ADVERTISEMENTS

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man who uses drones to try to locate wounded deer shot by hunters so they can retrieve their carcasses has been convicted of violating state hunting laws.

Joshua Wingenroth, 35, of Downingtown, plans to appeal the verdicts handed down Thursday by Lancaster County District Judge Raymond Sheller.

“The Legislature needs to address this,” Sheller said as he delivered his verdict. “Everyone is playing catchup to science.”

Wingenroth, who openly advertised his business in area publications, was told by state game wardens last year that such an activity was illegal, authorities said. Wingeroth, though, told them his lawyer “has a different interpretation” of the law.

On Dec. 6, an undercover game commission officer contacted Wingenroth and asked him to meet and help him find a deer he shot in the Welsh Mountain Nature Preserve. Wingenroth met the officer there within the hour and had the officer sign a waiver stating he wanted to recover the deer

All advertisements must be received TWO (2) days prior to publication. Publisher reserves the right to reject, edit or cancel any advertising at any time without liability. Publisher’s liability for error is limited to the amount paid for advertising. carcass but, if the deer was found to still be alive, he agreed to “hunt the deer another day.”

Wingenroth, who did not know the shot deer story was a fabrication and part of a sting operation, soon launched a drone and piloted it around remotely while using a thermal camera setting to show the scenery in black and white. He soon caught view of a live deer, and turned on the camera’s infrared setting to show it on a heat map.

He later turned that setting off and activated a spotlight to view the deer normally. However, he and the officer were soon approached by a game warden who confiscated the drone and cited Wingenroth for two counts of using illegal electronic devices during hunting and single counts of disturbing game or wildlife and violating regulations on recreational spotlighting.

Since the legal definition of hunting includes tracking, hunting and recovery, authorities said Wingenroth technically used the drone to “hunt” game. He was convicted on all four counts and fined $1,500.