JimS

I agree 100 % that it is often very hard to tell if there is a hunter in cammo down range. I wear orange whenever I am on state land simply because I don't know how safe the other guy is out there. When I head in to my "stand" it is usualy dark out and I am using a flashlight. If I see another light off in the distance (that does not leave the area) I will do 1 of 2 things. Go elsewhere, or not shoot in that direction. If I choose to stay I will signal with my light until I get a response. If it is daylight and I see another hunter that is going through the area I wave an orange hat or vest until I get a wave back so we both are aware of each other. If another hunter is all cammoed up and does not indicate his position by waving to you or hanging something orange in the tree above him he is just plain foolish. I have removed my camo gear when I hunted from a ground blind to lessen observed movement but I hang my vest above me so other hunters know someone is out there. 9 out of 10 times I am in the same spot most of the day. There is plenty of time to take a good look around to see what is downrange. Too often I see where things like houses and trailers were hit by strays and people were injured or killed. If you are careful to know what is beyond your target it will cut down on a good portion of "accidents". We all know there is no magic bullet that will prevent all hunting accidents but some common sense will reduce them. The simple fact that some hunters get shot while wearing orange proves it is not a fool proof system. The few I remember from the area I live were in orange. My biggest concern with another law is that as a nation our govt. is dumbing us down. When I see so many laws and recalls on products that are aimed at keeping the general population safe it makes me cringe. Most of us were kids once ( or twice, lol )and we managed to make it to adulthood without all the "safetys" our leaders now have in place. We rode bikes without helmets and pads, played with toys that had small parts and lead based paint and knew the difference between a tv show and real life. Sorry to go off the main topic but I think everyone can see what I am getting at. It is time for parents to teach right from wrong and common sense again instead of the Govt. making another rule to protect us. Sorry for such a long reply. Jim

I really don't know if we need another law that tells us we should use common sense. I make sure of what I am shooting at and what is behind it before I pull the trigger. I don't think making it a law to wear blaze orange will make a big difference. I know I have seen that most of the shootings that take place around here the victim was wearing orange. I think there should be better training for anyone who wants to hunt. I know that the required training in NY is already pretty long but when I went with my wife for her hunter safety course it was only what I would consider the very basics. Maybe if it had some required range time and a marksmanship test along with the Q & A part it would be a bit better. Some of the targets could be a shoot or no shoot type that had an animal with an unsafe background behind it. I bet most of the shooters would fire away at any animal targer regardless of what is behind it. If the applicants were given 6 or 8 targets to shoot at you could see if they are paying attention to what is beyond the target animal. Just don't let them know they are being tested to see if they should shoot or not. If nothing else I think it would be an interesting experiment to see how people would react and what they consider to be a safe shot. It might be fun to see how some seasoned hunters react also. I know some guys that have been hunting over 20 years that I don't consider safe or ethical hunters because of shots thay have taken at deer that I would never even consider taking.

Years ago when hunting private land I did not wear any orange. I did keep a hat with me that I could wear or wave if I saw another hunter, which was almost never. Now that I have been forced (kicking and screaming all the way) to hunt on DEC lands I wear orange all the time. Even with a ton of orange on I have walked up on hunters and had some walk up to me and they did not even see me until we were almost next to each other. I am not too sure some of the other hunters can see orange as well as the deer can. Jim

Hi All, I am new to your forum but I have been hunting for about 35 years. I have lived in Orange County most of my life but spent some time in a few other states. I came across your forum while trying to find farmers who still allow hunting. The land I hunted for years is now dotted with houses or the farmers just don't allow anyone except farm hands to hunt. I have been forced to hunt on DEC lands and to be honest, I just don't like being on the same land as some of the "hunters" I have seen. There was way too much shooting for my comfort. 1 shot is good, 2 shots are acceptable, but strings of 5,6 or 7 (2 people shooting?) shots make me nervous. I will step down off my soap box now and listen for a while. Thanks for having this forum available. Jim