Lauhgter in 3...2...1...

[steveincowtown]

I think South Carolina is $1000 + for a felony. Barring a hunter being dumb enough to openly confess to an LEO or DA I think it would pretty hard to prove any intent. Just some guys shooting birds that somebody else's toy had the unfortunate coincidence of sharing air space with.

[C-dub]

"Animal people" have been put on notice of Texas law concerning harassing Sportsmen
Parks and Wildlife Code. Title 5. Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Subtitle B. Hunting and Fishing. Chapter 62. Provisions Generally Applicable to Hunting. Subchapter A. General Provisions. § 62.0125. Harassment of Hunters, Trappers, and Fishermen
from "AnimalLaw.info"
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stus ... 2_0125.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sportsman's Rights Act.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... tm#62.0125" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Animal people ... class B misdemeanor.

PENAL CODE

TITLE 3. PUNISHMENTS

CHAPTER 12. PUNISHMENTS
Sec. 12.22. CLASS B MISDEMEANOR. An individual adjudged guilty of a Class B misdemeanor shall be punished by:

(1) a fine not to exceed $2,000;

(2) confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days; or

(3) both such fine and confinement.
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/d ... /PE.12.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Sportsmen ... "oops, mistake, not intended, ...thought it was a bird" , perhaps you want my homeowner's insurance info to see if you can file a claim to fix the little broken plastic propeller? And ..."they" should keep their radio controlled toys away from hunting leases people paid to use .... and go to a park somewhere.

Camo ghillie suit=tree cover?

"He claimed the shooters were "in tree cover"

RealTree camo.

[RPB]

Parks and Wildlife Code. Title 5. Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Subtitle B. Hunting and Fishing. Chapter 62. Provisions Generally Applicable to Hunting. Subchapter A. General Provisions. § 62.0125. Harassment of Hunters, Trappers, and Fishermen
from "AnimalLaw.info"
http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stus ... 2_0125.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sportsman's Rights Act.

There's a few Game wardens I need to get in touch with!

Or maybe this law only applies to animals

It's a great idea to "know your local Game Wardens"

Find Your Local Game Warden > http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/warden/find_warden/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Seriously ...Many kayak fishermen have the Sheriff and Game Warden on Speed dial on cell phone in my area ;)
Some people who build a boat dock or fishing pier thing that they now own to the middle of a lake ... they don't
And, even on navigable streams which they might own to the middle, kayakers/canoists etc generally have "portaging" rights.

We had a new multi-million dollar home purchaser who waved around a shotgun chasing boaters away from "his dock" on his lake ... on Lake Buchanan (a giant sized lake) http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/fishboat/fi ... /buchanan/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Sheriff set him straight ;)

Starting point if that interests you
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publication ... n/sweeney/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mamabearCali]

"Honest officer there was a flock of rock doves in front of it." How foolish can you get, they were hunting doves! You put your trespassing flying camera in the same area? The flying peeping toms got what they deserved.

[The Annoyed Man]

"Pigeon slaughter?" Puh-leeze. Tell a New Yorker about it. He'll pay for your ammo.

[Heartland Patriot]

The Rock Dove (pigeon) estimated world population is somewhere between 17 and 28 million...not exactly on the endangered species list.

[Keith B]

If that thing was over $1500 they just committed a felony....so....

Actually, as long as they were willing to return it to the owner, it would only be considered property damage which is $5000 to be a felony. That is if it was intentional. My thought is the guys flying the drone got it in the way of a shot at a pigeon and in doing so were interfering with a legal right of the shooters, so I feel there was no intent of malice by the shooter and the drone guys just have to fix their drone on their own.

[texasmusic]

There's a youtube video of the drone shooting up. I don't want to link to it as it's posted by the SHARK goobers. Looks like the thing was hovering above the highway when it got blasted.

They were also launching pigeons out of a catapult-type skeet thrower to shoot them which is why they weren't covered by hunter harassment. East coast folks sure are some kind of weird.

[OldCannon]

If that thing was over $1500 they just committed a felony....so....

"No, officer, we had no idea it was something mechanical. We were hunting pigeons and it suddenly came from behind the tree moving fast. Somebody thought it was a pigeon and fired, we're not sure who shot first, and then everybody else instinctively fired. Why would somebody negligently fly that thing near hunters during pigeon season? That seems dangerous."

[talltex]

There used to be pigeon shoots all over south Texas when I was a kid (long time ago). Don't know if they still have them, haven't heard anything about them in a long time. Yes, they were real pigeons.

Live Pigeon shoots are a shooting contest like skeet or trap, but much more difficult, with it's own set of specialized rules. The birds are thrown/released by a handler from a sunken dugout and can come out in any direction, speed and trajectory. Unlike skeet or trap, where a hit is scored if the shooter breaks off any piece of the clay pigeon, the live pigeon shooter has to drop the bird within a circle marked on the ground to score a "kill". A solidly hit bird that manages to flutter or glide past the marked perimeter counts as a miss. It is considered the ultimate test of shotgunning skills by those who particpate, and the contests are often accompanied by high stakes wagering on the outcome. It has been illegal in Texas for many years now, under the same statutes as cock fighting...cruelty to animals for purposes of human entertainment. I went to a couple of shoots back in the early 80's held at a large ranch where top ranked amatuer and professional shooters and spectators even flew in from out of state to attend. It was illegal even back then, but I'm sure it still goes on secretly somewhere.