Bill > HF1301

This bill modifies Minnesota's existing hunting regulations to allow the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (drones) to locate and retrieve deceased big game, effective January 1, 2027. Currently, the law prohibits remote hunting technologies, but this bill creates a specific exception for people with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) remote pilot certificate to use drones for finding dead animals. Additionally, the bill requires the commissioner of natural resources to develop comprehensive recommendations by January 1, 2026, addressing key aspects of drone use in this context, including pilot licensure, insurance requirements, equipment standards, potential administrative fees, property owner rights, and other relevant considerations. The recommendations will be submitted to legislative committee chairs and ranking minority members to help establish a framework for this new permitted use of unmanned aircraft in wildlife management. Violation of the existing remote hunting prohibitions would still be considered a misdemeanor, and the bill maintains strict controls on the use of remote technologies for hunting.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF1301&ssn=0&y=2025