catchingchrome said:
Montana suggested a bill that doesn't mean it passed. I think they are more worried about things like guys using them to track game etc. I am still planning on taking mine out there this summer. However I don't plan on being a idiot with mine, harassing people or extended hovering over people I don't know. Just aerial shots of where we are fishing etc.... The problem is that some drone pilots just don't use common sense...
It already is illegal in Montana to use them to track game for hunting, this is a new bill. I realize that it doesn't mean it'll pass but given the misconception of our sport and the fear of some concerning these, it may have a good chance of doing so. I just got done sending an email to the senator that introduced this bill in the state legislature asking him that he reconsider/reword his bill, the email reads as follows:
Jeff, I am contacting you concerning your recent bill that you submitted to the state legislature concerning drones and the harassment of hunters/fisherman. Myself, being a fisherman like you, and the owner of a drone, agree that the harassment of hunters and fisherman shouldn’t be allowed
by any means. I feel that your legislation, the way it is currently written, is to vague which could result in unfair charges being brought upon those of us that fly drones for pleasure in the interest of getting a different view of the world that one would otherwise not see. I myself fly mine in the interest of capturing video of our beautiful state again from a different perspective, and have no intention what so ever of invading anyones privacy, spying on, or harassing any individuals. But what concerns me about the way your bill is written is if by chance I should fly in the area where hunting or fishing is taking place, my intentions could be misinterpreted as harassment resulting in the possibility of improper charges being brought upon myself. What I feel you need to do is change your bill to read that
ANY harassment of any hunter/fisherman should be illegal be it by drone, or individuals and the ground such as protesters trying to disrupt a hunt by following and interfering a hunt or by any other means, and not make it specific to drones. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my comments and I hope you take my comments into consideration concerning this bill and change it accordingly. If you have any questions you’d like to ask me, or would like to see one of these drones in action, please feel free to contact me.