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The Latest Scouting Technology.....

cspot

cspot

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Home is PA--- Camp is in SE Ohio
The PA Game Commission just made it illegal to launch or retrieve them on state game lands. I guess you can still fly over it.

My opinion is with aerial maps, google earth, and trail cameras, I just don''t see how a drone would help that much. I think it would be cool though to get some pics of some areas from a unique point of view. I think if the drone was relatively low flying that it would spook the deer, but maybe they don't. I have never flown one.
 
CritterGitterToo

CritterGitterToo

Junior Member
375
58
Central Ohio
A trail cam costs $60 - $400 and can be stolen. Nobody can steal a drone. You can get up close video footage of a buck, and confirm he is in a particular area. It's basically the same premise as a trail cam minus the threat of theft. I read about a guy in Colorado that used one to locate a big bull elk, then went straight in and killed him, but without the drone it could have taken days of hiking the mountain ridge tops.

As a scouting tool during the off season, I don't see the harm. Though, I can see banning them for use during the hunting season or as a tool to aid in the location of game while actively hunting.
 
cspot

cspot

Member
2,650
94
Home is PA--- Camp is in SE Ohio
CritterGitterToo said:
A trail cam costs $60 - $400 and can be stolen. Nobody can steal a drone. You can get up close video footage of a buck, and confirm he is in a particular area. It's basically the same premise as a trail cam minus the threat of theft. I read about a guy in Colorado that used one to locate a big bull elk, then went straight in and killed him, but without the drone it could have taken days of hiking the mountain ridge tops.

As a scouting tool during the off season, I don't see the harm. Though, I can see banning them for use during the hunting season or as a tool to aid in the location of game while actively hunting.
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I am not familiar with them, but how far in distance and height can they go from the operator? At least early in the season, I would think in this part of the country other than open fields, it would be tough to spot deer.
 
hickslawns

hickslawns

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Ohio
In NW Ohio, I could see them being a very effective tool. That said, I don't need another expensive hobby.
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

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Ohio
Funny that this topic was brought up. I'm actually considering buying one right now, mainly for the purpose of scouting. In big timber I think their uses would be limited, but grasslands and wetlands, where deer bed down in far hard to reach places, I think a drone would be incredibly valuable. From an ethics standpoint, I don't really see the harm in using them for scouting. Now pushing deer and such, yea that crosses the line IMO. It'll be interesting to see what if any regulations are put in place for drone technology.
 
cspot

cspot

Member
2,650
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Home is PA--- Camp is in SE Ohio
I know PA has a law that you can't use electronic devices for hunting except for some exceptions like rangefinders, lighted reticle scopes, etc which would make hunting with drones illegal. Does Ohio have a similar law already?

Personally for scouting, I don't see any issue with it. In my areas though it wouldn't really help me, but I can see like Jager said in grassland/wetland areas, it would.
 
Jackalope

Jackalope

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It is already illegal in ohio to use aircraft to aid in the hunting of deer. The FAA classifies drones as recreational aircraft and those over a certain size must be registered. The ODNR is rewording the reg to make it more clear however it is already illegal. As for scouting it would be up to a judge to decide if that's considered aiding you in the hunting of deer. My guess is the court would rule it is because the intent is to help the hunter hunt deer. Ie aid him.
 
jagermeister

jagermeister

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Ohio
Jackalope said:
It is already illegal in ohio to use aircraft to aid in the hunting of deer. The FAA classifies drones as recreational aircraft and those over a certain size must be registered. The ODNR is rewording the reg to make it more clear however it is already illegal. As for scouting it would be up to a judge to decide if that's considered aiding you in the hunting of deer. My guess is the court would rule it is because the intent is to help the hunter hunt deer. Ie aid him.
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Wouldn't it be difficult to prove someone was scouting for deer and not simply running a recreational flight for viewing purposes?

And for curiosity sake, do you have a link to the law stating it's illegal to use drones for deer hunting? I've been reading up on some drone laws and I haven't come across anything wildlife related yet. Pretty much all drones have to be registered, but if recreational only the fee is only $5. Drone operation for business purposes is a totally different animal and has much more stringent requirements... registration with FAA, acquiring an N number, preflight inspections, etc.
 
Jackalope

Jackalope

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jagermeister said:
Wouldn't it be difficult to prove someone was scouting for deer and not simply running a recreational flight for viewing purposes?

And for curiosity sake, do you have a link to the law stating it's illegal to use drones for deer hunting? I've been reading up on some drone laws and I haven't come across anything wildlife related yet. Pretty much all drones have to be registered, but if recreational only the fee is only $5. Drone operation for business purposes is a totally different animal and has much more stringent requirements... registration with FAA, acquiring an N number, preflight inspections, etc.
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It's in our wildlife regulations. Looks like they updated it to specifically say "drones" also.

1501:31-15-02 General hunting and trapping provisions.

(B) Except as provided in section 2923.16 of the Revised Code, it shall be unlawful for any person to hunt, shoot, shoot at, kill, take or attempt to take any wild bird or wild quadruped from or by means, aid, or use of any aircraft, including aerial drones, or any motor-driven conveyance or its attachments.
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The way the law reads now the "aid" isn't as substantial as it was before. Seems they broke it out from the hunt, shoot, shoot at etc part. Previously the argument could be made thy scouting was "aiding" the hunter. If you're using one during season you're still walking a fine line as ohio doesn't have a time limit. For example in Alaska the law says you can't hunt for 24 hours after you fly in. Or you can't hunt the same day you fly. In ohio there isn't a time limit specified. You could fly your drone over a property in the morning and hunt it that evening and the judge could claim you were using the drone to aid you in hunting.
 
Jake_C

Jake_C

Junior Member
456
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Columbiana County
I think in 5-10 years this will be the new compound vs crossbow argument. Guys and gals in group A will be screaming that it makes it too easy and is cheating while guys/gals in group B scream that it makes hunting good deer more possible for guys/gals with limited time and therefore brings more people to the sport.
Personally, after having 6 in the last 2 seasons stolen, I've stopped even using trail cameras. I don't think drone scouting is anything I'll ever get into but if it's evolving that way, and it makes people happy, and keeps them involved then who am I to judge. Added bonus- you'll have something other than squirrels and birds to shoot at on those really slow days ;)
 
Mike

Mike

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Up Nort
Jackalope said:
It is already illegal in ohio to use aircraft to aid in the hunting of deer. The FAA classifies drones as recreational aircraft and those over a certain size must be registered. The ODNR is rewording the reg to make it more clear however it is already illegal. As for scouting it would be up to a judge to decide if that's considered aiding you in the hunting of deer. My guess is the court would rule it is because the intent is to help the hunter hunt deer. Ie aid him.
Click to expand...
Word

 
jagermeister

jagermeister

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Ohio
Jackalope said:
It's in our wildlife regulations. Looks like they updated it to specifically say "drones" also.



The way the law reads now the "aid" isn't as substantial as it was before. Seems they broke it out from the hunt, shoot, shoot at etc part. Previously the argument could be made thy scouting was "aiding" the hunter. If you're using one during season you're still walking a fine line as ohio doesn't have a time limit. For example in Alaska the law says you can't hunt for 24 hours after you fly in. Or you can't hunt the same day you fly. In ohio there isn't a time limit specified. You could fly your drone over a property in the morning and hunt it that evening and the judge could claim you were using the drone to aid you in hunting.
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Well, would ya look at that. The one thing I didn't read... lol.

I get what you're saying. Seems to me like there's definitely a grey area there to take advantage of. I don't really see the difference between looking at a deer with a drone before hunting, and getting trailcam pics sent to your cell phone while you're sitting in your tree stand. If the latter is perfectly legal, I don't see how scouting with a drone wouldn't be. Time will tell, I suppose.
 
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