Recreational hunters be warned. According to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the far-left group “is planning to acquire a drone…to spy on hunters and catch them in the act as they terrorize animals and break game laws.”  

In a statement released Monday, the group said: 

“PETA aims to collect video footage of any illegal activity, including drinking while in the possession of a firearm, a common complaint from those who live near wooded areas; maiming animals and failing to pursue them so that they die slowly and painfully; and using spotlights, feed lures, and other hunting tricks that are illegal in some areas but remain common practices among hunters.”  

PETA’s view of hunting and hunters is well established. As Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s “international” president, made clear in a 2012 post: 

“Hunters (and we are not talking about aboriginal peoples here but rather the 3 percent or so of Americans who enjoy hunting) are not going to be ‘reasonable’ about laying down their or anybody else’s arms. They are cowards and bullies who arm themselves out of fear of everything from a personal snub to a zombie apocalypse. Having a weapon in their hands helps abate their feelings of powerlessness in the face of normal life.” 

 

With its new drone initiative, PETA has now decided on an expensive and high-tech strategy “to expose further why hunting is a sick and sickening pursuit” and to shame hunters who, according to PETA, “maim and kill millions of animals every year.”    

 

As Newkirk was quick to comment in PETA’s statement regarding its drone proposal: “Slob hunters may need to rethink the idea that they can get away with murder, alone out there in the woods with no one watching.”  

Since hunting is an American tradition, it is not surprising that many on the left find it contemptible and have long sought to minimize its heritage, its cultural significance, and its participants. What will be interesting, however, will be to see what those leftist politicians who themselves are “hunters” and who “respect the sport” will have to say about PETA’s drone scheme.