Town Wants to Let Hunters Shoot Down Drones

Forget deer, elk, moose, and bears. Hunters in Deer Trail, Colo., have a new target in the sights: government drones. The town board is considering issuing hunting licenses and bounties for unmanned aerial vehicles, reports ABC Denver. "We do not want drones in town," says resident Phillip Steel, who drafted the ordinance. "They fly in town, they get shot down." The licenses and proposed $100 bounty would be largely symbolic, concedes Steel—drone sightings aren't common in Deer Trail, and destroying federal property is against the law. But he believes the $25 licenses could be a big moneymaker for the little town.

"Even if a tiny percentage of people get online [for a] drone license, that's cool. That's a lot of money to a small town like us," says a town board member, who says he's leaning toward voting 'yes' on the drone hunting ordinance on Aug. 6. Other town members have proposed holding a festival with drone-themed skeet shooting. "It's all novelty. Do a little drone fest, get people to come out, have fun," says Deer Trail's mayor. But it's not about fun for Steel. "To him it's a novelty, yes," he says. "To me, I'm serious." (More drones stories.)