Ah, progress. A Texas company, Live-Shot , is planning to let hunters use a webcam and an Internet-controlled rifle to shoot down deer, mouflon sheep, antelopes and wild pigs as they roam a 54-acre ranch, according to the BBC.

John Underwood got the idea a year ago when he was watching deer via a webcam on another net site, "We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said 'If you just had a gun for that'. A little light bulb went off in my head..."

Each remote hunting session will cost $150 with additional fees for meat processing and taxidermy work.

Already the Live-Shot site lets people shoot 10 rounds at paper and silhouette targets for $5.95 for each 20-minute shooting session. For further fees, users can get the target they shot and a DVD recording of their session.

Handlers oversee each shooting session and can stop the gun being fired if it is being aimed off-range or at something it should not be...

Mike Berger, wildlife director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, said current hunting statutes did not cover net or remote hunting. Besides, the law only covers "regulated animals" and there's thus nothing to stop Mr Underwood letting people hunt "unregulated" imported animals. (via The Near Near Future).