Using drones for waterfowl hunting

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Ruger99

We seen a drone on our property out in the country looking in our windows while doing dishes and flying all over the place around our barn and sheds then it went over to the house across the field that night the purse across the field got broke into and the cops said that robbers are using them to stake out places so I'll tell you what I see a drone on my property again it's not leaving.

In that situation, I would definitely be grabbing a shotgun, and doing my best to shoot down that drone. Let the owners call the police, and then explain why they were flying it around my buildings and looking in my windows.

[Ruger99]

That is 100% the plan elkhunter. Dirty crooks

[waterninja]

Originally Posted by hillbillyreefer

Really? A person is out flying a drone, you see it and shoot it down? You probably shouldn't own guns.

How do all you arm chair haters figure you'll be able to prove anything?
Have any of you tried to follow a flying drone with your eyes?
How would you know where it came from/who was flying it?

I was looking for a cow today and took this picture.



I should probably be locked up for seeing wildlife eh?
My drone should have been shot down, by a psychopath from AO forums.

Maybe people should leave other people and their property the **** alone, and mind their own ****ing business.

Well said Hillbilly. Thats a neat "find the animal" pic. I see what look like 3 moose or maybe they are deer. I imagine you can zoom in for better look.
On the flip side, some fools might say you were harrassing wildlife with your drone. Whatever. Hope you find your cow.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by waterninja

Well said Hillbilly. Thats a neat "find the animal" pic. I see what look like 3 moose or maybe they are deer. I imagine you can zoom in for better look.
On the flip side, some fools might say you were harrassing wildlife with your drone. Whatever. Hope you find your cow.

Someone might beg to differ with ya if your rifle is slung over your shoulder, walking the woods during big game season and you are flying a drone...

Not saying they should light it up with a shotty but the F&W might happen upon you for a discussion...

2. harass, injure or kill any wildlife with a vehicle, aircraft or boat.
3. hunt any wildlife with or from an aircraft, or communicate, for the purpose of hunting, the signs or whereabouts of wildlife seen during a ight on an aircraft.

Maybe even if your not carrying a firearm just flying your drone you might be approched...just be responsible.

As we all know this will reach out to the law makers and more restrictions will start to apply as with everything because of a few bad apples.

[name]

drones r needed to film hunting shows check out hired to hunt season 2 episode #8, great view of the spread. to bad the shooters couldn't shoot

[jimmyrig]

drones? guess we've never heard of fair chase

[Suzukisam]

Wow that's some picture. Did you see the rack on the one to the left bet most can't. But in the upper right corner was a guy about to shoot you down guess you should not have taken the pic with his wife in the bottom left.

[JDK71]

Originally Posted by Ruger99

We seen a drone on our property out in the country looking in our windows while doing dishes and flying all over the place around our barn and sheds then it went over to the house across the field that night the purse across the field got broke into and the cops said that robbers are using them to stake out places so I'll tell you what I see a drone on my property again it's not leaving.

I am with you on this

[trainerdave]

1 moose heading towards two deer, the middle deer is a nice Muley buck by the looks of his tail and heavy front end/ears, the bottom deer is either a young long buck or a big doe the Muley is courting. The deer may be moving away from the moose at a right angle as the middle deer's ears appear to be pointed in the direction of travel...
Aircraft of any kind give too much advantage in spotting...
IMHO.

[LCCFisherman]

Drones are trespassing. Plain and simple.. I ever see one flying over my land I will shoot it down and then good luck to you getting permission to set foot on my land to retrieve it...

In the making boys, will be illegal in no time...

[hillbillyreefer]

Originally Posted by LCCFisherman

Drones are trespassing. Plain and simple.. I ever see one flying over my land I will shoot it down and then good luck to you getting permission to set foot on my land to retrieve it...

In the making boys, will be illegal in no time...

Publicly owned airspace over private property is all of a sudden the property owners? How is using public airspace trespassing?

If the leaseland I pay to use is the publics to use as they see fit, how is it that airspace over your property that you pay nothing for is your private domain? What gives you the right to destroy others property in a public place?

You guys are getting a bit of a sense of what leaseholders deal with. It isn't as fun when the shoe is on the other foot. Is it?

After I show the police the video of you destroying my property, in a public place with a firearm I wonder who will be needing "luck"? It would be similar to you blasting a car for driving down your street with a dash cam rolling. Why haven't you shot up a google street view car?

While you are dealing with the cops, I'll go get my drone, there really isn't much you can do about trespassing, even on your own property. Welcome to Canada, lol.

Seems to be a lot of trigger happy nutjobs on here.

[Ruger99]

Look in my window with your drone we will see what happens

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by 3blade

So setting up decoys isn't part of hunting?? Yeah good luck with that excuse.

It's pretty clear to those of us not trying to find a loop hole. Any use of a drone that aids in hunting, in any form, is illegal.

I agree with you on this one. setting up or moving decoys in the field for the purpose of hunting IS hunting. If an anti ran into the field and kicked over all your decoys, I think we would all agree we would want them charged with interfering with a hunt, wouldn't we? So the placement and use of decoys is part of hunting.

I think the only use of a drone in the situations we are talking about that would be legal is where the drone was simply used to RECORD the hunt (say for a TV show or your own enjoyment) but not to actually do anything that would increase the hunt's effectiveness.

[hillbillyreefer]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

I agree with you on this one. setting up or moving decoys in the field for the purpose of hunting IS hunting. If an anti ran into the field and kicked over all your decoys, I think we would all agree we would want them charged with interfering with a hunt, wouldn't we? So the placement and use of decoys is part of hunting.

I think the only use of a drone in the situations we are talking about that would be legal is where the drone was simply used to RECORD the hunt (say for a TV show or your own enjoyment) but not to actually do anything that would increase the hunt's effectiveness.

Let me understand this. I have a drone in the air and see a decoy flipped upside down, go out put it back upright and return to the blind. That would be illegal?
I have a drone up recording a flock of birds coming in being shot at, that would be legal?

How would you ever prove that? What F&W officer has the time to waste even worrying about that?

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by hillbillyreefer

Publicly owned airspace over private property is all of a sudden the property owners? How is using public airspace trespassing?

If the leaseland I pay to use is the publics to use as they see fit, how is it that airspace over your property that you pay nothing for is your private domain? What gives you the right to destroy others property in a public place?

You guys are getting a bit of a sense of what leaseholders deal with. It isn't as fun when the shoe is on the other foot. Is it?

After I show the police the video of you destroying my property, in a public place with a firearm I wonder who will be needing "luck"? It would be similar to you blasting a car for driving down your street with a dash cam rolling. Why haven't you shot up a google street view car?

While you are dealing with the cops, I'll go get my drone, there really isn't much you can do about trespassing, even on your own property. Welcome to Canada, lol.

Seems to be a lot of trigger happy nutjobs on here.

Th standards set by Transportation Canada don't allow drones to be flown within 150 meters of people, animals, vehicles, structures, or buildings, so if a drone is flown within 150 meters of someone's home, it is being flown illegally. As for flying over animals, the maximum altitude that a drone is allowed to fly at is 90 meters, so you can't legally fly a drone over animals, because you are either flying the drone within 150 meters of that animal, or you are flying it higher than 90 meters.

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviati...lly.html#legal

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by hillbillyreefer

Let me understand this. I have a drone in the air and see a decoy flipped upside down, go out put it back upright and return to the blind. That would be illegal?
I have a drone up recording a flock of birds coming in being shot at, that would be legal?

How would you ever prove that? What F&W officer has the time to waste even worrying about that?

I'm not concerned with how you prove it. People can lie about or hide anything. We are discussing whether we think something is legal or not.

So your argument is that if you get out of your blind and adjust your spread, you aren't hunting. So if F&W drive up at that moment, it's no problem if you don't have the requisite licenses, because you aren't hunting. OK....... I have to disagree with you there.

[hillbillyreefer]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

Th standards set by Transportation Canada don't allow drones to be flown within 150 meters of people, animals, vehicles, structures, or buildings, so if a drone is flown within 150 meters of someone's home, it is being flown illegally. As for flying over animals, the maximum altitude that a drone is allowed to fly at is 90 meters, so you can't legally fly a drone over animals, because you are either flying the drone within 150 meters of that animal, or you are flying it higher than 90 meters.

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/civilaviati...lly.html#legal

All "recommendations" not laws. With those rules, it wouldn't be possible to fly on 99% of the earth's surface.

Calves, Kid, Dog, Buildings. I'm sitting quietly awaiting the black helicopter and the door being kicked in.

[hillbillyreefer]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

I'm not concerned with how you prove it. People can lie about or hide anything. We are discussing whether we think something is legal or not.

So your argument is that if you get out of your blind and adjust your spread, you aren't hunting. So if F&W drive up at that moment, it's no problem if you don't have the requisite licenses, because you aren't hunting. OK....... I have to disagree with you there.

Maybe I'm just shooting video with my GoPros, drone and still camera. Just because there are decoys and a blind doesn't mean I'm hunting.

Full circle back to the pinheads who say "I'll shoot down any drone I see". Leave people alone, maybe he world will be a better place.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

I'm not concerned with how you prove it. People can lie about or hide anything. We are discussing whether we think something is legal or not.

So your argument is that if you get out of your blind and adjust your spread, you aren't hunting. So if F&W drive up at that moment, it's no problem if you don't have the requisite licenses, because you aren't hunting. OK....... I have to disagree with you there.

If it comes down to what you can prove, if a drone was shot down outside of the window of a rural residence where it's legal to discharge a firearm , good luck proving that the drone was shot intentionally. The owner may have been shooting pigeons on his own land, and hit the drone by accident.

And would the police even respond if you called them and told them that your drone was shot down while it was hovering outside of someones window, over their private property?

Maybe I'm just shooting video with my GoPros, drone and still camera. Just because there are decoys and a blind doesn't mean I'm hunting.

The presence of shotguns in proximity to the decoys might be difficult to explain, especially if they are loaded.

[coreya3212]

CARs are not recommendations I am afraid...

[pikeslayer22]

Seen a episode of hired to hunt On wild tv where they were using one over the decoy spread

[Big Sky]

Originally Posted by 3blade

So setting up decoys isn't part of hunting?? Yeah good luck with that excuse.

It's pretty clear to those of us not trying to find a loop hole. Any use of a drone that aids in hunting, in any form, is illegal.

Is "part of hunting" the same as "hunting" ?

I am not a bird hunter and am quite unfamiliar with many of the regulations that are specific to bird hunting. I'm sure the experienced waterfowlers can answer this for me.

In Sept and Oct, I will often drive home in the dark after a day of fishing. It's not uncommon to see hunters in the field, setting up decoys. Some use the headlights of their vehicles to light up their spread. It never crossed my mind that they were breaking the law.

Are these guys breaking the law by hunting at night?

[gloszz]

Originally Posted by Big Sky

Is "part of hunting" the same as "hunting" ?

I am not a bird hunter and am quite unfamiliar with many of the regulations that are specific to bird hunting. I'm sure the experienced waterfowlers can answer this for me.

In Sept and Oct, I will often drive home in the dark after a day of fishing. It's not uncommon to see hunters in the field, setting up decoys. Some use the headlights of their vehicles to light up their spread. It never crossed my mind that they were breaking the law.

Are these guys breaking the law by hunting at night?

Depends how you look like it. I once had a F&W "keener" give me a ticket for using a light while ice fishing. Guess what, I fought it because the judge laughed how can you possibly use a head lamp to attract fish through 4 feet of ice. I was in fact setting up my fishing camp, same as the guys setting up their decoys before the first flights in the morning.

[BenC68]

Assuming you aren't flushing birds, or big game with it I don't see the issue. If I took the time to set up 700 plus snow decoys, and we live in a era where I can see what that looks like from 500 feet up, I'm going to use it. How about if you know you hit a big game animal, but it was a bad shot. You can cover a hell of a lot more ground a lot faster with a drone to find such animal. Saves wasted meat or an injured animal if you send it up almost right away to follow it from 500 feet up - at 500 feet you really aren't disturbing anything given that these things are silent.

Stop hating change and technology. Drones have there place and really could be helpful with recovery of animal and advancement in decoy placement/technology

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by BenC68

Assuming you aren't flushing birds, or big game with it I don't see the issue. If I took the time to set up 700 plus snow decoys, and we live in a era where I can see what that looks like from 500 feet up, I'm going to use it. How about if you know you hit a big game animal, but it was a bad shot. You can cover a hell of a lot more ground a lot faster with a drone to find such animal. Saves wasted meat or an injured animal if you send it up almost right away to follow it from 500 feet up - at 500 feet you really aren't disturbing anything given that these things are silent.

Stop hating change and technology. Drones have there place and really could be helpful with recovery of animal and advancement in decoy placement/technology

Checking your decoy spread is one thing
Using a drone to find a wounded animal however is the very same a using a dog for blood tracking .
Whether a person thinks it is right or should be allowed is not what the law says or how it is written
Cat

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by BenC68

Assuming you aren't flushing birds, or big game with it I don't see the issue. If I took the time to set up 700 plus snow decoys, and we live in a era where I can see what that looks like from 500 feet up, I'm going to use it. How about if you know you hit a big game animal, but it was a bad shot. You can cover a hell of a lot more ground a lot faster with a drone to find such animal. Saves wasted meat or an injured animal if you send it up almost right away to follow it from 500 feet up - at 500 feet you really aren't disturbing anything given that these things are silent.

Stop hating change and technology. Drones have there place and really could be helpful with recovery of animal and advancement in decoy placement/technology

Until the animal is recovered, you are still hunring, so using a drone to search for a wounded big game animal is definitely using an aircraft to hunt, which is illegal.

[hillbillyreefer]

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http://www.nodecampaign.org/?utm_sou...uid=HgW0xyeQcc

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Together, we can ensure that public safety is a priority and protect the rights of drone owners and pilots. Thanks again for your willingness to stand up and be counted.

Sincerely,
DJI

[KegRiver]

Several years ago a F&W officer told me that I could not even retrieve birds shot by my friend, if I didn't have a bird license myself, because, he said, that is part of hunting.

He even expanded on that by saying that until the bird was dead and in the hands of the licensed hunter I could not be involved except as an observer.

I could not set out or adjust decoys, I could not flush birds or even sit in a location to discourage them from landing there, so they would land where the hunter was set up.

He said I could not retrieve dead birds or even search for them and direct the hunter to them.

He didn't say it but I gathered that I could not even advise, while on a hunt. I could only advise if no hunting was taking place.
Not sure how that works.

I know that law enforcement officers sometimes believe things that are not supported in law, but they get to write up the charges and we have to accept or fight those charges, whether he is right or wrong.
The odds are not in our favor.

With the hot button nature of drone use I doubt very much a conservation officer would view the use of one in a hunting situation as not hunting, even if the purpose were to film the hunt.

Once charged, it is not easy to convince a judge that you were acting as an observer only, and your drone was for observation purposes only.

With enough money and a real good lawyer it may be possible to beat the charge, but who can afford that or wants to spend their time in court fighting a case you could well loose.

Why would anyone even want to use a drone in such a situation?
There's a good chance you would scare any birds in the vicinity and at the very least you could loose your drone.

There's a lot of guys who would shoot one down just for giggles if given the chance. You may think you're the only hunter within miles, but are you?
In this day and age, not likely.

What do you think you would win in court if your drone got shot down and you sued and won, the price of the drone? And if you loose, you pay his and your court costs and you lost your drone. Is it really worth it.

[tikka250]

Why does everyone think that drones are going to be randomly flying over peoples goose spreads for them to shoot at?? To those people who need a refresher the op wants to film HIS OWN SPREAD. the drone will not be used to hunt, pursue, catch, shoot at, or retrieve the birds just film the decoys and if legal to film the birds as well.

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by tikka250

Why does everyone think that drones are going to be randomly flying over peoples goose spreads for them to shoot at?? To those people who need a refresher the op wants to film HIS OWN SPREAD. the drone will not be used to hunt, pursue, catch, shoot at, or retrieve the birds just film the decoys and if legal to film the birds as well.

Right.

I'm guessing but I think it would be hard to convince a conservation officer that he was only filming the hunt.

It may be possible, if it were done at a time when the birds would not likely be flying. But even then, it may not be legal.

Whether it's legal or not I don't think could be answered reliably at this point. With all the complaints and new regulations being implemented, it looks to me like no one really knows for sure and worse yet, things may change in the near future.

Another wild card is that laws do get challenged and fail in court.

I have thought about the advantage of having a birds eye view of my decoy spread, but it's not important enough to me for me to take that chance.

However, I do understand why someone might. It might even be in the best interest of all RC aircraft users to have the law clarified on the use of drones pertaining to hunting and or wildlife observation.

Claiming that drones harass wildlife by their very presence simply doesn't hold water. Any RC aircraft flyer who has ever flown his aircraft over a patch of bush knows that isn't necessarily true.