Another animal rights group is shopping for drones it will use to watch for animal abuse -- and gun owners are setting their sights in anticipation . People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said this week it plans to purchase drones -- small , remote-controlled , camera-carrying aircraft -- to watch for illegal activity among hunters . In a press release , PETA said it would `` monitor those who are out in the woods with death on their minds , '' using spotlights or feed lures , or drinking alcohol while in possession of a firearm . PETA also intends to fly the remote-controlled aircraft over factory farms , fishing spots and `` other venues where animals routinely suffer and die , '' it said . The group does n't yet have any drones or specific locations where it intends to fly them , and organizers do n't know when they 'll attempt to put them in the air . The organization wants to watch bear hunters , in particular , PETA President Ingrid Newkirk told CNN . Bear hunting is legal , but Newkirk said PETA would look for hunters luring bears with food or killing mothers with cubs at their sides . `` The talk is usually about drones being used as killing machines , but PETA drones will be used to save lives , '' Newkirk said in a news release . In the United States , people can fly model aircraft without approval from the Federal Aviation Administration if they keep the drone in line of sight , lower than 400 feet above ground and away from airports and air traffic . Other types of unmanned aircraft systems need FAA approval , according to the agency . Newkirk said PETA plans to follow U.S. requirements while flying drones and will fly them overseas , where there may be fewer restrictions . PETA is active in the United Kingdom , the Netherlands , Germany , Hong Kong and India . As news of PETA 's plan spread , gun owners reacted online . The shooting sports website AmmoLand responded by posting a PETA drone practice target for readers to use at the shooting range . `` Sounds to me like this will create a whole new shooting sport , '' the site said . `` PETA Drone Target Shooting . '' Readers at the blog Guns.com posted similar comments . Newkirk said she was n't concerned . `` I 'd rather have them shoot something inanimate than an innocent doe , '' she said . `` It 's not the bedroom ; it 's the great outdoors , so let 's see what they 're up to . '' It is n't the first time an animal rights group has considered using drones to track hunters . Showing Animals Respect and Kindness , or SHARK , has launched camera-carrying aircraft hundreds of times to film pigeon shoots , said Steve Hindi , the organization 's president . During pigeon shoots , hunters try to shoot birds after they 're released from cages or mechanically launched . Hindi posts the footage online and sends links to state and local law enforcement , but has n't gotten much response . Twice , SHARK 's drones have been shot while filming pigeon shoots at Wing Pointe shooting resort in Berks County , Pennsylvania , Hindi said . In a press release from November , SHARK said the camera feed went out on a drone camera after a single shot from the shooting range . State police investigators said they could n't identify who shot the drone at Wing Pointe , and could n't prove whether it was an accident , said David Beohm , spokesman for the Pennsylvania State Police . Beohm said the drone was flying in airspace restricted by the FAA . Hindi said he does n't believe the shooting was an accident . `` It was a damn good shot , '' he said . CNN contacted Wing Pointe , but representatives declined to comment . Pigeon shoots are legal in Pennsylvania . Law enforcement officers tried to prevent SHARK from flying a drone in South Carolina in February 2012 , Hindi said . A shot brought down the drone soon after it went into the air , and it crashed into a highway , Hindi said . The Colleton County Sheriff 's Office filed an incident report . It 's still an open case , and no one has been charged . Hindi said he 's gotten calls from people who say they 'll fly drones over his house . He said he does n't care , and that he 'll continue to fly drones as long as it 's legal . `` We have these knee-jerk reactions about drones , when the average person has no worries , '' he said .
PETA says it plans to purchase drones to watch for illegal activity among hunters . Hunters online have suggested they 'll shoot down PETA 's remote-controlled aircraft . Showing Animals Respect and Kindness has flown camera-carrying drones to track hunters . Comment: