Hunter Orange and Backpack

[COlineman78]

I see what you're saying, but the DOW is famous for wording the laws wrong. They mean the hat and vest needs to be seen from all directions. Point that out to them, and it will get changed in the next brochure.

Can they change regs all willy nilly like that? I thought there was some sort of voting and/or approval process, because technically it is a law. I don't know how you could reword it other than to specifically say the outer garment must be visible in all directions, which leads to more problems in that your arms technically cover the vest, so now you have to wear something with orange sleeves.

 

[gelton]

I have a blaze orange original Kifaru Grab It that I use on my DT1 during rifle. I also keep it in the truck to switch out if packing out head and antlers for a little extra protection during bow/muzzy season. Not sure if they still make it in blaze orange or not but handy none the less.

 

[COlineman78]

Nope, they don't make it anymore. Would be a nice to have though when packing out antlers.

 

[Bar]

Can they change regs all willy nilly like that? I thought there was some sort of voting and/or approval process, because technically it is a law. I don't know how you could reword it other than to specifically say the outer garment must be visible in all directions, which leads to more problems in that your arms technically cover the vest, so now you have to wear something with orange sleeves.

I don't think it's a big deal, and it's for your safety. I don't know why you're making a big deal out of it. I would cover my pack with BO whether it was a law, or not. It's the reason I bought a BO day pack. I'd prefer to not get shot.

 

[thunderchicken21]

Sent follow up comments/questions. Below are the responses. The questions and/or comments were forwarded to Bob Thompson (Lead Wildlife Investigator).


Brett,

Your questions referring to daylight fluorescent orange (DFO) was referred to our law enforcement unit from Bob Fisher, manager of our Call Center. I would try to respond to your three follow-up questions.

Question 1. Per the requirement, it states the solid daylight fluorescent orange hat or head covering must be visible from all directions. However, it does not state that the 500 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange worn as an outer garment above the waist must be visible from all directions. Based on that text, one would be misled into believing they are required to cover their pack with 500 square inches of solid daylight fluorescent orange. Please clarify.

Response 1: Brett, you are correct in that it does not state that the 500 square inches of DFO worn as an outer garment above the waist must be visible from all directions. However, we strongly recommend that a person has some DFO on a pack so that the DFO can be seen from behind. In Colorado we used to have between 50-60 hunting accidents per year until the institution of the DFO requirement for certain rifle big game seasons which can be crowded with hunters. This DFO requirement in addition to mandatory hunter education has reduced our hunting accidents to almost nothing.


Question 2. As a follow up to #1 above, if a person was to wear a solid daylight fluorescent orange hat visible from all directions and a 500 square inch piece of solid daylight fluorescent orange on their front as an outer garment (without a back), it would still technically meet the requirements as written. Based on that text, it would be understood that the pack would not be required to meet the solid daylight fluorescent orange requirement. Please clarify.

Response 2: I don't know if a person, unless they are extremely large, could have 500 square inches in the front as an outer garment and above the waist. 500 square inches of DFO is about 3 1/2 sq. feet of DFO material which gives a better visual comparison. Again, the law is for the personal safety of the hunter and to be seen from all directions would be best.


Question 3. It seems your understanding of “outer garment” classifies the pack as the outer garment. Is this defined in the regulations anywhere that you can point me to? Common knowledge would suggest that a pack is not an outer garment. Outer garment is defined as “an article of clothing” whereas a pack is defined as “a container to be carried on the body of a person or animal.” These definitions are directly pulled from www.thefreedictionary.com. Please clarify.

Response 3: You are correct in that if "outer garment" is not defined in statute or regulation then the common definition (knowledge) is applied as it is currently not defined in our laws.
I would encourage you to check our laws each time that you hunt in Colorado because they can change from year to year.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have further questions. Good luck hunting in Colorado!!

 

[COlineman78]

Thanks SELFILMED!

The way I read those answers is exactly as I expected; there is the letter of the law and there are best practices. Obviously hunting rifle seasons, especially OTC you should make sure you have as much orange showing as possible. Since I primarily hunt private and land-locked BLM for muzzleloader I will continue to not use orange on my pack as a matter of practice unless packing out antlers.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I was also wondering about a binocular harness in the front (the one with a pouch for the binocs)?? If you use one, and also have a backpack without orange on your back, your orange won't be visible much at all, except for your hat. Just a follow-up, I bought the Camelbak Tactical rain cover for the hydration system, and it fits and looks really good. Thanks to COlineman78 for mentioning that cover early in this thread !!

 

[Rs3003]

Will the Camelbak Tactical rain cover for the hydration system fit over a EXO 3500?

 

[Laelkhunter]

Possibly. The cover is rectangular shaped, and has bungee type fasteners that you can cinch up tight after you stretch it over the pack or Camelbak.

 

[JWP58]

My outdoorsman came with a neato blaze orange pullout. But I don't big game hunt in CO.

 

[oldgoat]

I have an extra large blaze orange hanky I tie onto my backpack, you can also just buy an extra orange vest and attach somehow with straps or whatever!

 

[Johnson27]

Thanks to everyone for the heads up on this subject. I went to Farm & Fleet and pick up a BO vest (size 4X and $5.95) and cut it into 3 pieces. The 2 fronts are going to be for day packs while the back will be for my TZ6000. My wife is just finishing sewing the new hems. I still have to figure out the attachments, but that shouldn't be too hard. Quick, cheap solution and this way I know I'm legal in CO this year.

 

[COlineman78]

Will the Camelbak Tactical rain cover for the hydration system fit over a EXO 3500?

I think the 3500 would be a very tight fit depending on how full you had it. It is a little big on my USGI 3 day assault pack, but not much. It'd be nice if Kuiu made a version of theirs in blaze as the sizes are nice.

 

[whuppinstick]

Orange Aglow makes a product called a Safety Panel which exactly addresses the problem of a pack covering your vest. The panel is 115" square of blaze orange and has velcro on all four corners so it's easy to attach to your backpack (or antlers, or skull plate, or saddle, etc..).

Disclaimer: I am the founder of Orange Aglow.

 

[Rs3003]

Thanks for the info. I just purchased 1 from Orange Aglow. I am order 1021

 

[whuppinstick]

Thanks for the info. I just purchased 1 from Orange Aglow. I am order 1021

It's already sealed in a padded envelope ready to go out tomorrow! Thanks!

 

[Rs3003]

great!

 

[bikerdavet]

I am hunting muzzle loader so I am going to try the orange aglow panel on my T1. Never did like getting shot at.....

 

[CoHiCntry]

Orange Aglow makes a product called a Safety Panel which exactly addresses the problem of a pack covering your vest. The panel is 115" square of blaze orange and has velcro on all four corners so it's easy to attach to your backpack (or antlers, or skull plate, or saddle, etc..).

Disclaimer: I am the founder of Orange Aglow.

This has been on my mind since my buddy told me last time we were hunting "you sure aren't showing much orange"... With a backpack on that wraps around to the front plus the shoulder straps and my large AGC bino chest rig, he's right. I'm probably coming nowhere close to the requirement for orange. I was thinking of devising something homemade for my pack, but for $6 bucks I might try out one of these orange aglow panels. Thanks for posting this option up whuppinstick!

 

[CoHiCntry]

This has been on my mind since my buddy told me last time we were hunting "you sure aren't showing much orange"... With a backpack on that wraps around to the front plus the shoulder straps and my large AGC bino chest rig, he's right. I'm probably coming nowhere close to the requirement for orange. I was thinking of devising something homemade for my pack, but for $6 bucks I might try out one of these orange aglow panels. Thanks for posting this option up whuppinstick!

Order #1024...