Rural Indiana Residents Rely on Law to Address Growing Drone Concerns

By Andi Anderson

Across rural Indiana, drone activity has become a growing concern for farmers and hunters. Residents say drones are tracking deer, flying around chicken coops, and hovering near homes, creating fear and uncertainty. While shooting down drones may seem tempting, it is illegal, forcing residents to rely on existing laws.

In southeastern Indiana, neighbors reported a drone tracking a famous white-tailed buck known as the Nucor Monarch. An investigation led to the first prosecution under Indiana’s law banning the use of drones to track and hunt wildlife. Authorities say flight logs, photos, and videos showed the drone monitoring the deer for weeks before it was killed.

“There’s the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. (My cousin) broke the letter of the law, one hundred percent. But he did it unknowingly,” Pettit said. “His character is not one that is, you know, a law breaker.”

Indiana conservation officer Josh Thomas said the case should serve as a warning to hunters using new technology unfairly.

“It was unbelievable how much they knew about where that deer was anytime they wanted to,” Thomas said.

Drone concerns also affect farmers. In northeastern Indiana, farmers worried drones could harm livestock or spread diseases like avian flu. Their concerns helped lawmakers expand Indiana’s remote aerial harassment law, making it illegal to use drones to disturb farm animals or interfere with agricultural operations.

“Something has to move the ball forward here to be able to defend ourselves in the countryside from these kinds of operations,” Jay County farmer Lenny Muhlenkamp said.

Law enforcement agencies received many reports of drone activity.

“We heard from different people throughout our county, both north and south, that there was one drone that was about as large as a small car,” Beer said. 

Farmers also raised health concerns.

“It’s an inconvenient coincidence that wherever these drones were, that’s where we were also seeing bird flu happen,” said Muhlenkamp.

Industry leaders say laws struggle to keep pace with technology.

“The proliferation has outpaced the legal development,” Ryan Hoff said.

Some residents recognize drones have benefits in agriculture.

“They’re good,” Rush said. “They have their place.”

Still, privacy fears remain.

“To me it was obvious that it was watching us,” Rush said. “And that kind of freaks me out.”

“You’d really like to just go out and shoot the darn thing,” Rush said, while recognizing that is not allowed.

Lawmakers continue working to balance privacy, protection, and beneficial drone use in rural communities.

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