Montana Sheriff Warns: Don’t Shoot Drones

Some things you should never have to remind people about in Montana. Don’t go into someone’s yard and mess with their fence. Don’t crowd a boat ramp. And apparently now… don’t shoot at tiny UFOs flying around your property.

Yep. We’re here.

Open Season?

In fact, just recently, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office released a public notice reminding everyone that shooting at a drone is a federal crime, even if it’s flying over your property. That's right. Law enforcement has to remind the rednecks not to open fire on flying robots.

Given the way folks are reacting, this may rank up there as one of the most Montana problems ever.

Drones Doing Work

To be fair, the drones people have been spotting are not just random peepers hanging out for fun. Many are reportedly being operated by utility and contracting companies to assess damage and inspect infrastructure. Trees, power lines, storm cleanup, the stuff that actually matters.

In other words, they’re not spying on you. They’re trying to fix things.

But that explanation has not exactly calmed anyone down.

How Much is a Drone Tag?

Scroll through the comments, and you’ll see where people stand in no time. One person wrote, “If it comes over my land, I’m shooting it down.” Another added, “Fly over my house, I will shoot it down… mind my business.” Then you’ve got the more creative crowd asking if it still counts as “shooting it” if you take it down with a net.

Cue Where This All Gets Interesting.

On one hand, you’ve got Montana instincts. Something flying low over your property that you didn’t invite? That doesn’t sit right with a lot of people. Privacy matters out here. Always has.

But then there’s federal law on the other side. Airspace doesn’t work the same way as land. So while it may feel like it’s “your space,” legally it’s a completely different game. And if you take a shot at a drone, you’re not just knocking something out of the sky… You could be facing felony charges.

Which feels like a pretty steep price to pay for what could’ve just been a utility crew checking a line.

"Anyway, So I Started Blasting!"

This whole thing is really just old Montana running headfirst into new tech. And right now, neither side seems ready to budge. So yeah, if you see a drone buzzing overhead, you might want to hold off on grabbing the shotgun for a minute.

Even if a part of you really, really wants to.