Robotic Deer to Fight Illegal Hunting

Roland Piquepaille writes "If you were a law enforcement official searching for hunters who don't follow the rules, what would be a good gift for you? In 'Robot Deer Captures Poachers,' Brian Bull, reporting from Mosinee, Wisconsin, writes that you can buy robotic decoys for deer, elks, moose and even bears. These life-like creatures are made of animal hides or skins attached to polyurethane foam bodies and equipped with remotely controlled motors allowing the head and tail to move. After you pay about $2,000 for such a robo-deer, you put it on a side road. All you have to do is wait for an illegal hunter trying to shoot the fake deer and fine him. Many officers have reported collecting well over $30,000 in fines with a single robot. Not a bad deal."

Comments

Business model

[mtenhagen]

Now that is a good business model!

But I prefer parking fines since it requires a lower investment and less skilled personnel.

Re:Business model

[Technician]

But I prefer parking fines since it requires a lower investment and less skilled personnel.

More importantly, they are away and are not carrying a high power loaded weapon.

Just like a real deer.

[CrazyJim1]

After you pay about $2,000 for such a robo-deer, you put it on a side road

Then you watch as it gets hit by a car.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[Dr. Cody]

Fantastic: We killed the wolf, we killed the coyote, and now we're creating a device to reduce the number of the deer's last remaining predator.

Now, if we could only make a robo-whitetail-suicide bomber.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[TubeSteak]

You got modded funny, but there's a kernel of truth in there.

One of the shitty things that poachers do, is shoot a deer then run it over with their truck.

By doing this, they can claim that the deer was hit by a car & they were only putting it out of its misery... an act which is perfectly legal.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[Shads]

I live in Ohio also, was a hunter when I was a kid/teenager, I don't hunt anymore because I have nothing to do with the meat... I personally don't like venison and I won't kill something if it's not going to be eaten. The deer have been over populating most of Ohio for at least 20 years. My family lived on a farm for ~50 years in NE Ohio and deer were a constant problem. They knew the neighbors were poaching deer and they did some themselves and it never even put a dent in the deer problem.

A large portion of the problem is just lack of natural predators.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[Shakrai]

and now we're creating a device to reduce the number of the deer's last remaining predator.

Not if they follow the rules. This device does nothing to reduce legal hunting of deer. There's various reasons to regulate hunting, ranging from game management (you can only take so many animals and most of them have to be male) to safety (can't discharge your firearm within X yards of a structure). All this device does is provide a decoy for the violators to shoot at.

Living in Upstate NY and dealing with morons from the city that shoot at anything that moves (hint: diary cows don't look anything like deer yet they are routinely shot...) I think this is a wonderful idea.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[GNious]

Odd, I thought it was humans that were way overpopulated, and the deers being forced to live in too small a place?

Re:Just like a real deer.

[flafish]

The deer problem is so bad in SE Ohio that the town has opened the city up to bow hunting of deer inside city limits.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[bohemian72]

(hint: diary cows don't look anything like deer yet they are routinely shot...)

That's because they have no privacy and those poacher predators found their info on MySpace.

Re:Just like a real deer.

[SpinyNorman]

Driving what? A tank?

Have you ever seen what happens when a modern vehicle ( Mack truck) hits a deer head-on?

If you're unlucky it won't only be your car that suffers major damage.. I remember reading an amusing freak accident case where a driver was killed due to the deer flying throught the windshield and impaling him!

Re:Just like a real deer.

[fprintf]

Actually blame the ranchers and farmers. If they hadn't killed off predators to protect their livestock then there wouldn't be a deer problem.

But I think this is just a problem looking for a novel solution. I like the idea of hunters taking down game and then providing it to homeless shelters. There must be other ways of using this food source to benefit others.

In related news, the forthcoming RoboDeer v2.0 ...

[D4C5CE]

...developped in a joint research project by PETA and the DoD, will feature an autonomous targetting and self-defense system that fires back at persistent poachers to hand out harsher punishments than just fines. ;-)

Re:entrapment

[JackStrife17]

From Columbia University Press encyclopedia:

entrapment, in law, the instigation of a crime in the attempt to obtain cause for a criminal prosecution. Situations in which a government operative merely provides the occasion for the commission of a criminal act (e.g., when an undercover agent posing as a narcotics dealer is approached by a would-be customer) do not constitute entrapment. Only when the crime was not initially contemplated by the target is entrapment said to occur: thus, for example, an undercover agent may not recruit a previously law-abiding individual into a drug distribution ring in order to prosecute. Many police operations, especially in the areas of drugs and gambling, raise questions of entrapment, which is available as a defense in a trial.

Re:But what about

[Yold]

Actually Deer hides are relatively valuable, and the butcher will usually sell them. My buddy gets $5-$10 per hide ontop of his butchering charge. Quite nice for deer-skin gloves (typically made in China). As an experienced Northern hunter, I don't know why you think that Bear and Moose hides are easy to come by. They are typically the most regulated game in terms of getting a permit. You may have to wait 5 years to get a Moose permit in some parts of the country, and rifle Bear permits are also granted via a lottery system in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

But to answer your question "why would you even bother?". Well, as a deer-hunter in an area where these 'robots' have been in use for years already, it is often a matter of hunter's safety. The DNR/Conservation Officer will put a decoy in a position where it will be shot at from the road. It is illegal to hunt within 50 yards of a public road's median. Quite a hefty fine. Also, if a hunter is willing to break that regulation, who knows what other rules they are breaking.

Useless in other coutries

[foobang]

At least here in France it would not work.
In many cases (methinks this one included) French law states that pushing someone to commit an offence is a bigger offence than the original one.
A hounter could argue that he was provoqued and the fine would be probabely dropped.
What other countries have similar laws ?

Additionally a hounter could claim that he was aware of the trick an thus not guilty of shooting an animal but just damaging an artefact.

Re:Useless in other coutries

[dfenstrate]

It's called entrapment, and it's illegal here in the united states, or at least is a valid defense against a 'guilty' verdict.

Like you said, goading or pushing someone into committing a crime they would otherwise not is unlawful.

What is perfectly lawful is presenting them with an opportunity to commit a crime, and then punishing them for it. There is a significant difference.

Further, 'knowing' that a deer was fake would not permit you to shoot it, as you're still discharging your firearm near/on a road.

You could maybe get away with attacking it if you got out of your vehicle and bum rushed it.

Re:Useless in other coutries

[Charcharodon]

They also use the fake deer to fine people that hunt from cars. It was funny one story my uncle told me, he's was a warden and they've been using fake deer for decades to fine rule breakers.

They had the fake deer out on the edge of the trees near the road, it didn't have all the motion stuff just a stuffed dear. An old guy in a pick-up truck saw it, pulled over, put on his hunting vest(orange safety) got out of the truck, got his rifle, moved the minimum distance from the road and vehicle, and proceeded to take a bead on it. He shot it and was surprised that it didn't fall down or run away, before he could take a second shot all the rangers busted out laughing and then he realized what was up.

They didn't fine the old man because he did everything he was supposed and had a license to hunt the deer, they just wanted to see if he could figure out whether or not he'd fall for a completely still fake deer (This was some 30 years ago.).

Re:Useless in other coutries

[djh101010]

What a great idea! Goading hunters to shoot at a target just a few feet/meters of the road where cars pass.

You seem to miss the entire point. This isn't about hunters, it's about poachers. Poachers are people who illegally kill animals, either in the wrong place, at the wrong time of year, the wrong sex, or without having paid their license fee to do so. A hunter doesn't just drive along and suddenly decide "Oh, I think today I shall break the law, since there is a deer standing right over there." The only people shooting at these robodeer, are the people who aren't following the laws. I am having a hard time understanding why so many people in this thread are seeming to confuse hunting with poaching, this isn't a subtle distinction. Hunters follow laws and manage the deer population in the proportions determined by people who know what, where, and how many deer should be removed from the population. Poachers, don't give a shit about the laws or management, they just want free meat without paying their fair share, and without regard for the laws.

If you get the impression that hunters get annoyed at being associated with poachers, then you're perceptive. Two different groups of people.

Re:Useless in other coutries

[Popsmear]

I tried this same defense. Someone put a 7-Year old girl on the side of the road. I stopped, picked her up, drove across state lines, and raped her. They tried to tell me I was responsible. Hah. I let them know it was entrapment. I was provoked into committing that crime.

Re:Useless in other coutries

[Jeremi]

A hounter could argue that he was provoqued and the fine would be probabely dropped.

What, because the mere sight of a deer drives people into such a state of lustful desire that they can't control themselves?

"Yer honor, the deer was asking for it! His lips said no, but his antlers were saying yes, yes, yes!"

Re:But what about

[kfg]

Have you ever felt a live deer?

Yes. I also "just happen" to have some dead ones right at hand (No, I'm not just a weirdo; I'm a weirdo who ties his own trout flies).

They're fur is very high quality

If by "high quality fur" you mean thick, course, stiff and hollow hair, then yes, you're right. These properties make it an excellent insulator, and it floats, but it isn't what most people are looking for in fur; which would be something more along the lines of thin, flexible, shiney and silky smooth to the touch; like weasel (only be sure to call it something else for marketing reasons).

But you're right, these are the properties generally made in fake furs; which don't in the least resemble deer hair. I presume, however, most jackers operate at night; since a)that's when the deer are out and about and b)it makes the whole light in the eyes thing work a lot better.

KFG

No deer involved

[piggydoggy]

The people who shoot them aren't actually shooting deer. They are shooting a robot. So how come those people charged for poaching, instead of just vandalism?

Re:ElkS?

[kfg]

I'll repeat it here for those who missed it. 'ElkS'?

Well, they're not necessarily my favorite people in the world, but I think someone intent on taking pot shots at a lodge deserves getting into a bit of trouble over it.

KFG

Re:But what about

[kfg]

'Scuze me for that, I personally consider deer hide to be of a much higher quality than weasel, due to its relative durability.

I agree, but hide is not hair.

I think you'd be surprised at how bold some poachers are, especially in sparsely populated areas.

My cousin was killed in his own suburban backyard by deer poachers.

KFG

Obligatory Dr. Evil quote

[orzetto]

All I asked for was sharks with frikin' laser beams attached to their heads! Deers? Oh, that's a start.

Robo-this, robo-that

[Conanymous Award]

What's up with all these robotic animal stories recently? Within a couple of days, we've had stories of robo-seals, robo-snakes and now robo-deer. Should I welcome our new robotic animal overlords? Was that Dr. Eggman I just saw?

Poachers are in the clear...

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

... so long as they yell "it's coming right for us!" before shooting.

police as revenue collectors

[timmarhy]

when the state starts using the police as revenue collectors, they are no better then gangsters. tax's are THE only place a government is supposed to make money. buying a device especially to entrap people into paying fines is no better then hitting them for "protection" money. If any hunter had the money to challenge this i'm sure a good lawyer would win it for them.

Re:police as revenue collectors

[morpheus343]

Do you spend any time outside of the city?

Most regulations governing hunting around roadways are intended to protect people. Just drive out a ways from most cities and take a look at how far back houes/farms can often be fromt the road. These decoys are generally planted where you can see them from the road and they're intended to catch people who stop their vehicle, grab their gun and discharge it in unsafe ways.

It's a quirk of the legal system that it's called poaching because they're attempting to kill and animal in a situation where they have no right to, but really it's responding to the fact that in many areas, shooting from the road can easily mean that you're shooting right at someone's home, or at another road etc... Generally people aren't allowed to hunt anywhere they please and these robo-deer are aimed at stopping people who endanger others through their own stupidity/greed.

Hardly news

[barzok]

These "robo-deer" have been out for several years now. I recall one poacher in Michigan getting caught hunting these things not once but twice.

I've seen a few on the side of highways.

Best of all

[rbanffy]

If these robo-deer prove as profitable as the OP said, they will hardly become extinct.

I for one welcome our new robotic-deer overlords.

But Deer need to be culled

[Wansu]

They should be paying them, not fining them. There's way too many deer in the US and not enough predators to keep them in check. Most get killed by vehicle collisions anyway. Deer hunting should be encouraged.

Re:But Deer need to be culled

[Anonymous Coward]

"Deer hunting should be encouraged."

Deer hunting is encouraged, deer poaching is not. There is a difference.

robohookers

[Kildjean]

the next thing they will do is making robo-hookers and robo-drugdealers...

Will nobody think of the tourists?

[badzilla]

I'm a Brit and don't know a deer from an elk from a moose - some of them have horns some of the time don't they? I've rarely been able to get close to large animals for photos in North America but imagine the embarrassment if I saw one of these and was snapping away like hell when the cops came.

Not really robots

[ishmalius]

I would call these "animatrons" since they are merely animated to have the appearance of animals. But I would not classify them as robots. They are no more robots than Battlebots are robots. They are not autonomous at all.

Nor do they have any "servo" function. That is where they would sense something in their environment, perform some analysis of that information, and respond according to the analysis.

Law for Profit?

[Stiletto]

Like another poster mentioned, this is just a blatant case of using the police as gangster-like money collectors. It's a big problem when you start measuring your laws and law-enforcement techniques in terms of how much PROFIT they generate.

It sounds like an all-too-common case of too many police, not enough crime.

If they're down to spending their time going after deer poachers, they're already scraping the bottom of the crime barrel. Perhaps they need to start making cuts in the police force rather than investing in a $2,000 money-making deer robot.

Re:OFFICER!! I KNEW it wasnt real!!

[T.E.D.]

Officer!! What are you fining me for?? I KNEW that it was a freakin robotic deer and...

Destruction of Government Property. Its a felony too, so you just lost your right to vote, pal.

Made with real deer skin and fur

[dtfinch]

They kill a deer to build a robotic deer to catch people killing deer.

Re:Made with real deer skin and fur

[wolfgang_spangler]

They kill a deer to build a robotic deer to catch people killing deer. Most deer that are processed by professionals have the hides sold. Most deer processed at home have the hides thrown out (a shame).

They most likely get the hides from a local processor and use them instead of letting them go to waste. This is a good thing. The more of the animal that is used, the better.

nothing new

[DrDitto]

I was hunting with a friend 15 years ago in Wisconsin. We were driving down a road, saw a large buck standing about 100 yards away...its head had a slight movement. My friend got out and shot the thing about 10 times before getting back into the truck. 5 minutes later a DNR officer was writing a $1000+ ticket!

A link from 1993

[jsrjsr]

This link is to a story from 1993:

http://www.hcn.org/servlets/hcn.Article?article_id =2584

And I remember first hearing of these "robodeer" in the 80's. Best rural legend I heard about them involved a guy who legally shot one to pieces (he spotted the robodeer out in the field, went and got permission to hunt on the land, snuck up on it and blasted away -- the story goes that the DNR agents had set it up to sting people shooting from the road and had put it far enough into the field that he didn't violate any laws).

'Course, maybe it takes the VOA a while to report things....

The test

[Sloppy]

If you cannot ballistically distinguish a deer from a robot, can the robot be considered a deer?

Re:But what about

[Walt Dismal]

Based upon your recommendations I wish to place an order for 50 Tonnes of weasel fur.

How quickly can fill this order?

As soon as we can shoot and skin many members of Congress.