[Plinker]

How many of you live in states where
blaze orange for deer hunting is the
law?
Do you wear it even if its not
required,(I do).I think its a good idea
and used it long before it became law
in Va. Deer don't seem to pay any attension to it.
But its not for turkey
hunting if you plan to kill any.
Squirrel either for that matter.
Ok for upland birds and rabbet,but
not for Ducks & Geese.
I've had crows take a 90 degree turn
when they see me on deer stand with
it on.

What do you think?
Any and all opinions welcomed.

 

[050]

this subject has always been interesting to me. When I was raising deer, I was reading about expirements that were being done to test a deers intelligence. the deer was taught to differentiate between right and wrong lights to enable it to get food from a vendor. After it was established that a deer could, indeed learn on that level, someone pointed out to the people who had designed the test that the correctly colored light that the deer had to pick was .....ta da....red.

You be da judge...

Ron

 

[2082]

I have been told that a deer looks for outlines, and smell. I dont think a deer could spot you if you were wearing those 3D camo suits with the Leaves on it even if you were wearing blaze orange. I only wear my vest when i go Dove, Rabbit, and squirrel hunting(only in populated areas though)....since i dont deer hunt that often, i dont think i should be included.

 

[281]

I am in a state that requires orange clothing for everything except a few things.

Waterfowl, bow hunting, bear hunting, and preditor hunting.

everyhting else must have orange on.

I sit on the top of a hill that has corn stubble at the bottom of the hill. Last week when I was firearm hunting, orange head to toe, geese would come over me, and then flare hard left or right. Dont tell me they dont know the difference.

Deer are color blind, yes they see different shades, but I think if your outline is hidding you've got a **** good chance they wont see you.

Dean_311

 

[JB in SC]

When I do deer hunt (which is rare these days) during firearms season I wear a blaze acrylic vest (it's the law on public land). I never felt like it was an issue when in a elevated stand.

Never when hunting waterfowl (the pintails would flare at 600 yards!), squirrels, predators, crows, doves, or turkeys.

Always when hunting rabbits (with dogs and shotguns), grouse, and quail.

Never when bowhunting (not required).

 

[1747]

It's not required in NY (southertier), but highly recomended. I mostly hunt private land nd so never bothered with blaze much. This year I decided to get a blaze hat and use it only when I move. I almost invested in a set of snow camo, but much like last year the early part of deer season is crapp weather, rain mixed with snow. Only real good thing about that is where the weeds got knocked down in the feilds. And so I'm more concerned with the barometer & deer moving.

 

[Fumbler]

Here in NC it's required during any firearms season except turkey.

I think deer spot the orange only because of the shape of the clothing.
Deer are mostly color blind so blaze orange is suposed to look like dull yellow like most other colors they see.
Look at what u wear when you're required to wear the blaze. It's a solid blaze hat, a solid vest, solid shoulders...
I think if we made camo with half of the leaves/pattern blaze orange it'd be a whole heck of a lot harder for them to spot us because the lines are broken up.
I plan on getting a ghillie-suit-like vest and sewing on some leaf shape cutouts made from a blaze vest. I think that would work almost as well as regular camo but takes care of the blaze requirement too.

 

[050]

Well, after living daily with whitetails for several years, it's apparent they have a tremendous awareness of ANY change in their surroundings. for instance... I used to keep a pitchfork leaning against the fence..always in the same spot, even though I used it every day. I have seen times that if someone moved the fork while the deer were at the other end of the pens and didn't see it being moved, they may start playing, and come running to that gate to go over in another big pen. They would come to a screeching halt and stare at the general area for several minutes before they would go through the gate. Im convinced the time they stood there was strictly to see if any of them could detect any movement.

I once watched the entire herd go frozen for several minutes staring out across nothing. It took me probably ten minutes to see what they had spooked from. It was a mottled medium brown cat, stalking mice in a field of tall, dead grass , only moving once every couple mintes and then only a step or two at a time. The cat was FULLY a quarter of a mile away, and for practical purposes, invisible.

...and their hearing is FAR superior to their vision.

I've also watched them SMELL another deer at ranges of over a quarter of a mile in a very slight breeze. It might take a half an hour for the other deer to show up, but they new it was there all the time.

They are amazing creatures.

Ron

 

[sharkman8810]

I wear orange as required by our state game rules (pa) which just depends on what you are hunting and how. like with small game, and firearm deer you need a vest and hat. With archery and muzzeloader it is all camo,but you need it on the tree of your stand. If your moving then you need orange on you (nobody does either of these things, and it makes me mad, if i shoot them then i wont care) and groundhog it is an orange hat only required. So it depends, but i do follow all the game laws, and they apply to public or private lands. I agree with them mostly, but i think the archers should be required to have a hat on at all times.

 

[plchacker]

We are required to wear 144 square inches. I usually wear a hat, then once in place hang it just over my head, so that it will not move. Movement is a trigger to almost any critter out there. I've had deer within a few yards with the hat over my head. At that range blinking your eyes will give you away, never mind a heaving chest .

I gave up several perminate tree stands because the deer walk in looking streight at the stand. They know and look. I've gone back to setting up temporary blinds on the ground level. Its working so far, even though your range of view is limited. Makes a armodilla that much more exciting.

 

[Plinker]

Was in my deer blind this mourning

Five or six Old Gobblers came up the
ridge about 9:00 am.
When the first one came over the creast of the ridge the first thing
he spotted was my blaze orange hat and
vest. Exit stage lift,pronto. Never
putted or got in a hurry just back over
the ridge,all of them.
Turkey season isn't in now and I wouldn't have shot anyway having only
my 06 with me.
Just thought it was funny because I
just started this thread last night.
But I have observed turkeys many times
when they see blaze orange.
Gone, don't no what it is and don't
care, just move on.
Turkeys have no currosity at all.

 

[1494]

I wear blaze orange from the waist up when deer huntin. I even wear a orange hat, that way nobody will take a pot shot at me when they can only see that part walking through the woods. Anything can happen when buck fever has set in.

 

[281]

I agree alot with what Ron said, about deer becoming so accustom to their surrondings that they know when even the slightest thing is wrong.
I a novice bowhunter, have already discovered this. The VERY FIRST deer I ever saw out of my stand came out on a alpha field 40 yards away walked right down infront of me and looked me straight in the eyes. She knew I was there, she may not have known quite what I was or what my intensions where but she must not thought I was going to be any harm, cuase she turned and started grazing right in front of me.
I had a bear hunting guide tell me, if you make a sound it better not be any sound that doesnt belong in the woods. He also said that if your going to be noticed you better be noticed as something that is part of the woods or something that is no harm.

When I bear hunted out of a stand, and anything else for that matter where I was in a stand, the red squirrels would just scream at me and run off, and come back and scream. Now I can walk into my bow stand and in less than 5 min, everything is back to normal. You dont know how much of a rush it is to have a red squirrel smelling your hair. I hear them run up and down the tree behind me only few inches around the tree from me quite offen.

Dean_311

 

[plchacker]

Funny thing, several years ago the Feds busted a group that was called the "Deer Mafia." I work with two of the guys that got busted. They were charged with night hunting, selling game, attempting to buy a supressor for hunting, buying a nightvision scope for hunting, many other counts. At the top of the list was hunting without wearing the required amount of orange.

These guys were shameless. One learned, and now is quite a decent hunter, another spent 36 months in the pokey, still has not learned.

Saw the dummy deer this morning. fur bleached out, standing way to stiff, no movement, and an average set of horns. The only time the Dummy deer has been beat in court was for entrapment. Huge set of antlers, in daylight, at the edge of right away. Judge said he'd have shot that one.

 

[Plinker]

Pic those Dummy Deer have gotten a lot

of 'em.
They were useing one around here in Va. for several years, but I haven't
heard much about it lately.