Read thru the little trapping reg book. Not 100% sure on the legality. Short version is you may not use drones to "take" game or furbearers. Does cutting trail qualify as taking?

^^^^^
Does that mean "take" as in hunting or trapping. There are of course some furbearers that may be taken under a hunting license by hunting rather than trapping. I don't know why you couldn't check a trap with a drone. I guess some clarification would be in order here. It probably hasn't been that long since that verbiage in the regs was drafted, so it should be easy to find out what they intended when writing the regs.

From my days on the BOG, I learned that the word "take" means "anything that AST wants it to mean in any particular case!" Be careful!

Pete

Are you allowed to do aerial surveys for beaver?

I would call Alaska inland fisheries and wildlife or what ever it is called in Alaska and find out.

Your "cutting" trail.

I would say that someone would have to prove that your intent in just "flying your drone" was to aid you in "taking" wildlife. They probably could do it if you flew the drone and then cut a trail and used that but that seems a stretch. Nevertheless, I think the wording in the statute is pretty clear that the intent of the law is to prohibit drone usage for anything remotely related to "taking" wildlife. Not worth the risk IMO.

I would think it far less risky to just fire up the Citabria and go have a look. At least there is no fixed, onboard camera in that instance. We have all used the airplane to look for tracks in the snow. If that isn't illegal I don't see where using the plane to cut a trail would be either. Who hasn't done that ?? But the drone certainly might be a problem with the right or wrong member of AST


This might give some clearer ideas

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=908

Seems to me if you weren't actively hunting or trapping, they couldn't say much about it. But I'm not your attorney, don't take my advice lol

I sent Sgt. Valentine an email a few days ago. Haven't heard back.
All my trail cutting days were before drones, google earth, OnX hunt, etc, Used topo maps. Wonder how much a drone with a camera would cost? How big are they? How easily can you carry one on a snogo?
Pete, I think you are correct!!

I don't know what they cost, I don't have one. You could definitely ride one around on a snow machine though. A guy brought one out and filmed us cutting timber on Dall Island with one a few years ago, seemed like a pretty slick setup. The guy was also really good at flying it, and I'm not much into video games, so I don't know how easy or hard that would be to learn

Just do it. I think google earth would be cheaper and easier.

Is it a law enacted by the Legislature, or a regulation created by the BOG? Find which one, get the notes/minutes, etc., from the proceedings when the law/reg was adopted and see what the intent was. It may be very clear one way or another, or murky.
Don't just rely on some LEO's interpretation.

LEO?...BOG?

The regulation on drones is from the BOG but the definition of TAKE is in statute.......i.e the legislature

This is what I do. I have tons of screenshots from mapper and I look at specific area just before going there and sketch in on the paper map for in the field. Thought about a drone but it seems like one more hassle

Law Enforcement Officer

Alaska Board of Game (regulatory authority)

Thank you Pete .If I'm going to be spending time up there I figured I better know what all these terms mean.

FYI,
(35) “take” means taking, pursuing, hunting, fishing, trapping, or in any manner disturbing, capturing, or killing or attempting to take, pursue, hunt, fish, trap, or in any manner capture or kill fish or game;

(19) “game” means any species of bird, reptile, and mammal, including a feral domestic animal, found or introduced in the state, except domestic birds and mammals; and game may be classified by regulation as big game, small game, fur bearers or other categories considered essential for carrying out the intention and purposes of AS 16.05 — AS 16.40;

Remember your cutting a trail.

Some time weeds just get down into the weeds to much. Personally, i don't think using a drone to scout where to cut a trail is a violation of the "use of drones in taking game". Though, if you want another grey area of law and regulation? Lets tackle same day airborne. If i am out hunting game, and i jump up into the air (both feet leave the ground), Have i been airborne? Can i still continue to hunt that day? Ummh.

The problem with weeds is, like Pete inferred, it's LEOs who determine what's a weed and what's a violation!