives.
- Up to 31 minutes flight time, 44 mph max speed, 905G takeoff weight, 3-axis gimbal for steady shots, 8GB internal storage, SD card Support up to 128 GB
- Functions include ActiveTrack 2. 0, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, Hyperlapse, Low-Noise Design, Adjustable Aperture, HDR Photos, Dolly Zoom
To recap, here are some of my favorite features:
- Quiet flight
- Easy to fly
- Great optical zoom lens
If you don’t mind investing in a high-quality product, I’d fully recommend this drone. I’d even go as far as to say it’s one of the best consumer drones available!
3. Potensic D85: Best for the Budget
When looking for a quadcopter drone that is best for the budget, the Potensic D85 may be perfect.
The array of features in this drone’s design are quite impressive.
Let’s take a look to see if the D85 is the best for your money.
Ease of Use
I find the D85 drone is an incredibly easy drone to use!
I’ve had some smaller drones in the past to play with and was ready to upgrade to my first “real” drone. I was pretty nervous, but they include really easy to understand directions to get set up and flying.
Potensic also adds a pretty significant security feature to the D85. They have made sure that I can’t lose the dang thing!
If the drone loses signal from my controller or is too low on power, it will return to where it started. The GPS on the Return-To-Home (RTH) feature is on point.
I hit the limits every so often and it returns to me. Lands easily within a foot or so of where I started the flight every time. It’s remarkable how accurate that is.
It’s also nice to have an audible alert that my drone is headed to me. An alarm will beep repeatedly if the RTH is going on.
I like that. It’s good to know that it’s not my flying skills that aren’t on par when the drone starts flying itself.
Controller
The included controller for the D85 is really great for learning to fly and having fun. There is also the ability to pair my phone to the drone to see what the drone sees in the live display.
There is a really far 4900-foot range for the remote. That’s just shy of a whole mile.
The only time I can really send the drone out that far from me is when I’m out hunting in the country.
I’m too nervous to not be able to see the drone, and this little copter takes wide open spaces to max out its capabilities! It’s a really fun problem to have.
The aerial shooting mode to control the drone with your phone works very well and has a great transmission reception.
A little fiddling through the connection on my cell phone was a bit time consuming, but quite easy.
Having the ability to watch an HD picture via 5G was worth the time it took to set up and get ready to fly high!
Flight
Speaking of flying, the D85 is a fixed-wing quadcopter and super easy to get used to flying.
A brushless drone, Potensic has produced yet another copter that is quiet and powerful in flight.
It’s also wicked fast! This little fella can kick it up to a blistering 50 km/hr. I was totally not comfortable going that quick for quite some time. Especially in town.
Some practice and open fields later, I let it rip and was openly laughing at the sky the whole time. Hot laps are fun, and I’m sure I could come up with a practical purpose for the speed. That said,
I don’t need practical. It’s just plain fun to fly!
The little bird is a good size for easy and stable flight. The dimensions are 10x15x10, and it weighs just under 3 lbs.
It’s got lights for night flight, which is handy. Especially when I send it soaring. The D85 goes so high there are times when I can barely see it.
It’s easy to get caught up in the enjoyment of flying this little machine. So glad that it’s ready to return if I get a little too carried away!
Battery
The battery flight time of the D85 is quite good.
Out of the box, Potensic includes a 7.4 V lithium-ion battery. That gets me 7 hours of static power and delivers 20 minutes of flying time.
I opted to buy extra batteries for more flying time. I simply hate it when I’m out of juice and unable to fly as much as I want to, so I head out well prepared!
Picture Quality
The top-notch picture quality of the D85 is really where this quad-copter shines.
The 2K camera with 130 FoV gives an incredible wide lens panoramic view. The HD 1080p capture quality is remarkably better than any other drone I’ve purchased.
When I’m connected to the 5K monitoring with my phone, the view is so smooth. No lags or jumps, the drone can provide this high-quality image for 1600-2600 foot transmission distance.
When I’m out enjoying some fly time to scope out the area while camping or pellet hunting, I can get an incredible lay of the land.
Seriously…setting up my blind with an instant crystal clear bird’s-eye view to make sure the terrain is just what I’m looking for.
My how the time’s they are a-changin!
Price
The bargain price for the D85 is truly remarkable.
Easily found under $300 Potensic has given the market an offering that is really a bit unfair to the competitors.
The good quality is apparent out of the box. The D85 feels sturdy and well-made, unlike the toy drones.
After much use and experience with learning, it’s held up very well and proven to be very durable.
Ultimately though, the camera is really what puts this copter on its own pedestal. For cameras this good on a drone, you’d normally be looking at hundreds more on the price tag.
Verdict
There’s no doubt about it, the Potensic D85 is the best drone for the budget.
Great for beginners, this drone is easy to fly and provides incredible picture quality.
I highly recommend this drone and hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!
You can get your own here:
- 【2K & 130° Fov 5G Wi-Fi transmission】: Clearly camera gives you a panoramic and smooth FPV view for taking photo and recording your inspiring moment-ideal selfie drone. Action camera is...
- 【4900ft dual GPS Brushless drone】: GPS accurate positioning system is more stable than other ordinary drones; The Brushless motors featuring durable, lower power consumption and huge flight...
- 【GPS auto-return to where takes off】: lost signal and low power auto return-the aircraft will automatically fly back to where it takes off, which makes your flight more safe, without worrying...
4. DJI Mavic 2 Pro: Best for Hog Hunting
The DJI Mavic 2 Pro is the best drone for hog hunting.
It’s compact, quiet, and offers excellent image quality, even in low light conditions!
But, is this drone worth the premium price?
Let’s find out!
Camera
The Mavic 2 Pro is co-engineered with the Swedish company Hasselblad and includes their L1D-20c camera.
It features a 20MP 1” CMOS sensor, the largest size image sensor you’ll find in a drone this size! It’s four times the size of the Mavic 2 Zoom’s sensor, one of the few differences between the two.
This larger sensor is excellent for low light conditions, and perfect for those early mornings and late afternoons when wild hogs are most active!
It’s integrated with a 3-axis gimbal that provides smooth, steady shots, and the aperture is adjustable from f/2.8 – f/11.
Flight Specs
DJI advertises a 31-minute flight time. My tests showed an average of 26 – 28 minutes, still a huge improvement over the 23-minute average the original Pro offered.
It maxes out at 44 MPH, and has a relatively light takeoff weight of 907g to let you start flying quickly!
DJI also claims the Mavic 2 Pro has a flight range of 5 miles.
I haven’t tried taking mine that far, but I can tell you that from 3 miles away, I’ve never had any issues losing connectivity.
So, I wouldn’t doubt it could successfully make the entire advertised distance!
User-Friendliness
This is a very user-friendly, controllable drone that’s great for beginners. The controls are all laid out nicely, and the drone responds well with the remote.
The Mavic 2 Pro is operable in temperatures down to 14 degrees F and up to 104 degrees F.
It’s designed specifically to reduce noise and power consumption, so you won’t have to worry about your drone giving away your location while hiding from your target.
With increased discretion from noise control, all-season operating abilities, and extreme controllability, it’s one of the best year-round drones for hunting!
Controls
The Mavic 2 Pro’s controller is pretty similar to other Mavic remotes. Like with the Zoom, you operate the remote with the DJI GO 4 app. Within a single charge, you’ll get up to 135 minutes of battery life.
The remote has two clips at the bottom that hold your smartphone. If you have a slimmer case, you’ll probably be able to leave it on while it’s connected to the remote.
If you have a bulkier case like an Otterbox, however, you’ll probably need to remove it so it fits correctly.
The flight sticks at the top are removable for easy storage. You can use most of the controls in-app, but the remote itself also features many of the necessary controls.
The left wheel control tilts the camera up and down, while the right darkens or brightens the footage. There’s a switch on the side to change your flight mode, a return-to-home button, and a “pause” button that lets the drone hover in place.
A four-way controller changes the way the camera is pointing, and there are two custom programmable buttons on the rear.
App
The DJI GO 4 app lets you control the camera, and shows the camera POV at 1080p quality.
While in POV mode, you’ll see a small view of a world map in the lower left-hand corner. If you tap on this, you can switch to a GPS view and see your drone’s location on the map.
One cool smartphone-specific feature is TapFly, which allows you to fly the drone by simply tapping on your phone or tablet screen!
Features
This drone has a number of features that enhance its performance and usability.
Arguably one of the most useful features is the omnidirectional obstacle sensing.
The Mavic 2 Pro features obstacle detecting sensors on the front, back, top, bottom, and sides that stop the drone to prevent any collisions.
All sensors except the sides are active in each flight mode. The left and right sensors are active in only a couple, including ActiveTrack 2.0.
ActiveTrack 2.0 is the drone’s “follow-me” mode, which uses the GPS position of your controller to follow you from overhead.
This is especially useful for hunting, as you want to be able to focus on finding your target rather than finding your drone!
It also features the Advanced Pilot Awareness System (APAS), which is very useful for beginners or flying around a lot of obstacles. This system slows the drone down and automatically flies around any obstacles it senses.
For added safety, the drone also works with GPS to recognize and avoid any no-fly zones.
Size
At just 32 oz, the Mavic 2 Pro is extremely lightweight and portable.
It folds down small enough to fit into most standard-sized camera bags, with enough space left over for the remote control.
With the arms fully extended, it measures 3.3×9.5×12.7”. When folded, it measures just 3.3×3.6×8.4”!
Price
At $1,599, this is not a cheap drone.
Although it is rather pricey, it’s worth every penny. Maybe even more!
For this price, you get:
- A battery and battery charger
- A gimbal protector
- A USB-C cord and adapter
- The remote control
- 3 sets of extra propellers
- A power cable
- A spare pair of control sticks
- 3 RC cables (Lightning, micro USB, and USB-C connector)
And one of the best drones on the market!
Is the Mavic 2 Pro Worth it?
DJI is an industry leader in civilian drones, and the Mavic 2 Pro is one of their best!
- Equipped with a Hasselblad L1D-20c camera with a 20MP 1” CMOS Sensor, the Mavic 2 camera drone lets you capture gorgeous aerial shots in stunning color detail.
- Up to 31 minutes flight time, 44 mph max speed, 907G takeoff weight, 3-axis gimbal for steady shots, 8GB internal storage, SD card Support up to 128 GB
- Functions include ActiveTrack 2.0, Omnidirectional Obstacle Sensing, Hyperlapse, Low-Noise Design, Adjustable Aperture, HDR Photos
The innovative technology, extremely high image quality, and user-friendly special features make it the perfect choice for drone enthusiasts, beginners and experts alike.
Now It’s Your Turn
I hope you enjoyed my hunting drones guide.
Now I want to turn it over to you:
Which drone will you pick for hunting?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment down below.