Has the idea been approached

[arrow nocker]

without the light reflecting off the orange it doesn't stand out well.I have seen guys with full orange walk by and not seen them stand out like they would with light.Why don't you think D.O.T. and OSHA have made 2 inch reflective stripes mandatory on all high viz vests.

But at 30 mins before you can see the orange.45 mins before on a cloudy day you may not.But there is always going to be people shooting long before legal time any way,no matter on what the law says is legal.

[Grizz1219]

Very true there.. like I've said before.. can't legislate morality or eithics... But just seems like hunters in NY are missing out on 1 hour of prime hunting time and I was trying to give a reason to go after it.. Appears I am in the minority of going after it... It just made sense to me so I posted it..

[d-bone20917]

Very true there.. like I've said before.. can't legislate morality or eithics... But just seems like hunters in NY are missing out on 1 hour of prime hunting time and I was trying to give a reason to go after it.. Appears I am in the minority of going after it... It just made sense to me so I posted it..

I would say you are in the majority. It is absolutely ridiculous that the legal time in NY is sunrise to sunset when virtually every other state is 1/2 before to 1/2 hour after. If it is really a safety issue it would be sunrise to sunset in all states.

[bubba]

Yes , I have been in favor of the half hour before rule for a long time . I can read a news paper outside 20 minutes before the legal time without my glasses on . Just makes sense , like to be buy the book , and have passed a few good deer because of this law , while my friend in GA is getting nice bucks around dusk and dawn.

can you stand in thick woods and read that paper? I seriousy doubt it.

[bubba]

My stance on this it may as well be legal as most "hunters already do it anyway. But of course the already cheaters will cheat then too and make it 45 minutes on each end. It is also my stance that if we need to wear orange to be seen during these hours, then it is not light enough.

[SteveB]

Griz - your statement " When almost every state around you has as good or better safety stats and they hunt 1/2 hour before to a 1/2 hour after " sure sounded like you had some kind of of chart or list of states with safety stats and hunting times. It seems you do not and were stating a feeling and not necessarily fact.

[cbx46]

Love the idea.

[Doc]

I had to laugh when I opened up the latest issue of New York Outdoor News and found an article on this exact topic. That has happened before on a lot of other hot topics on this forum. It almost seems like they monitor this site to get ideas for their articles .... lol.

[Grizz1219]

My question to those that oppose orange... Why?? Do you wear a seat belt in a car??? I'm not all for being TOLD to do something.. but in some cases.. it just makes sense... like hunter orange during gun season.. wearing a seat belt in a truck... etc...

[Doc]

My question to those that oppose orange... Why?? Do you wear a seat belt in a car??? I'm not all for being TOLD to do something.. but in some cases.. it just makes sense... like hunter orange during gun season.. wearing a seat belt in a truck... etc...

Blaze orange saves lives. There are stats that show that. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00044112.htm

The arguments against blaze orange that I have heard relate to a paranoid (my opinion) argument that mandatory blaze orange would lead to a slippery slope to the end of democracy as we know it....lol. There seems to be some that believe that any safety laws are a terrible infringement of civil liberties and to quote some, "we all have the right to be stupid". Well, to be blunt .... No you don't. Not on matters that affect those around you.

There also is an argument that says that if blaze orange is mandatory, anything else in the woods that is not will automatically be shot. Well, that is a nice theory, but there has been no study that has proven that or even suggested that that notion is likely. Apparently the majority of states that do have some form of blaze orange law have not experienced that, but maybe it's something to investigate before passing any B/O law.

Also, there is an argument that says that the deer can see blaze orange. Yes, there are all kinds of studies that say that they do not see blaze orange the way we see it. I can't say that I have ever seen a study that says that things shrouded in blaze orange become invisible to them. I have never read any study that claimed that the highly reflective color doesn't look like some glowing shade of white that doesn't blend in with the surroundings. I have never seen any studies that would indicate that the eye-catching flash of movement isn't enhanced by that color as far as catching their attention.

Personally, I have had experiences that would support both theories. I have had deer approach me dressed head to toe in blaze orange and never recognize that I didn't belong .... as long as I didn't move. I have also had deer stop and become fixated on me for no other reason, that I could tell, other than that they saw a big flashy blob of something that looked completely out of place in "their" woods. I also have had cases where a slight movement of a very small exposed area of orange immediately caught their eye like I was waving some flashlight at them.

So the question of what a deer sees when it sees an orange colored hunter is not all that clear to me. Frankly, for me it doesn't matter. Wearing blaze orange may require that I sharpen up my hunting skills a bit and be a bit more careful about movement and exposure. I can do that. What I can't do is to plug up a slug hole that some idiot puts in my body because I didn't have the intelligence to use a readily available, easy to use, piece of safety equipment. To me there is no deer that is worth my life or the use of major parts of my body.

So my final choice would be to not argue a whole lot with mandatory blaze orange. For me it wouldn't be the end of the world.

[bubba]

My only thought is if deer do not see it as the so called experts say, why are most opposed to wearing it during archery and ml seasons? If it is mandatory, make it mandatory for all big game seasons.

[SteveB]

From: http://www.cdc.gov/m...ml/00044112.htm

In 1992, DEC initiated a campaign in New York to promote basic firearms safety and the use of hunter orange clothing through hunter education courses, meetings with hunter organizations, and advertisements in hunting literature. During 1992-1995, following the initiation of this safety promotion campaign, the average annual injury rate decreased 27% compared with the rate during 1988-1991.

Rate dropped 27% in the 3 years when the educational program started. Wonder what it is today?

Also interesting would be the % wearing BO voluntarily in 1992 when the program started to now 20 years later.

Would also be interesting to hear the rate of compliance for NY and the bordering states where it is mandatory.

[fasteddie]

Steve B --- had to make the print bigger . It was too much of a test for my eyes with the small size print you posted .

When I 1st started deer hunting , I had a bright red coat . When BO was introduced , I started wearing the BO vest or jacket . But ....... I still don't think it should be mandatory .

[d-bone20917]

My only thought is if deer do not see it as the so called experts say, why are most opposed to wearing it during archery and ml seasons? If it is mandatory, make it mandatory for all big game seasons.

There is really no reason to wear it during archery is probably why some people are opposed to it. When was the last time someone was accidentally shot with a bow during archery season? It is pretty tough to mistake your target during archery or not recognize what is behind it. I always wear it during rifle season because I don't trust any of the idiots hunting around me. Now if I was going to hunt with my bow during rifle season... I would wear orange.

[bubba]

what about muzzleloaders. They shoot as far or further than any shotgun. If I have to wear it during the season I choose, so should everyone else.

[d-bone20917]

I can't say I'm a supporter of making it mandatory during any season, but if they were to require it during the firearms season I believe that should include muzzleloader season too. Unfortunately we have a firearms season (ML) during archery season.

[tughillhunter]

either way is fine with me. if i have to wear orange, fine, no problemo. if not, fine, no problemo. i dont see the big deal with having to wear it.

[SteveB]

Thanks Eddie - didn't check after posting it.

[fasteddie]

I wear my BO vest and hat during ML season . I will have it on today .

[bubba]

my simple point is this. If it makes us all safer, it should be worn during all big game seasons, so we are as safe as can be. If deer do not see it, what is the difference? Seems to me almost everyone is for it, so why oppose it during any time if it is such a good thing.

Edited December 14, 2012 by bubba

[SteveB]

And maybe even for all outdoor activities by everyone during those seasons.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I can't say I'm a supporter of making it mandatory during any season, but if they were to require it during the firearms season I believe that should include muzzleloader season too. Unfortunately we have a firearms season (ML) during archery season.

You can hunt with a bow during regular gun season if you wish as well. Whats the difference?

[WNYBuckHunter]

my simple point is this. If it makes us all safer, it should be worn during all big game seasons, so we are as safe as can be. If deer do not see it, what is the difference? Seems to me almost everyone is for it, so why oppose it during any time if it is such a good thing.

Turkey season is open during early archery. Ill bet alot of guys take turkeys out of opportunity while they deer hunt. Turkeys do see BO. If it is mandated, it should be mandated for late archery/ML as well as regular season. Basically any season when gun hunting for deer is open. There are no safety concerns concerning BO for archery, and safety concerns are the ONLY reason a BO law would be mandated.

[Doc]

I am a strong supporter of mandatory blaze orange during anytime when firearms are used for deer hunting. However, even more important than pushing for a requirement for all hunters to wear blaze orange during a firearms deer season, I would definitely like to see the DEC, and other law enforcement agencies, and hunting organizations all act in unison to maintain a perpetual media campaign using all forms of communication available to push the fact that blaze orange does save lives. There is something to be said for the pressure of public opinion.

I also think that there is a certain amount of condoning the act of deer hunting with a gun without blaze orange that comes simply from the fact that the state has not made the act illegal. I'm sure there is a lot of attitude out there that says if the state feels that blaze orange doesn't warrant the force of law behind it, there must be some substantial doubts about its effectiveness. A massive public media blitz might tend to blunt that notion.

[d-bone20917]

You can hunt with a bow during regular gun season if you wish as well. Whats the difference?

Big difference where I hunt. The two weeks of archery before the lead starts flying is the only peace we get in the woods. I wish NY would follow a lot of other states and lengthen the archery season and shorten the firearms season, but I realize that will never happen. I love to rifle hunt as well, but I wish the archery only season was longer.

Edited December 14, 2012 by d-bone20917