Drone-Assisted Hunting To Be Illegal In Alaska

[FWS]

Drone-assisted hunting to be illegal in Alaska after game board decision

By CASEY GROVE
Anchorage Daily News
March 23, 2014



Hunting big game in Alaska with the help of remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft will be illegal later this year when new regulations take effect.

At its March 14-18 meeting in Anchorage, the seven-member Alaska Board of Game approved a measure to prohibit hunters from spotting game with such aircraft, often called drones. While the practice does not appear to be widespread, Alaska Wildlife Troopers said the technology is becoming cheaper, easier to use and incorporates better video relay to the user on the ground.

A drone system allowing a hunter or helper to locate game now costs only about $1,000, said Capt. Bernard Chastain, operations commander for the Wildlife Troopers. Because of advances in the technology and cheaper prices, it is inevitable hunters seeking an advantage would, for example, try to use a drone to fly above trees or other obstacles and look for a moose or bear to shoot, he said.

"Under hunting regulations, unless it specifically says that it's illegal, you're allowed to do it," Chastain said. "What happens a lot of times is technology gets way ahead of regulations, and the hunting regulations don't get a chance to catch up for quite a while."

Troopers brought up the issue with game board members in February after hearing about a drone-assisted moose kill in Interior Alaska in 2012, Chastain said. That moose hunt was reported to troopers by state Department of Fish and Game staff, the trooper captain said, but there were few details about it, because the moose kill was apparently legal and troopers did not investigate it.

"I think more than anything, the change in the law represents thoughts that we've heard for several years, and based upon how the regulations are written, we had to take an affirmative step to make those illegal," Chastain said.

After hearing from the troopers, the Board of Game itself submitted the proposal and voted unanimously to pass it at the recent meeting, said Kristy Tibbles, the board's executive director. The draft regulation will be sent to the Department of Law for review and is expected to be law on July 1, Tibbles said.

As written and approved by the board, the new regulation on drones aims to eliminate a possible advantage similar to one gained by a hunter flying in a conventional aircraft. But unlike that rule, which allows hunters to harvest an animal a day or more after flying, spotting big game with a drone and shooting it will be illegal at any time.

Chastain said that distinction came from the difficulty of enforcing a similar "same-day airborne" regulation for drones: It's harder for troopers or others who might report illegal use of drones to see a small aircraft and link its use to a harvested animal.

Still, prohibiting the use of drones is based on the same principle of fairness as the same-day airborne regs, Chastain said.

In the proposed regulation, remote-controlled aircraft are listed with unlawful hunting methods including the use of poison, bombs, radio communication or exploding salt licks, among other things.

"Other people don't have a fair opportunity to take game if somebody else is able to do that," Chastain said. "On the biology side, if you make it too easy to take animals, then there's not opportunity for everybody else out there, because they can only allow so many animals to be taken."

Read more here: www.adn.com/2014/03/23/3389846/drone-assisted-hunting-to-be-illegal.html#storylink=cpy

[trappnman]

as well it should be as should any electronic aids in hunting and I'll put in fancy whirlagig decoys into that category as well.

learn to freaking hunt!

[trappincoyotes39]

Tman careful on any electronic aids for any kind of hunting.

[trappnman]

I'll concede electronic predator calls-

but that's about it- in my albeit not so humble opinion, I think electronic aids, are simply crutches for lack of skills.

[FWS]

I doubt the drones would be all that useful for most hunting.

And in my areas it would get expensive after losing a few in the tops of 200+ foot trees.

[James]

How about GPS units and range-finders? I'm generally in favor of anything that helps prevent wounding animals or getting lost.

I just got a range-finder, haven't hunted with it yet.

Jim

[trappnman]

GPs how? to locate hounds- it would be an aid- or to mark down animals- but its not really an electronic aid to the hunt> yeah, range finders would be ok as well- guess I painted with to broad a brush, so let me amend it to things like the practice of "cell phone" hunting

[James]

I was more thinking of having the GPS to locate yourself. In AK, we can't always count on hitting a road eventually no matter which direction we go. If you get lost around here, most directions would just take you deeper into wilderness.

I would sure like to be able to use a drone to find downed game. I once walked within five yards of a dead moose without seeing it, initially.

Jim

[trappincoyotes39]

The best electronic call,on the market does you no good if you don't know how,where to hunt coyotes. You will be burning a lot of battery time with little response without the knowledge to call. ask 1,000's who think it is as simple as buying a 40 dollar scream maker and the coyote pelts will stack up

[redsnow]

What do you mean "cell phone" hunting? Around here lots of people use radios. When hunting with friends, they sure make things more effecient, save lots of time, lots of walking. Makes things safer when hunting close together too.

[mostinterestingmanintheworld]

Rangefinders? learn to estimate range. lol

[trappnman]

illegal to use radios or cell phones here- but hard to stop coordinated hunts that are using cell phones.

fair chase is a toughie- Bob Wendt says lots of things, but one thing I can agree with him on, is that setting a 110 in front of a rat hole isn't exactly "fair"-

if you are subsistence hunting, truly subsistence hunting- then use whatever you need to eat- but for 99.99999% of us, hunting isn't about the food, its about the hunt, or in the type of cases we are talking about here, the trophy

and if one wants a trophy, wouldn't he want it to be based on skills, rather than electronics?

[redsnow]

Yes, I agree in a way. It's always a little more special to bag a critter one-on-one. But think about this: how many times have you been out and see a deer trotting your way, and you kill it. You never know if someone else just spooked it? And you were just in the right spot at the right time.

Just like last season, I walked up on 2 buck deer fighting. I picked out the one I thought was the biggest, and put him on the ground. If it'd been legal, I could have had both deer. I have pictures of the other deer standing there looking at his "sparing partner", can see them both in the picture.

After I took the pictures, I buzzed my buddy on the radio, told him to keep his eyes peeled. He was just on up the hollow, and killed the other buck in 15 minutes or so?

With or without the radios, he'd probably seen it anyway. Never know? But I just gave him a headsup.

I know that some folks get jealous as Heck, but honestly, if like a guy well enough to invite him hunting, I want him to do ok too.

[trappnman]

think what you would have done prior to a cell phone-

your buddy would have heard your shots, and gotten pumped- did you miss? was there more than one? something coming your way? and if so- big buck, little doe, what was it?

and you might have, as I've done, make sure your deer is dead, and then try to "herd" that other buck to your buddy...... if he gets it, then its "both" your deer as you tell the story (and isn't that half the fun, deer stories, both the hits and the misses.)

not really applicable here, but a saying I always liked was

"Confucius say, a man that catches a big fish seldom takes the back way home"

[redsnow]

Hmmm, I've never heard that saying. I'll amend it to read, a man that catches a really big fish, will stop at the gas station, barber shop, 2 or 3 friends houses, local store, maybe even the newspaper office.

I'll agree, I always get fired up, when you hear a shot close by. Even more fired up, if it's more than one shot.

No, my deer was down and out, when I took the pictures of both of them. If I could have read the other bucks mind, it's like he was thinking, hey, you little sob, I'm not finished with you yet.

And I agree, the stories are often the best part of a hunt.

[musher]

But as trappers, we often hide what we catch so that the competion or thieves don't hassle us.

[FWS]

"Confucius say, a man that catches a big fish seldom takes the back way home"

Confucius not hunt, trap, or fish public lands or waters...........

If he did he'd have quickly learned to stay inside the cone of silence and not tell anyone anything

[redsnow]

Hunting has changed a bunch in my lifetime. I was born in 65. Back before cell phones and good, hand held radios, I remember trying to stay in touch with other hunters, using calls, crow or goose, turkey. Or blowing on an empty shell case, when I could hear, I could tell the difference between .222 case and an 06 case.

One of my Dad's guys always carried a police whistle. He was a big man, my goodness, that thing was loud. I have a couple today.

But, I'm talking about before every 4-wheelers, gps, sharp/crisp radios. We'd go hunt. You hear a shot, the wind is blowing, you can't pinpoint it. Don't know who, what or where. You just gang up at dark, and hoof it back across 4 ridges, to help drag out a deer or bear.

I'll tell you these little radios are nice, when hunting with friends, and trying to stay in line. You take 4 or 5 guys, coordinated/orgainized, you can cover a lot of ground in a days time.