Hunting with a drone? What Maine law doesn’t require can result in a fine – Piscataquis Observer

By Julie Harris, Bangor Daily News Staff Writer

Drones, the tiny flying devices first used by the military and now by civilians for everything from pollinating crops to observing wildlife, have found their way into Maine’s hunting arena.

Even as using drones to track live animals and locate dead animals shot by hunters is becoming increasingly popular in the United States, Maine’s laws have loopholes that leave gray areas wide open to interpretation. And that could spell trouble for both hunters and law enforcement.

With trail cameras, crossbows and ARs already part of Maine hunters’ arsenals, drones are the latest technology to test the state’s nearly 150-year-old hunting laws.

And without clear guidance from the state, hundreds of Maine hunters have turned to social media to debate everything from the legality of using drones to recover dead animals to the ethics of using them in the first place.

“There are so many illegal ways to use drones,” said Joseph Socobasin of Indian Township, a hunter and game warden for the Passamaquoddy Tribe. “As we move forward, we will encounter additional issues that may require legislative changes.”

The law clearly states that hunting with a drone is illegal. “That means you can’t use a drone to find an animal and then kill it,” Lt. Josh Bubier from the Maine Warden Service office in Bangor.

This is where the clarity of the law ends.

The law does not specifically address other scenarios, such as: B. pre-hunt reconnaissance and rescuing a wounded animal, both areas where the use of drones is increasing.

This gets into some gray areas, Bubier said.

For example, if you wound an animal and located it with a drone, you are considered hunting with a drone and face a fine of up to $500 if caught. If you’re looking for a supposedly dead animal and find it with a drone, technically you weren’t hunting with the machine, you were hunting with a drone because you didn’t know for sure that the animal was dead.

That depends on the intent, which is sometimes difficult to figure out, Bubier said.

He said the best thing to do when using a drone for scouting is to leave everything related to hunting – guns, ammunition, crossbows, arrows and hunting orange – at home. Simply leaving it in the vehicle is not enough. If you leave your hunting gear at home to operate a drone but have someone with you who has hunting gear, you can still be cited for hunting with a drone.

Using a drone and then shooting the animal found is not only illegal but also unethical, Socobasin said. The state should ban them completely because you have to catch hunters in the act to charge them with illegal use.

He believes the state should require training and licensing for people who want to fly drones to help hunters find the game they shoot. This would minimize the chances of people using the surveillance machines illegally, he said.

Using drones to search for wildlife in Maine’s forests is a waste of time in most areas, he said. The forest is so dense that it is difficult for the drone’s heat sensors to penetrate the treetops.

A Cornville hunter said Friday that drones should only be used to recover a shot animal that cannot be found by other means, such as tracking. For Kevin Taft, technologies like drones go too far beyond the actual hunting experience and are an interference with the time that should be spent with nature. He likes the old way of getting his footing on the ground.

He has never seen a drone while hunting, but would not use one or hunt with someone who has a drone. He wants to see the animals himself, not on a screen.

“I know I would be really mad if I was hunting for a piece and someone flew a drone at me (or around me). My main purpose in hunting is to stay away from things, forget about the real world and be in my own space looking at God’s creations,” Taft said. “Everything in this world has its place. (I) just don’t think technology as such belongs in the woods of Maine.”

He would rather see lawmakers address other issues that affect hunters, such as Sunday hunting and laws about hunting on one’s own property.

Hunter Josh Mace of Stockton Springs believes the use of drones in hunting violates fair game and that the state’s laws should be stricter and fines for violations higher. He said hunters should use all the tools at their disposal to find a dead or wounded animal, and that includes drones.

However, there must be a system in place to ensure that unethical hunters do not take advantage. He said the drone operator should have a state license for game recovery or the hunter should have a supervisor while the recovery drone is in use.

He also questioned the use of dozens of trail cameras connected to cellphones, saying it gives hunters a similar advantage to using drones.

“I’m a die-hard angler and a die-hard outdoorsman,” Mace said. “Where do you draw the line? When does it not become fair? (Use of drones and dozens of cell phone game cameras) are starting to blur the line.”

People should ask themselves whether flying the drone will help them in their hunting. If so, it could be a violation, Lt. Bubier. As with other violations, guards must catch people in the act. If a person is reported for a violation, the supervisor can take the drone away.

“We always pay attention to safety, species protection and fair hunting ethics,” said Bubier. “As technology advances, we need to look at the laws. We should allow technology but make sure it is used properly.”