ok so this happened last week and im still not totally sure how to feel about it. was flying near (but definitely not inside) zion national park, like i had checked everything and was on blm land which should be totally fine. ranger comes over and was pretty aggressive about it, kept saying i needed a permit even though from everything ive read blm land doesnt require one. i wasnt rude or anything just showed him my registration and explained where i was standing. he eventually left but kind of muttered something about checking with his supervisor

has anyone else dealt with this? like i know the rules but in the moment when someone in a uniform is questioning you it throws you off even when youre doing nothing wrong

yeah this happens more than people think. a lot of rangers honestly just dont know the specific rules for drones on blm vs nps land, they kind of lump it all together. youre right that blm generally doesnt require a permit for recreational flying. i usually just have the relevant regulation pulled up on my phone ready to go, not in a confrontational way just so i can calmly show it. most of the time once they see you actually know what youre talking about they back off

ugh thats annoying. i wouldve probaly just packed up to avoid the hassle honestly even if i was in the right, not worth the stress on a trip. did you get any good shots before all that happened at least