Do you like drones? No? Do you want to shoot them out of the sky sometimes? Yes? Do you feel like you need the government’s permission to do so? Maybe? Well, head on over to Deer Trail, Colorado where drone-hunting dreams come true.
The head of Deer Trail’s town board, Phillip Steel, recently proposed an ordinance that would enable the town clerk to issue permits for hunting drones with a shotgun. They’ll cost $US25 for residents over 21 years of age. The town is also considering offering rewards to those who brought down the unmanned aerial vehicles — $US25 for an identifiable drone part and $US100 for an entire drone. Deer Trail’s leaders even want to use Deer Trail’s most famous landmark, the site of the world’s very first rodeo, as the location for town-wide drone hunts. They want to call the event “Drone Hunting Days”.
This all sounds pretty ridiculous because it is. (It’s also totally illegal to shoot down any government owned drones because that’s obviously destruction of federal property.) Luckily, Steel and friends realise this and are designing the drone hunting program accordingly. They told 7News, the local ABC affiliate, that they don’t actually expect to give out any rewards. “Shooting down a drone with a shotgun — is that even possible,” the local reporter asked Deer Trail mayor Frank Fields. “No,” Fields said unequivocally. At least he’s honest. [7News, Fast Company]