Animal rights spy drone shot down

[Rooster1971]

(GunAuction.com) — Police are investigating an incident at a Pennsylvania shooting club in which someone apparently shot and grounded an animal-rights-group spy drone.

SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) is an anti-hunting group attempting to harass the Wing Pointe commercial hunting grounds in Hamburg, Berks County, into shutting down its live pigeon shoots, reports NBC10-TV in Philadelphia.

SHARK began to use an “Octocopter,” a remote-controlled flying machine with a high tech video camera, to secretly record the pigeon shoots as they happen.

The drone, nicknamed “Angel,” was recording a live pigeon shoot on Sunday around 3 p.m. when investigators say it was struck by gunfire.

The group says the camera’s video feed was terminated and the drone went out of control before it was manually brought down. The gunshot caused around $4,000 in damage to the camera, according to SHARK.

State Police are investigating the incident. SHARK claims this is the fourth time the drone has been shot at while trying to spy on the club’s pigeon shoots.

The Berks County's district attorney told NBC10-TV that the pigeon shoots are legal and that he also wants to find a way to put a stop to what he considers a "potentially deadly cat and mouse game" between SHARK and Wing Pointe.

 

[Spata]

id make it my mission to hit it every time I saw it.

 

[criticalbass]

Many years ago, at the TAFB skeet range, a colonel was flying his RC aircraft over the range during a registered shoot. He was obviously just messing with the shooters, hedge-hopping over the target houses.

One of the competitors happened to have a duck load--he of course denied any involvement--and shot the RC down. The owner was highly peeved. The squad of five shooters was probably worth, collectively, about a billion dollars. They started throwing hundred dollar bills on the ground in front of the owner, and he finally bent down to pick them up when there was more there than the aircraft was worth.

About the animal rights folks, you pays your money and you takes your choice. Flying a drone over private property within shotgun range sounds a bit lile trespassing to me, and since the facility is for shooting, getting close has its hazards. I would be of a mind to sue SHARK for harrassment.

About live bird shoots, I despise the practice and think any responsible shooter should have the morality and good taste to stay away from it. However, on a good day 25 years ago, a live bird shoot could pay you nearly a hundred grand. An old friend of mine became wealthy on the proceeds of such events. He was the best all around shotgun shooter I have ever known. I haven't kept up with live bird shoots since then. Just don't like the idea of pulling feathers out and flinging a tame bird out so it can be shot. Lots of wounded, and no provision for mercy killings. After an event, wounded and dying birds are all over the facility for a while.

I rank live bird shoots just a notch below "high fence hunts" where one pays a large amount of cash to kill an imported, fenced critter. If I were to do that, I would specify a cow, because the meat tastes better, and I don't see the difference between shooting a cow and shooting an exotic animal when it's fenced.

Back to the original point of this thread, I have no use for the animal rights groups when they choose to attempt to physically interfere with someone who is within his rights to do whatever. The drone has to be looked at a cost of doing business.

 

[inactive]

Yea, I'm not gonna lie - that's kinda awesome.


I'm not condoning the destruction of anyone's property, and I am pretty non-confrontational, but you reap what you sew.

 

[inactive]

Flying a drone over private property within shotgun range sounds a bit lile trespassing to me

It's bad form to taunt/spy on the shooters, but I think the airspace is legal for whomever. Not unlike navigating a waterway.

With you on the live shoots though. Seems a bit unnecessary to me. Hunt for sport, hunt for food. But lobbing a captive bird up to be shot?

 

[Wheel Gun]

I suspect that one of the pigeons was armed.

 

[cyberslider]

Maybe a terrorist pigeon on a suicide mission?

 

[been]

Is this the beginning of a new Civil War?

 

[cichlid-dave]

What a shame that it had to go down that way. And the judge has a hard job to do and both parties are wrong. But funny as heck that the spy plane went down.

 

[Rooster1971]

I personally would not pigeon hunt unless they were clay although I hate pigeons. I've been on rooftops where the equipment I was working on was covered with 2" of crap.

I found it funny about the animal rights people. Nothing sport related involving animals is off limits to them, from rodeo to deer hunting and everything in between.

I've been harassed about hunting by people. What's funny is they'll eat a steak. I guess it's okay if someone else kills their food for them.