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Forensic team of Good Shepherd Academy competes

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SHINE after school program is a success, will expand to Hazleton area

<p>I remember what I thought as I sat in my treestand on the first day of deer season several years ago and stared into the deep hollow below me.</p><p>Thick brush and the low-hanging limbs of evergreen trees limited my view into the hollow, and I recall thinking how neat it would be to attach a camera to a remote-controlled model airplane and fly it into the hollow to see if there were any deer.</p><p>Neat, but not realistic.</p><p>At least at that time.</p><p>Today, small remote-controlled aircraft equipped with cameras are a reality.</p><p>And they&#8217;re a problem when it comes to wildlife and hunting.</p><p>Topping the list is the ethical issue. Don&#8217;t mistake the thought I had several years ago as an endorsement for the use of drones as a hunting aid. When things are slow in the woods, our minds tend to wander while we spend hours in a treestand.</p><p>Using a drone to locate game is opposite of the fair-chase concept in which all ethical hunters abide. Aside from our senses and a bit of patience, the only tools we need when it comes to hunting are calls, scents, a good dog and a pair of binoculars. Anything beyond that is, well, cheating.</p><p>But this drone business has gotten out of hand when it comes to the outdoors.</p><p>Four states - Michigan, New Hampshire, Oregon and West Virginia, have implemented laws prohibiting the use of drones to aid in hunting, fishing and trapping.</p><p>Some states have also passed laws prohibiting the use of drones to interfere or harass hunters, and Pennsylvania might join the list.</p><p>Earlier this month, state Rep. Gerald Mullery (D-Newport Township) introduced legislation that would prohibit people from using drones to interfere with lawful hunting, fishing and boating activities. Mullery said the use of drones to interfere with such activities has become an &#8220;overwhelming nuisance.&#8221;</p><p>But drones aren&#8217;t just bothersome to people, they&#8217;re also be used to harass wildlife, intentional or not.</p><p>During their work session earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Game Commission discussed issues that have arisen where drones were used to get a little too close to wildlife.</p><p>At the PGC&#8217;s Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster County recently, four people were flying drones into a propagation area where thousands of snow geese and swans had congregated.</p><p>The Game Commission issued citations to three of the individuals for entering a propagation area, even though they did so via a drone, according to Tom Grohol, the agency&#8217;s law enforcement director.</p><p>Imagine the fervor that must&#8217;ve erupted when drones buzzed right into the middle of thousands of migrating waterfowl that stopped at Middle Creek.</p><p>And just as disconcerting are the other instances that Grohol cited of photographers using drones to snap photos and eagles and their nests this winter.</p><p>With that in mind, Grohol told the board that regulations are needed to curb the problem.</p><p>He&#8217;s right.</p><p>But what&#8217;s the best way to go about it? Regulating technology can be a tricky thing because, in many cases, it&#8217;s an issue that no one ever imagined as possible years ago.</p><p>Grohol suggested creating a regulation that prohibits the use of drones on game lands, and another forbidding drone use to disturb wildlife in general.</p><p>As with Mullery&#8217;s bill, I think Grohol&#8217;s suggestions are good ideas as well. While the incidents at Middle Creek and with bald eagle nests are recent, they are just the beginning of a potential problem with drones and wildlife.</p><p>What&#8217;s next? Will people use drones to drive deer? Flush pheasants? Follow coyote tracks in the snow?</p><p>Sure, those may be crazy thoughts, but at some point they could become a reality.</p><p>That&#8217;s why regulations to deal with drones are needed now, and not when they become more of a problem for hunters and wildlife.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Outdoors with Tom Venesky: Time to put a halt on drones