No, You Can’t Use a Drone to Hunt or Fish In Texas. Here’s Why.

(Longview, Texas) - Drones are fun, they are. You can find one that connects to VR goggles and get a neat bird's eye view of your neighborhood or along the path your walking. You can use one to take some unique pictures of your home or for a cool picture with the family.

There are a multitude of uses for drones in our everyday lives. When it comes to hunting or fishing in Texas, a drone could actually be useful. Thing is, it's not allowed in Texas. Let's take a look at why.

Drones Can't Be Used to Hunt or Fish in Texas

As I stated above, drones are lot of fun. Something you may not know is that certain drones actually require a pilots license to fly because of the altitude they can reach. Most of the drones you find at Walmart or other retailers have a very limited range so you don't need a license for those.

For you hunters or fishers, you may have thought about using a drone to help with your outing. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife, that is not possible. Why? Because drones are considered aircraft.

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Why You Can't Use a Drone to Aid in Hunting or Fishing in Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife has gotten many questions over the last couple of years about the use of drones by hunters or fishers. The agency had to dig into federal law, specifically the Federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1956. The law states that no one can hunt or fish while using aircraft.

It is legal to hunt wild hogs in Texas using a helicopter, hot air balloon or other airborne ways (tpwd.texas.gov). The reason is that wild hogs are labeled as an exotic nuisance species and are not considered wildlife. That's how you're able to get around this federal act.

You Can't Use a Drone to Hunt or Fish in Texas

So no, you can't use a drone to drop bait over the water. You can't use a drone to find that prize buck on your hunting trip. As fun as that sounds, it isn't allowed in Texas.

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