Is orange a part of your gear

[pointman]

In 1956, when Is started hunting with my dad, it was a rule of his, that we wear red anytime we used a gun for any  hunting.  Later on, orange became to color of choice. To this day I still abide by that rule even though he is not here anymore. 

Now I got a new hunting partner ,my grandson, following to orange rule.

 

[growalot]

I have to tell you on this..." Not if I'm turkey hunting"...Well let me ask you...Have you ever seen a wild turkey spook away from a posted sign?...I have not...why? It's a color they see all the time...just like yellow and in the fall the woods are full of orange and yellow colors...please start thinking here...just like deer you move your busted....wear the orange......

[philoshop]

I don't worry too much about being mistaken for a deer and directly shot at, but I do worry about being in the line of fire and not being seen during gun season. I've missed a few heartbeats myself over the years when all of a sudden there's orange in my scope just past the deer I'm aiming at. I'm pretty good in the woods, but I'm not perfect.

 

During bow season I don't even want the little birdies to know I'm around, but a reversible hat and/or an orange hankie to show someone who's getting too close is a good thing. Same with turkey, squirrel, varmint and carrying a camera. The orange is there if I need it. Reverse the hat or put the hanky on my head when I'm moving.

 

Basically, if there's a chance that someone with a firearm will see me before I see them, I really want to make sure that they see that it's me.

[Two Track]

Turkey hunting is all camo. Wear orange hat in and stash it until head out.  I keep it handy to put on if see someone/hear a person approaching.  Archery - camo and carry the orange hat.

 

Deer gun season, small game and pheasant, orange hat and vest.  When temp drops, orange hunting jacket and vest.

 

Even when I was younger on family property and it would be just 3 of us stand-sitting, we wore all the orange we could (insulated orange cover-alls).  We sometimes had tresspassers hunting on our property. 

 

We could see them lean against a tree for a bit and then move a few trees over 15-20 minutes later.  It was not very comfortable being 16-17 years old at the time and seeing unknown persons hunting on your family's land. They were not wearing orange at all (state reg was 400 inches for deer gun season), did not have permission to be there, not known if they responsibly handled their firearms.

 

I'd rather be seen and not shot at, than not seen and nearly-shot or worse.

[Doc]

Here's my take on deer vs. orange. Most everyone wearing blaze orange who has had close encounters with deer was probably standing perfectly still. That makes the situation where the deer really does see you (you're not invisible), but they lack the ability to interpret what they are seeing because you aren't moving. Now try going through a drawing motion as when you are preparing to shoot with your bow and see how long they stay there .... lol. My feeling is that blaze orange does not reflect any of the same shades of light reflection that leaves, tree trunks, bushes, etc. do. But I'm guessing that deer do not have the ability to think about colors or shades of reflection. But they have no problem understanding motion. And a bright object moving definitely catches attention a whole lot more than a bright object that is stationary. So, as long as I have to go through the motions of picking up my bow and drawing it back, I'm thinking that blaze orange would likely alert a deer.

 

Gun hunting on the other hand is a situation where I try my best to spot the deer approaching and get my gun up and rested before the deer gets a chance to see me. That's the theory anyway .... lol. Does it work every time? ..... Not likely. Even when I'm still-hunting, my movements are super-slow, and generally if I'm going to be successful I spot the deer first and then really go into super-slow-mo. Does it work every time? ..... Not likely.

 

I do believe that blaze orange has caused me to spook deer. I really don't care. That same visibility is exactly the same thing that can save me from being shot. Guess which one of those two events concern me more.

[Five Seasons]

I have to tell you on this..." Not if I'm turkey hunting"...Well let me ask you...Have you ever seen a wild turkey spook away from a posted sign?...I have not...why? It's a color they see all the time...just like yellow and in the fall the woods are full of orange and yellow colors...please start thinking here...just like deer you move your busted....wear the orange......

 

woah. did you really just compare posted signs to hunters wearing orange?

[Five Seasons]

Here's my take on deer vs. orange. Most everyone wearing blaze orange who has had close encounters with deer was probably standing perfectly still. That makes the situation where the deer really does see you (you're not invisible), but they lack the ability to interpret what they are seeing because you aren't moving. Now try going through a drawing motion as when you are preparing to shoot with your bow and see how long they stay there .... lol. My feeling is that blaze orange does not reflect any of the same shades of light reflection that leaves, tree trunks, bushes, etc. do. But I'm guessing that deer do not have the ability to think about colors or shades of reflection. But they have no problem understanding motion. And a bright object moving definitely catches attention a whole lot more than a bright object that is stationary. So, as long as I have to go through the motions of picking up my bow and drawing it back, I'm thinking that blaze orange would likely alert a deer.

 

Gun hunting on the other hand is a situation where I try my best to spot the deer approaching and get my gun up and rested before the deer gets a chance to see me. That's the theory anyway .... lol. Does it work every time? ..... Not likely. Even when I'm still-hunting, my movements are super-slow, and generally if I'm going to be successful I spot the deer first and then really go into super-slow-mo. Does it work every time? ..... Not likely.

 

I do believe that blaze orange has caused me to spook deer. I really don't care. That same visibility is exactly the same thing that can save me from being shot. Guess which one of those two events concern me more.

 

 

I believe camo is more about breaking up your outline then anything. I swear my ghillie suite could be orange and I'd be fine. The simple 3d depth and concealment it adds has allowed me to get closer to deer than ever before. It's better than any of the 600 different patterns offered out there. camo has become more of a fashion statement to wear around town then anything i think. Guys in the 60's were stacking deer in whole pants and red and black lumberjack shirts.

 

Edited August 11, 2014 by Belo

[Bone Seeker]

Orange hat while walking in woods or out of woods during bow. Same with vest in gun season but it comes off in the treestand. In NH you don't EVER have to wear orange. Any season!

Id say the only reason I DONT wear it is to remain hidden to other hunters who when they see you , feel obligated to walk over and say Hi and ruin your hunt. I almost always hunt alone.

 

 

[growalot]

 

woah. did you really just compare posted signs to hunters wearing orange?

 

Woahhhh! dude yes I did...orange is orange and it's the movement that gets ya....Now for those new here...I have enough deer and turkey under my belt to say that with confidence ...I have also called turkey into walk under my ladder stands and past my open ground blinds using my natural voice during gun seasons while head to toe in orange...not once spooked.....

[bubba]

so every one who hunts in southern tier is an idiot Bubba. Even if your target is in the open and you know for a fact it's a deer what about the ridge 100 or 200 yards behind that deer. If there is someone over there and they are sitting still with camo you prob wont see them and if you miss or round goes through you could hit them. If they have orange on then you probably saw them or can see them in your scope and not shoot. Not every shooting is with a guy in the brush and another just shot at movement. Yes you should know your target and past it but if they are in good camo and a good distance away seeing them might be possable. As for your question of if orange cant be seen by deer then why use camo during bow season. The only reason for camo during bow is a mind set. I have had many deer walk up on me when in the woods with street clothes on and they never saw me as I am sure many others have. Only time I see camo as needed for hunting is turkey. As long as you do not move deer prob wont pay no mind to you but turkey run at any odd color. Turkey think every stump is a hunter deer think every hunter is a stump.

 

 a  little touchy are we?  I make my assumptions from all the stories on here form the sz about being shot at crazies running around the woods etc etc etc.  Go after  the ones telling the stories I am drawing my opinions from.  Always the guy 200 yards away in the brush story.  Funny part is if you look at the fatalities on the web site, that one never seems to happen.  it is the I saw movement and shot.  Want to know what the real concern is?  DMP's.  People do not have to identify a target in their minds brown is down look later for antlers as we have  handful of dmp''s  Also the reason so many fawns get shot.  brown is down is a deadly attitude to have.  As far as camo, I wear green pants and a green and black plaid jacket.  I never said I wear camp head to toe.  You are assuming a lot in your little fit.  I also said I wear an orange hat.  My simple point and almost all in my area, we not not need to wear orange to feel safe simple as that.  BTW seeing someone in orange through your scope is a pretty foolish maneuver also.  A scope is used to magnify a target you already identified not to identify a target.  Simple gun safety.  

[Five Seasons]

Woahhhh! dude yes I did...orange is orange and it's the movement that gets ya....Now for those new here...I have enough deer and turkey under my belt to say that with confidence ...I have also called turkey into walk under my ladder stands and past my open ground blinds using my natural voice during gun seasons while head to toe in orange...not once spooked.....

 

most hunters dont hunt from ladder stands for turkey (chances are he didnt look up). But maybe you do. I guess you could keep perfectly still on the ground to get a bird within 30. I know I cant, so I bow to you.

[growalot]

Doc ......I have come around the corner of the wood line in the attached pic...full orange camo suit and orange hat...deer have been feeding at the far end of that lane way and I have walked nearly the length of that lane way in full view of the deer browsing at the other end...They would glance up at me and then eat, so on and so forth..as I get closer and they watch longer....I  with my hand at my side and sort of behind me wave, palm flat..as if a tail was flicking..... this has gotten me to within 20 yards many times...the most those deer do is slowly move off whilst still eating ...See my stand is at the very end and that is actually the best way in...so  you just need to know when to move and how to move be it orange,"camo"...or your work clothes. Same thing with drawing a bow...or raising a gun...ya just have to know when and how to move...

[Two Track]

My dad was lucky during a small game hunt once many years ago.   Someone shot at a squirrel in a tree without checking if it was a safe shot. The shot (pellets) bounced off my dad's hunting jacket.

 

From day one of hunting, I had safety crammed into me and he made sure I had an orange hat & vest on every time we went out (with an exception for goose hunting).

 

 

[philoshop]

Bubba, the deer in the scope comment from me has to do with tracking your sights on a moving target that you've already identified. Usually just waiting for an opening in the brush or whatnot, and usually at pretty close range. Never to verify whether or not I will shoot, just to look for a better opportunity for the shot. Even with both eyes open, which is how I look through a scope until the last second, I've caught orange in the line of sight beyond the target that I had missed in the excitement or was maybe behind a tree out of view until a last second shift or whatever. I'd hate for you to think I'm out there glassing with a scope. That's not me at all.

You see a deer you want to shoot at moving through thick brush 65 or 70 yards away but angling towards you and there'll be a clearer shot in a couple of seconds. You shift a little to the right to get a branch out of your way and bring the gun up on target, and see a patch of orange 150 yards beyond the deer but in your line of fire. Not a chance in hell you'd ever hit the guy, but you hold fire. Without the orange someone would be making up stories about how some guy took a shot at him. Best to not have that happen. Just sayin'.

[Dom]

Yes I do wear orange.Just remeber while bow hunting it is smallgame season so there are going to be gun's/hunters in the wood's also.I myself have had bad experiences while bow hunting who hunts squirrels on the ground.Ever shoot a three hundred pound red/orange squirrle.the best advice I have for any hunter is know your target and what beyond and just because you hit your target doesnt mean the projectile has stopped.

 

 

 

[stubby68]

Bubba; A nick name used by rednecks and given to the most dimwitted of the group. Yep that works.Where in my statement was I haveing a fit.I never said anything about the amount of orange or camo you wear. I also never said I use my scope to identify a target. I said even if your target is in the open and you know for sure it is a deer there could be another hunter futher out that you didn't see but when have scope on deer you could see them in orange more so then you could see them in camo. If you see orange in your scope out past your target hopefully you wouldn't shoot. My use of the words your and you does not mean bubba directly just a hunter in general. I was assuming nothing about you.

As for your ASSumptions, you let others tell you how things are and just go with it. You said you made these ASSumptions from what you have been told and what you have read. Try getting out and seeing for yourself. Do not make ASSumptions on what others say or write make opinions from your own actual experiences. Have you ever been hunting in the sz and been shot at or been down here and seen crazies running around the woods ? Maybe the people telling these stories are just mad because someone else gotthere big buck and they need to make them look bad. Not saying that is what happened . Just saying just because someone tells you these stories does not mean they are all true. I am sure it has happened not just in sz but many other places.

As for dmp and fawns getting killed what do either of these things have to do with wearing orange or camo when hunting. That sounds like haveing a fit and grasping for something to complain about.

[Doc]

Doc ......I have come around the corner of the wood line in the attached pic...full orange camo suit and orange hat...deer have been feeding at the far end of that lane way and I have walked nearly the length of that lane way in full view of the deer browsing at the other end...They would glance up at me and then eat, so on and so forth..as I get closer and they watch longer....I  with my hand at my side and sort of behind me wave, palm flat..as if a tail was flicking..... this has gotten me to within 20 yards many times...the most those deer do is slowly move off whilst still eating ...See my stand is at the very end and that is actually the best way in...so  you just need to know when to move and how to move be it orange,"camo"...or your work clothes. Same thing with drawing a bow...or raising a gun...ya just have to know when and how to move...

There is no question that deer have different tolerance levels to different situations and conditions. I have had deer walk 60 yards across an open field toward me because they saw something they could not identify. In that situation, I probably could have been wearing a flashing neon sign and the deer probably would have walked even closer .... lol. That does not mean that they can't see you, or that in a hunting situation, bright clothing does not amplify attention getting movement. Like I said, deer may not always be able to interpret color, but they do understand movement. And if you are wearing something that draws attention to your movements, you had better do it with extreme caution if you are going to get away with it. I'm not saying it can't be done, but when wearing clothing with nearly fluorescent properties, it's not the sort of thing you are going to consistently get away with.

[Kujo48]

Orange hat and vest during gun season none during bow.

[bubba]

Oh Stubby I always say when people have nothing valuable to add, they turn to personal attacks.  With a nickname like stubby, I would be a little leery if analyzing others user names.  Have a good day.  

[LI OUTDOORSMAN]

During rifle and muzzleloader season I always wear an orange vest,hat and gloves while traveling to and from the stand and almost always while onstand.(tree).

[bubba]

So everyone agrees that deer do not see it, then why not orange during archery season I ask again.  Tradition? not really sure they do not see it?  Do not want your archery buddies laughing at you?  I am just curious why.

[growalot]

 

Posted Today, 06:44 AM

Oh Stubby I always say when people have nothing valuable to add, they turn to personal attacks.  With a nickname like stubby, I would be a little leery if analyzing others user names.  Have a good day. 

 

OK no offense to anyone...but that was funny!

[Lawdwaz]

So everyone agrees that deer do not see it, then why not orange during archery season I ask again.  Tradition? not really sure they do not see it?  Do not want your archery buddies laughing at you?  I am just curious why.

 

You can move with less of a chance of being spotted when NOT wearing orange.

[growalot]

Did you guys read that post on how deer see???

 

PS.... Belo.... OMG turkeys most certainly look up...and often..especially hens....what do you think hawks eat...just rodents and rabbits? They are trying to keep as many poults as possible all summer.... You telling me you have never seen a turkey cock it's head to the side?

Edited August 12, 2014 by growalot

[Paula]

OK no offense to anyone...but that was funny!

Lol