A Pennsylvania man who has been using his drone to help find wounded deer that were shot by hunters so that they can be recovered has been convicted of violating state laws.
Joshua Wingenroth of Downingtown openly advertised his drone tracking business in area publications. He was told last year by game wardens that the activity was illegal, but Wingenroth's lawyer apparently had a different interpretation of the law Wingenroth was said to be violating.
On December 6, an undercover game commission officer contacted Wingenroth and asked him to help him find a deer he shot in the Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve. Wingenroth met with the officer and had him sign a waiver stating that he wanted to recover the deer carcass, but if the deer were found to be still alive, the officer would "hunt the deer another day."
Wingenroth, who didn't know he was the victim of a sting operation, launched his drone and began looking for the deer using a thermal camera. He spotted a live deer and turned on the camera's infrared setting to bring up a heat map. He also activated a spotlight to view the deer.
A game warden then approached Wingenroth and the undercover officer and confiscated the drone. He cited Wingenroth with two counts of using illegal electronic devices during hunting and single counts of disturbing game or wildlife and violating regulations on recreational spotlighting.
The legal definition of hunting includes tracking, hunting, and recovery, so authorities were able to argue that Wingenroth technically used the drone for hunting, though he was only using it to recover deer.
He was convicted on all four charges and fined $1,500.
This is the first time anyone has been cited and tried in Pennsylvania for using a drone to recover a dead game animal. Leashed dogs can legally be used to track deer in Pennsylvania during open hunting season. TRAKR is a mobile app that specializes in connecting hunters with trackers and their dogs in their area.
Wingenroth plans to appeal the verdicts. His attorney states that the state laws concerning the use of devices while hunting are outdated and have not been updated to reflect technological advances. Furthermore, Wingenroth believed he was looking for a dead deer and operating the drone after hunting hours had ended.
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