It’s drone hunting season in the Legislature. We counted at least five bills to regulate what are called in legislative legalese “unmanned aircraft systems.”

Drones are everywhere. Fighting in war. Swooping around parks. Buzzing overhead in neighborhoods. Helping police find suspects. Inspecting bridges. Monitoring crops and livestock. Racing. They are used for more things and more useful than many of us probably ever imagined.

And they can be irritating or worse if it looks like they are following you around, taking invasive pictures or video, harassing wildlife, endangering aircraft and more.

Recently, House Bill 2688 was before the House Committee on the Judiciary, chaired by state Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend. State Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, laid out his plans for the bill he sponsored.

Originally it was going to be a bill to give property owners a tool to fight back against unwanted drones over private property. But the bill’s implications trespassed into uncertain legal territory. Some of the state’s drone industry lined up against it. The chief organizations representing Oregon city and county governments also objected, because it was feared the bill might interfere with legitimate government activity.

Owens said he plans to “gut and stuff” the bill and transform it away from one that will take immediate action. It will become one that will create a task force to study the problems drones can create and recommend what might be done.

“We’ll figure out what are the issues, who needs to be involved and we will craft that bill,” he said.

There is a bill in the Senate, Senate Bill 809, which requires the Oregon Department of Aviation to study drones. We got the impression Owens wants broader input.

Owens is taking a smart approach. There were many unanswered questions about even what the law is for drones during the discussion about his bill. And there are privacy concerns with drones that must be balanced with legitimate use and development of the industry.

Here is a quick rundown of three other drone bills.

Senate Bill 810 and House Bill 2520 deal with enforcement.

SB 810 makes it a Class A felony for someone who possesses or controls a drone to knowingly, intentionally or recklessly cause another person to die or receive serious injury by causing the drone to:

• Direct a laser at an aircraft while the aircraft is in the air.

• Crash into an aircraft when it is in the air.

• Or prevent an aircraft from taking off or landing.

HB 2520 makes it clear that using a drone to interfere with wildfire suppression or a law enforcement or emergency response effort would become a Class A misdemeanor.

The last bill deals with drones and parks. Senate Bill 812 would allow local governments to ban the takeoff and landing of drones from parks owned by local government.

Some remote control hobbyists in Bend and elsewhere are opposing this bill. Remote control planes are considered unmanned aircraft systems, too.