With many states in the western regions of North America getting ahead of this issue, states back East are beginning to take notice and shape legislation defining the use of drones when it comes to hunting.
Following in the footsteps of states such as Colorado, Montana and Wyoming and Canada’s British Columbia, the state of Minnesota introduced a bill Tuesday that aims to eliminate the use of drones for hunting or harassing wildlife.
Introduced as bill SF 124, the bill outlines that the use of unmanned aircraft systems to take wild animals shall be prohibited. The bill defines “unmanned aircraft” as an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft. The bill would strictly prohibit users from taking, harming or harassing any wild animal in the state of Minnesota.
“The tradition of hunting and fishing and sportsman activity in Minnesota is all about you got to get out and actually do it,” Sen. Dan Schoen, DFL-St. Paul Park said. “It would be in the same realm as dropping dynamite in the lake to do some fishing. It’s about making it fair. It’s not just about the harvest of the animal. It’s about the activity.”
The recent popularity of unmanned aircraft such as drones has skyrocketed in recent years and credit is due to those states that quickly got out in front of an issue that could very well have turned into a bigger problem.
Organizations such as Backcountry Anglers and Hunters and the Boone and Crockett Club have made strong statements against the use of drones for hunting purposes.