Recovery stories.
Every story on this page came off our own Facebook page or our Google reviews. Nothing is dressed up. Where a post did not say how long a flight took or how far a deer had run, you will not find that number here — we would rather leave a hole than fill it in.
That includes the searches that did not end with us finding the animal. They are on this page too, because if you are about to call us about a deer or a dog, you deserve to know what this tool can do and what it cannot.
Owners and hunters are not named unless they put their own name on a public review. The dogs get named. They earned it.
More from the log
Shorter entries. Some of these do not have an ending yet — that is noted where it is true.
An Aussiedoodle off Sherwood Lane
Mostly white with grey and black on his face, medium sized, last seen in a tropical-print bandana. He went missing in the morning and we put the search area out wide across the Sherwood Lane and Old Hwy 49 side of town.
We do not have an ending for this one, so we are not writing one.
Mollie — found before we ever left the launchpad
Second flight for the same dog, following a confirmed sighting. Then this:
upon arrival and set up, we had just turned the drone on and set it on the launchpad when we heard the cries of celebration! Mollie is now home!!!
The community found her, not us. Best money a client never had to spend.
Two days, a tracking dog, and a drone
A flood plain after two and a half to three inches of rain. A dog cannot track a flood plain and a drone cannot bay a deer, so the dog team and the drone worked it together for two days.
This right here is what tracking is about, no need to argue over ways to find a deer just work together within the law and make it happen
Neither post says how it finished, so neither does this page. Read the full story →
Hunter thought he missed
A buck that had been down ten days, found with the thermal drone. The whole thing is on YouTube: Hunter Thought He Missed - 10 DAY OLD BUCK FOUND WITH THERMAL DRONE →
Monster Alabama buck
The one we still call our favorite recovery — Monster Alabama Buck Found with Thermal Drone!
It is embedded start to finish on the thermal recovery page, or watch it from the post we put it in →
A weekend of them
A night of helping one hunter after another find their deer at an adaptive hunt weekend. A dog tracker on the hunt put it this way: if this doesn't make you happy, nothing will
“They can't hide from that thermal”
A private-land hunter wrote his own post about us. He hunts small parcels where a tracking dog often cannot go:
This man found my deer within an hour didn't bump him or push him into a different block where I couldn't get him and didn't stink up my woods walking everywhere
Posted publicly on his own page. We are not putting his name on ours without asking.
Definitely recommend Closer to Heaven, awesome guy, professional and is dedicated to each and every call he gets. He goes out of his way and even helped me drag my buck out when it was 17 degrees at 12am. Couldn’t ask for better representation of the hunting and drone service community. A++
I had a deer injured that I was unable to track and Brayden was able to come out and put eyes on the deer and assist with assessing the deers condition. I would 1000% recommend Closer to Heaven to all my friends and will have Brayden out to my place anytime I need a drone.
Brayden was so kind to come out and help us look for our pup. He was very happy to show us how it worked and what all we could see! Recommend to anyone!
Called Brayden up to come track a deer he showed up exactly when he said he would
Deer down, or a pet loose right now? Call. It is the fastest way to reach us.
Call or text: (251) 223-6144
Not urgent, or after hours? Dispatch a recovery request → It hits Brayden's phone the moment you send it.
Serving Baldwin County and the Alabama Gulf Coast. Travel fees may apply beyond ~35 miles. How thermal recovery works →