The Hunters Orange Epidemic

[ewade07]

I don't know about anyone else out there, but I am starting to see a trend in Montana. Lately I have been seeing guys wearing little to no orange. This year my brother and I ran into two guys out mule deer hunting, one wearing orange, the other not wearing any, not even a hat or anything. Below are the regulations in MT:

87-6-414. Failure to wear hunter orange while big game hunting. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3), a person may not hunt any big game animals in this state or accompany any hunter as an outfitter or guide under any of the provisions of the laws of this state without wearing as exterior garments above the waist a total of not less than 400 square inches of hunter orange material visible at all times while hunting.
(2) As used in this section, "hunter orange" means a daylight fluorescent orange color.
(3) This section does not apply to a person hunting:
(a) with a bow and arrow during the special archery season; or
(b) wolves outside the general deer and elk season as authorized by commission rules.
(4) The department shall make rules to implement this section.
(5) A person convicted of a violation of this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than $10 or more than $20.

How hard is it to put on a little mesh vest? I know it may not seem like much but something this simple really bugs the hell out of me. I have been seeing more and more of this every year as well. You are even starting to see it on videos guys post on Youtube! I watched a video the other day of two out of state hunters in eastern MT either not wearing any orange at all or just a hat while clearly out pursuing game and most likely having shot the animal. I just dont get it, its not that hard! Does this bug any one else out there?

 

[jspradley]

Some errors can be self correcting...

 

[Huckleberry Hound]

I really dont care. People should be able to make their own decisions on their personal safety.

 

[ewade07]

Some errors can be self correcting...

??????

 

[slick]

Think it speaks for itself ewade

 

[jspradley]

I was being facetious in that not wearing your orange can lead to a very final correction to the error.

I agree 100% though, hunter orange has led to an incredible decrease in hunting accidents and it's just plain stupid to not use it

 

[orelkaddict]

Guess you've never seen some idiot look through their scope at that "orange thing" over there to see what it is? I refuse to wear orange for this reason alone!!! So I don't apply for any hunts where it's required

 

[87TT]

^^^^ This

 

[elkstabber]

There are 8-9 states that don't require any hunter orange anytime. Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, all come to mind. I'm not aware of those states having hunting "accidents" any more than the states that require hunter orange.

Virginia, where I live, requires hunter orange during deer firearms seasons and I would bet that we lead the nation in hunters shooting each other. Most every hunt club in my area has had a member shoot another member within the last 10 years or so. This is typically with buckshot while shooting at running deer being chased by hounds. Fortunately, the buckshot isn't very effective and so the victims rarely die (only 1-2 per year). Its so bad in Virginia that we had an off duty LEO shoot another off duty LEO as he was driving down the road about 3 years ago.

Hunters shoot each other by being irresponsible. It's cultural. I'm not convinced that hunter orange helps much. If I hunted public land in Virginia during firearms season (I don't) I would wear orange. But, ultimately, if somebody else doesn't then it sure isn't my business.

 

[HookUp]

Snitches get stitches. Not a supporter of orange laws but do comply. Hunters do not need to see blaze orange to know not to shoot, refer to basic firearms safety rules.

 

[Laelkhunter]

I don't quite get the idea behind requiring hunters to wear orange. If it is for their safety, why don't other people in the woods have to wear it also? How many hunting shows have you watched where the hunter is accompanied by his guide, and usually a film crew, but only the hunter has the orange on?? If it is to prevent hunters afield from being mistaken for game, why not require everyone to wear it?? I know it would be difficult to force hikers, etc to wear orange, but it just doesn't make sense.

 

[ewade07]

Snitches get stitches. Not a supporter of orange laws but do comply. Hunters do not need to see blaze orange to know not to shoot, refer to basic firearms safety rules.

Snitches get stitches? Really? Refer to basic hunting regulations on hunter orange requirements. If someone doesnt wear it its a violation, plain and simple. I'm sure lots of people are against it. I personally dont think its a big deal, the deer/elk/whatever other ungulate cant see in color anyways. The orange is for your own personal safety. And there are ALOT of dumb hunters out there.

 

[Broomd]

Guess you've never seen some idiot look through their scope at that "orange thing" over there to see what it is? I refuse to wear orange for this reason alone!!! So I don't apply for any hunts where it's required

If your among those that would glass through a rifle scope at your orange covered head, they'll surely shoot at the first sight of something moving that is non-orange.
But hey.

That said, we have no orange regs here, but I refuse to enter any property around us at dark without two headlamps on my noggin, facing front 180* and back 180*. I'm skeptical of safety even on our own acreage! The same ones who would trespass would shoot at any dark shape or at the sound of brush moving.
Some might call that paranoid, don't GAS. I'm still alive.

 

[Ratbeetle]

I really dont care. People should be able to make their own decisions on their personal safety.

Not only this but if the only thing keeping some idiot from mistaking a human for a 4-legged critter is bright colors...well that person probably eats crayons and has no business toting a rifle in the woods.

Orange or not, failing to identify your target and shooting a person should equal a very long prison stay.

 

[wymtnpounder]

POS comment.

Guess I took that as tung in cheek...
Anyways, I always felt like the hunter orange was more for the game warden than for safety. At least here in WY

 

[Walking Birds]

I grew up in NY where we don't have a requirement, so I never wore it when hunting my family's private land, but I would always don it when I'd go onto public during an open deer season. Here in AZ, I'll still put on an orange hat or something if I think there will be a lot of folks in the area (rifle cow hunts for instance), but I'll hold off on the more open country hunts like for pigs or coues

 

[Desk Jockey]

Big fan of Orange for upland hunting wher things can get crazy.

For big game, I hunt some high pressure areas in NY and PA. Wear Orange during rifle season for sure. Bow sometimes when I am on public land during muzzleloader season. PA allows shooting 30 mins before/after sun up and down. Too many clowns for me to take a chance.

I also chucked a brown Patagonia r2 fleece jacket that made me look too much like a deer/bear.

 

[Randle]

I wear it and have my family and friends wear it so we don't become an incidentally accident of being shot because we were beyond the target animal and were un seen in the background, I have a friend that was settling in on a shot at a buck when he caught a little movement 150 yards behind the buck , passed on the shot because it was a fully camoed hunter, with out that movement he would have shot, had there been orange he would have never even lifted his rifle up.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

There are 8-9 states that don't require any hunter orange anytime. Nevada, Arizona, Alaska, Idaho, all come to mind. I'm not aware of those states having hunting "accidents" any more than the states that require hunter orange.

Virginia, where I live, requires hunter orange during deer firearms seasons and I would bet that we lead the nation in hunters shooting each other. Most every hunt club in my area has had a member shoot another member within the last 10 years or so. This is typically with buckshot while shooting at running deer being chased by hounds. Fortunately, the buckshot isn't very effective and so the victims rarely die (only 1-2 per year). Its so bad in Virginia that we had an off duty LEO shoot another off duty LEO as he was driving down the road about 3 years ago.

Hunters shoot each other by being irresponsible. It's cultural. I'm not convinced that hunter orange helps much. If I hunted public land in Virginia during firearms season (I don't) I would wear orange. But, ultimately, if somebody else doesn't then it sure isn't my business.

If everyone in your club has shot one another at some point in time, i would be wearing head to toe orange on private land too!!

 

[EastMT]

Sometimes I wear orange even when it’s not required. Depends on the area. With the modern hipster hunters in the woods listening to podcasts having never stepped in the woods before, I’ll at-least put an orange hat on me and my boy.

I’ve been shot over before, in a ditch and someone shot at an animal I was stalking, there is no sound like the whip of a bullet overhead then a report. I’ll take my chances with a color