Does Michigan’s Ban on Drones for Hunting Apply After the Game is Downed?

It’s clearly unsporting to use a drone equipped with thermal imagery to identify game: and prohibitions on drone use for hunting were some of the earliest state drone laws enacted. In  Michigan, SB 54 and 55 were initiated in 2015: and prohibit the use of water or aerial uncrewed vehicles in hunting and fishing.  That law – not particularly detailed in wording – is now being challenged.  Is it only illegal to use a drone to find live game before hunting, or is it also illegal to use a drone to find downed game, after the hunters have stowed their weapons?

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian J. McNabb

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A lawsuit has recently entered federal district court over Michigan’s hunting laws and their prohibition on drones. Ohio resident Mike Yoder and the Pacific Legal Foundation have filed a challenge to Michigan’s 2015 drone law after the Department of Natural Resources interpreted it as banning the use of drones to locate downed…