telematics at its worst—> this is not what this tech
should be for—>
bliss
l
Texas Officials Wary of Plan to Hunt by Internet
Wed Nov 17, 8:45 AM ET
Add to My Yahoo! Oddly Enough - Reuters
By Jeff Franks
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Hunters soon may be able to sit at
their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas
ranch via the Internet, a prospect that has state
wildlife officials up in arms.
A controversial Web site, http://www.live-shot.com,
already offers target practice with a .22 caliber
rifle and could soon let hunters shoot at deer,
antelope and wild pigs, site creator John Underwood
said on Tuesday.
Texas officials are not quite sure what to make of
Underwood's Web site, but may tweak existing laws to
make sure Internet hunting does not get out of hand.
"This is the first one I've seen," said Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department wildlife director Mike Berger.
"The current state statutes don't cover this sort of
thing."
Underwood, an estimator for a San Antonio, Texas auto
body shop, has invested $10,000 to build a platform
for a rifle and camera that can be remotely aimed on
his 330-acre (133-hectare) southwest Texas ranch by
anyone on the Internet anywhere in the world.
The idea came last year while viewing another Web site
on which cameras posted in the wild are used to snap
photos of animals.
"We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my
friend said 'If you just had a gun for that.' A little
light bulb went off in my head," he said.
Internet hunting could be popular with disabled
hunters unable to get out in the woods or distant
hunters who cannot afford a trip to Texas, Underwood
said.
Berger said state law only covers "regulated animals"
such as native deer and birds and cannot prevent
Underwood from offering Internet hunts of
"unregulated" animals such as non-native deer that
many ranchers have imported and wild pigs.
He has proposed a rule that will come up for public
discussion in January that anyone hunting animals
covered by state law must be physically on site when
they shoot.
Berger expressed reservations about remote control
hunting, but noted that humans have always adopted new
technologies to hunt.
"First it was rocks and clubs, then we sharpened it
and put it on a stick. Then there was the bow and
arrow, black powder, smokeless power and optics,"
Berger said. "Maybe this is the next technological
step out there."
Underwood, 39, said he will offer animal hunting as
soon as he gets a fast Internet connection to his
remote ranch that will enable hunters to aim the rifle
quickly at passing animals.
He said an attendant would retrieve shot animals for
the shooters, who could have the heads preserved by a
taxidermist. They could also have the meat processed
and shipped home, or donated to animal orphanages.
=====
***************************************************************************
Lewis LaCook –>http://www.lewislacook.com/
http://www.corporatepa.com/
XanaxPop:Mobile Poem Blog-> http://www.lewislacook.com/xanaxpop/
Collective Writing Projects–> The Wiki–> http://www.lewislacook.com/wiki/ Appendix M ->http://www.lewislacook.com/AppendixM/
__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The all-new My Yahoo! - Get yours free!
http://my.yahoo.com
Texas Officials Wary of Plan to Hunt by Internet
-
Type: discussion