My husband and I have been up elk hunting on Grand Mesa. This is his first big game hunt without his dad (failing health), first time hunting around here, and the first time I've tagged along. Bittersweet, but special nonetheless.
I've spent the past year driving hundreds of miles and hitting the ground, familiarizing myself with the Mesa and scouting out the GMU.
Yesterday, we set out hiking into a promising area I'd picked out. While we were still pretty close to the road, we saw a pair of hunters walk into the same area about half a mile away from us. We lost sight of them quickly, but soon met their rather large and noisy shiny silver drone, buzzing around the timbers we were hunting, and flying fast ahead of us right into the terrain we were hiking into.
The forest fell quiet - even the chickadees and squirrels hushed up for a while - and of course we didn't see a single animal from that point on. It was completely infuriating. We never saw the hunters again. I doubt they ever walked more than a quarter mile from the road.
I immediately reported it to both CPW and the USFS. A Wildlife Officer called back right away to let us know he was en route, and I spoke with the FS Biologist this morning. They all seem to be taking this very seriously and will be bumping up patrols on the Mesa. You may have also noticed CPW all over the news this past week warning hunters about drones.
I imagine I don't have to remind members of this forum that using a drone to hunt is very much illegal and the penalties are steep - possible federal charges, up to $125k in fines, and equipment confiscation. However, please spread the word, and call authorities if you see a drone out there.
You can report to the Operation Game Thief hotline, 1-877-COLO-OGT (1-877-265-6648)
I've spent the past year driving hundreds of miles and hitting the ground, familiarizing myself with the Mesa and scouting out the GMU.
Yesterday, we set out hiking into a promising area I'd picked out. While we were still pretty close to the road, we saw a pair of hunters walk into the same area about half a mile away from us. We lost sight of them quickly, but soon met their rather large and noisy shiny silver drone, buzzing around the timbers we were hunting, and flying fast ahead of us right into the terrain we were hiking into.
The forest fell quiet - even the chickadees and squirrels hushed up for a while - and of course we didn't see a single animal from that point on. It was completely infuriating. We never saw the hunters again. I doubt they ever walked more than a quarter mile from the road.
I immediately reported it to both CPW and the USFS. A Wildlife Officer called back right away to let us know he was en route, and I spoke with the FS Biologist this morning. They all seem to be taking this very seriously and will be bumping up patrols on the Mesa. You may have also noticed CPW all over the news this past week warning hunters about drones.
I imagine I don't have to remind members of this forum that using a drone to hunt is very much illegal and the penalties are steep - possible federal charges, up to $125k in fines, and equipment confiscation. However, please spread the word, and call authorities if you see a drone out there.
You can report to the Operation Game Thief hotline, 1-877-COLO-OGT (1-877-265-6648)
