Bill > HB2740

This bill amends the Wildlife Code to allow hunters to use unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) specifically for tracking wounded animals during hunting activities. The bill modifies Section 2.33 of the existing Wildlife Code, which previously prohibited the use of unmanned aircraft for pursuing or disturbing wildlife. The new language explicitly permits drone use for tracking wounded animals in the course of hunting, creating a narrow exception to the previous blanket prohibition on using unmanned aircraft near wildlife. This change provides hunters with an additional technological tool to help locate and retrieve wounded game, potentially improving hunting efficiency and reducing animal suffering by making it easier to find and dispatch wounded animals. The bill maintains other existing restrictions on drone use, such as those related to utility and mobile service facility inspections, and does not broadly legalize drone use for all hunting or wildlife-related activities.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=2740&GAID=18&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=114&GA=104