Orange: should it be required and do the animals notice it?

[Bear]

Do you guys all think orange should be required for hunters? I don't but in Colorado all hunters have to ware a fair amount of orange (can't remember the law, but it is a lot). I think it should be the hunters choice. I also think that, even though deer and elk don't see colors, that they notice something, well different about the orange. Do you all agree with me? what are your opinions on the topic?

[RGFIXIT]

I've never hunted elk, but my deer hunting experience tells me that if you treat your clothing with UV eliminator, deer see you as they do everything else in the world. Turkeys are another story.

This is a common sense issue. There are times I prefer to hunt in camo and times I absolutely wear orange and plenty of it.

Hunting in NY is far safer than most any other outdoor activity. Over the last 10 years 99.93% of licensed hunters were not involved in any type of hunting related accident afield. (From: The NYS Hunter Education Accident Survey Statistics)

I don't need the state to tell me when or how much orange to wear.

RG

[venisonman]

I use UV eliminator, wash clothes and body with no scent and wear blaze orange break up camo. They don't see me. Hehehehehehe.

[Swantucky]

   In Ohio blaze orange is required when small game and deer hunting with a firearm.  I think it is a good idea with the amount of heavy cover in our area,  you know being able to see what is beyond your target.  Here is a story that happened to me about 20 years ago when I was about 17 years old .  Back then was before the good old days of deer hunting in Ohio and you had to apply for an antlerless permit (now in certian counties you can buy up to 4 a year)  I drew one of these limited permits and was thrilled to be able to shoot any deer as I had never gotten one before.   I was still-hunting along a slight ridge above a thicket about 100yds long and 60 yards wide.  I was at the south end of the chest high briars when I noticed two guys in blaze orange start at the far north end begin a push through the cover.  I got up a little higher than the thicket so I could see into it as they pushed it.  (I was thinking what luck these guys will push any deer right twards me !!! right place right time!!!)  They were about 30 yds into the cover and I could see something moving twards me about 25 yds in front of them,  I started getting excited !  here comes one !!  At about 50 yds from me I could see brown moving at a walking pace.  (remember this cover is about waist to chest high)  I bring my gun up and can see brown moving but no head or definite body outline so I hold my fire.  ( I cannot remeber whether I had my saftey on or off at this time)  At about 30 yards from me I still had this "deer" coming right for me,  I still cannot see a body outline but am starting to think at this range with a 12 ga. slug it won't really matter where I hit it.  (I know better now but I was a 17 year old self taught hunter)  I put my gun on it and prepare to fire,  my first deer is about to fall............but wait did'nt they teach us in hunter saftey to always be sure of your target?? I better wait till it breaks cover and I have a clear shot.  I lower my gun from my shoulder and keep it at the half ready position.........About 5 seconds later a guy dressed in brown carharts stands up and asks if I have seen anything!!!!!!  He was crawling on all fours opening day of gun season in a brown outfit from head to toe!!!!! (by the way Ohio did have a blaze orange law at the time)  I asked himm where  your orange was and he said back at the truck,  his hat kept blowing off!!!!  I told him in a not so nice way that it almost cost him his life,  he said sorry.  I still get chills reliving this expirence to this day.  A few things come to mind---would I still be a hunter if I would have shot him???  I doubt it, that would have changed my life forever.  What was this guy thinking???  By the way I shot a nice doe the last day of the season for my first deer and have gotten at least one with the exception of 2 years since then.  Any thoughts???

[RGFIXIT]

Many of us have had this type of close call. It reinforces both sides of the orange argument. The fool in the carharts obviously had no common sense at all, you however were  a safe hunter and didn't shoot because you couldn't positively identify your target even though there was no orange in view.

The fact is, that even with an orange  law...a fool like that probably won't wear orange and stands a better chance of ending up dead because the shooter didn't see orange.


Circular logic does not work

RG

[BuckShotJon]

The animals I hunt for the most part do not see orange. Turkey is a exception, they do and the spiort requires camo, although I still move with a orange hat on.

I am a big fan of less government regulation, involvement in peoples lives. However I am a strong proponent of a blaze orange law.

Most people with common sense will wear it. But even people with common sense do some dumb things such as removing all there orange when they get in a tree,  which I will never understand people deer do not see the orange. Anyway a blaze orange law would be great. For the people without common sense it would force then to have the common sense or start taking money from there pockets with fines. That would wake some one up. Also the other key benefit to a law would be another tool to fight trespassers who do not wear orange to go undetected and escape easily if they are spotted.

Jon

[PA_BOWHUNTER]

Also the other key benefit to a law would be another tool to fight trespassers who do not wear orange to go undetected and escape easily if they are spotted.

Jon

Jon, do you really think that people who are not concerned about breaking trespassing laws will be concerned about hunter orange regs?  I doubt it, the unfortunate thing about these type of laws is that the only people that follow them are people who most likely wouldn't trespass anyway.

[BuckShotJon]

PA,

Nope I do not think they will care at all. But if caught this just adds another charge against them. Need to hit them in the pocket books and with the law, becuase we can't shoot them on site. So what I am saying is take a point system for example......A system where beyond a fine and possible jail a person is assessed points for a violation for example......say the system allows for 100 points.....get caught with a illegal deer 90 points from the system.....wearing no orage while commiting the act.....50 points = 140.....loss of license is at 100......

Its just another tool. Trespassers do not care that they are breaking the law...but hit them with enough violations and they will start to see it is not worth it. Trust me I have proof of this for a idiot we have dealt with.

Jon

[PA_BOWHUNTER]

That would be great if it worked.  The fact is that most of the people who act in this manner wouldn't be phased by not having a hunting license and fines they would just set up on some ridiculously low payment arrangements like $5/month.  I think that strict jail time would be the only successful means of punishment (besides hanging or a firing squad ).  Heck most of the people I am referring to don't even have drivers licenses yet they are running the roads like nobody's business.

[BuckShotJon]

PA,

True for sure....

3 things are certain in life.....death, taxes and morons.



Jon

[Bobman]

I'm torn by this issue, on one hand I'm sick of the government regulating my life on common sense issues such as hunter orange or seat belt laws, etc.  On the other hand some of the morons out there just don't get it unless it's forced upon them.  I mean common sense should tell anyone that the smart thing is to wear orange especially during firearms seasons or to wear a seat belt when driving but many individuals these days lack common sense.  I too have had the experience with numbnuts in brown carharts during deer season as well as almost shooting at game until seeing the orange clothing appear in the line of fire.  But will another law really make it better?  There are laws against road hunting and trespassing but most of us still experience it every year so I'm sure an orange law would be the same.  So as I said I'm on both sides of this issue.

As to wether animals notice or not, I think that the animals notice and react to sound, smell and movement much more than colors.  I've stalked flocks of fall turkey to within 20 yards while wearing an orange vest and hat.  I've spent a lot of time deer hunting in all orange just sitting under a tree (without a ground blind) and had deer walk right up to and past me without spooking.  The only time that I absolutely wear camo is hunting waterfowl and spring turkey (I don't bow hunt... yet).  I think that waterfowl are far more visual that most animals since they are flying high and looking down for places to land.  I've seen ducks flair from a long distance just from someone in the blind looking up without a camo mask.  And spring turkey are just very wary of anything out of the ordinary.

[unclebuck]

I have never worn camo hunting big game.  I do however, wear it when hunting ducks or geese.  In the 30 odd years that I have been hunting big game, I cannot recall an instance where the animals shied away from the blaze orange that I have worn.  In fact, earlier this fall, two of us were standing on a cutline and had a muley buck walk within 10 feet of us and not notice us.  He bolted only when he caught our scent, some 100 feet past us!!!  It is my opinion that movement is what spooks them, rather than the color.   

[SDpheasant]

i think that u should have to wear blaze orange unless duck or turkey hunting.