Staying safe while hunting

[Howard Pippin]

Here in Montana, us instructors give a hunters orange vest to all new graduates of hunter safety and pray that they're smart enough to wear them. Don't be fooled that red will save you or red black Plaid or blue or black or buckskin. We don't kid ourselves, hunters orange was the main reason for hunting accidents going down and not us instructors. Our part was introducing kids to it and hoping they learned enough to wear it.
Squint

 

[Comfortably_Numb]

In Iowa you must wear blaze orange on your upper body and a orange hat. If you don't they can confiscate your gun. I don't feel safe even with blaze orange on to many dangerous morons our there sling lead willy nilly. My knucklehead neighbor wears a full ghillie suit. I can't believe he hasn't got plugged yet.

 

[Tenring]

I use a blaze orange French slouch Beni with the little ball tassel on the end the beni hangs over to the left or right.

 

[Polecat_Tom]

Years ago I worked part time at a gun store in Colorado and we had had two guys from Chicago come in that were hunting elk. I asked them how they were doing and they were excited S they had some great sound shots. I asked what a sound shot was ahd they said something to the like of, when you hear something and shoot at it. I have not gone big game hunting since.

 

[user 31257]

I grew up wearing red plaid in Vermont deer hunting and it shows up pretty well during the day but not early in the morning or in the evening in low light.

 

[azmntman]

Teach him to become a rock. I have called turkeys into shooting range while wearing red plaid. Movement is what will bust you everytime. I dont even own a full set of cammo anymore. I am a real good rock.

 

[mikesto44]

Do what you want it's your life. Don't wear orange. Its your call. But remember that their are an abundance of idiots out their. Doing drugs, alcohol and everything else while carrying firearms.
I lost a very good friend while hunting because he had to cough. The guy who shot him thought he heard a deer snorting. Didn't look, just shot at the sound. Be safe....

 

[longcruise]

An older woman was visiting her son in the west. They went into a local bar/restaurant for dinner and she asked her son "why are all those men dressed in orange?". He replied "it's the law". She immediately exclaimed "what an excellent idea to require drunks to wear orange!"

 

[BillyC]

Teach him to become a rock. I have called turkeys into shooting range while wearing red plaid. Movement is what will bust you everytime. I dont even own a full set of cammo anymore. I am a real good rock.

I’m trying brother but at 12 it’s more a test of my patience than his ability to sit still !!

 

[azmntman]

I was the same way. I have more patience than most for kids as I was an absolute terror as a kid! I self taught stuff like that when I got old enough that it mattered to ME. He will get there.

Remind him often that even in full cammo the quarry knows he's there if he moves a muscle. Maybe not pay such close attention but the blink "over there" registers in ol Bucky's mind and he than pays more attention to that bush/tree what have you. I can be a rock until just the last minunte but was unable to not shake a foot, blink, fart, scratch etc at anytime when pop tried to teach me. As a terror (istish) child it made me do it more!! Dang Im glad I didnt get the kids I deserved!

 

[rp77469]

Years ago I participated on a Texas deer lease. This was a primitive camp and hunt. The only modern stuff was ice and large flashlights for tracking after dark. I'd known these guys for years and never worried about hunting or shooting with them, since everyone know the areas each of us would hunt. No orange required.

One year I pulled a Texas P&W muzzleloading cull hunt permit. Blaze orange was required. I still hunted in primitive attire, but my wife sewed me up a big, hunter orange bandana AND breechcloth. Said if I got shot, she didn't want them aiming at the important bits.

Love that gal.

 

[centershot]

Wearing blaze orange wasn't mandated by the NY DEC until last year. I always wore it anyway, figured that it's better to be safe. Over the years research has shown that deer don't see orange as we do, they see it as grey. I've found that a camo orange jacket or vest makes me just about invisible to a deer, as long as I sit still.

 

[Yewbender]

As stated, Pa late flintlock no orange required but early yes. You can use traditional clothing for both if you want. You can add blaze orange to the outfit to meet the orange requirement or just use vest and hat. I have hunted public land in late season w/o orange but in areas with very low hunting pressure but always had some with me just in case. Now i mostly hunt private land but still might use an orange band on hat…never know if trespassers might be on property.

 

[Frontier's]

My grandson would like to wear some traditional clothing while hunting with his flintlock. We hunt in PA and I am not comfortable letting him do to safety issues. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on what to wear while still being safe. I was thinking maybe a red frock or possibly a wool rich patterned coat. I could insist on adding an orange vest or hat but was hoping someone here has figured it out already.

Blaze orange frenchie knitted hat and a simple blaze orange vest

 

[WALT53]

In Iowa you must wear blaze orange on your upper body and an orange hat. If you don't they can confiscate your gun. I don't feel safe even with blaze orange on to many dangerous morons our there sling lead willy nilly. My knucklehead neighbor wears a full ghillie suit. I can't believe he hasn't got plugged yet.

Yes and then there’s the sound shooters .

 

[kelvinator]

OMG...this reminds me of something I heard some 30 plus years ago while hunting on national forest land in east Texas.
A couple guys camped next to us came over to ask if we had any luck or seen any deer... we said no, not yet and asked them the same... They said no, but one guy said that he did get a "sound shot" that morning...

 

[oldwood]

My wife had a knitting machine , and everyone I hunted around , was given a fluorescent orange wool French pull over hat for hunting . Think the hats were called French voyager toques. They were very roomy , and it was said , the 18th century men that wore them kept their pipe , and tobacco in the flipped over top to keep it out of the damp. If the weather got really crappy , the hat could be pulled down to the shoulders.

 

[BoomStick]

I've seen some traditional clothing items -hats and capes, done in orange like @oldwood describes.
Photo of items from a seller on Facebook.

 

[64Springer]

I knew a guy who knew a guy who said he knew a guy who knew a guy who took a sound shot at a deer.

How many of these Sound Shot stories are Urban Legends?

Reminds me of Verbal Kint describing the myth of Keyser Soze.

 

[Stykbow]

Reading some of this stuff makes me glad I’m in Tennessee. I ain’t ever been shot at, had a dangerous confrontation, or felt at all unsafe while hunting.