Montana Hunter Orange Bill???

[dcopas78]

I think you could wear all orange with flashing caution lights in some places in Ohio and still have an idiot shoot toward you if a deer came running past..

 

[mtmander]

I prefer wearing hunter orange , just so other hunters can see me. I am not worried abot the deer, elk but worried of other hunters (they call themselfs hunters).

 

[Big Sky]

I guess where I hunt I don't worry too much about other hunters, there aren't many if any.

 

[James Riley]

In Colorado you must wear orange if you are hunting with a muzzle loader. The muzzle loader season is right in the middle of archery season. Archers are not required to wear orange. I'm pretty sure muzzle loaders will only shoot at other muzzle loaders and so they must wear orange. Muzzle loaders won't shoot at archers; thus archers need not wear orange.

Anyway, I think it should be up to the hunter but I really don't care too much one way or the other. I haven't hunted with a rifle in quite a spell.

 

[golfer]

The way I read and Understood it was if It passed your still required to wear it on public land, and don't have to wear it if hunting on private.

 

[smarandr]

I've never had an issue in Idaho or Arizona with hunter orange not being worn and safety. IMO it should be a personal choice not legislated.

You've obviously never hunted in Franklin County; hunter orange is rare and using rifle scopes as binos is common practice.

 

[Straight Arrow]

I look like the Great Pumpkin walking through the woods in my orange vest

I hear ya, Cushman. I often have to cut back on the mashed potatoes and tasty products of the venison garden in order to attempt to avoid the round-out. I am inspired by the successful hunters who cover alot of ground stealthily gliding through the woods looking more like a carrot than a pumpkin.

 

[hearteater]

Recently a bowhunter in WI was shot in the head after being mistaken for a squirrel. I'm not sure any amount of orange will make up for this kind of stupidity.

 

[trotsky]

I always wear an orange hunt here on any hunt I draw. I know most sportsman are responsible but it makes me feel better and safer

 

[Big Sky]

I always wear an orange hunt here on any hunt I draw. I know most sportsman are responsible but it makes me feel better and safer

Trotsky, so where exactly do you place "an" orange on yourself when you are hunting? This I would like to see!

 

[JohnCushman]

I've already been shot twice and it's not that big of a deal I was trying to do some research about Wyoming and hunter fatalities to compare into the hunter orange safety issue. One year I found...forgot what year it was... there were 3 shooting related incidents..all 3 were either self induced (one guy fell on a hill and shot himself, one guy was pulling his rifle out of his truck and shot himself) and one was a partner related accident. I couldn't find any information to see clearly if hunter orange actually made hunters safer.

 

[----]

I won't miss orange one single bit if the bill passes. I absolutely HATE drawing attention to myself wearing what main as well be a flashing neon sign everywhere I go. On heavily hunted public land I can see the merit in wearing orange, but on private land, in the local grocery store, gas station, restaurant, or any other non-hunting public place, I can't stand seeing, or wearing orange. I don't know if its the coyote hunter in me or what, but I will always prefer stealth over being a fluorescent orange neon sign.

If you read the regulations closer you'll see that you're not actually required to wear it into the restaurant.

 

[Big Sky]

I said I don't like seeing it in a restaurant.

 

[joelweb]

I'm all about the hunters orange requirement. It's a law enforcement issue as much as a safety issue. It's hard to hide from other humans while wearing it. I also like to be able to see other hunters while in the field.

 

[Gr8bawana]

This is a tough one. Nevada doesn't require hunter orange but then again we don't have nearly as many hunters in the field as Montana. I personally don't wear it.
It would be interesting to see how many hunters were mistaken for animals wearing hunter orange.

 

[300stw]

orange

how bout the people that utilize public lands during hunting season but aren't hunting,

should everyone outside there vehicle during a hunting season be required to wear orange, can a non hunting person in the woods be mistakenly shot or shot at,

I get tired of being legislated into doing things, it should be a persons decision to wear orange,

I see many people, non hunters, in the outdoors during hunting season, fall fisherman
try sneaking up on a trout in orange,,,,

 

[Straight Arrow]

how bout the people that utilize public lands during hunting season but aren't hunting,

If that's a question, the answer in Montana is that only a hunter or someone accompanying a hunter must wear orange presently. Other outdoor recreationists are not required to wear orange. A fisherman? Now you're just being silly.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Here are the current regs in MT. I think it's useless, but wear it to avoid getting a ticket.

Firearm Hunters
Any person hunting or accompanying a hunter
as an outfi tter or guide must wear a minimum of
400 square inches of hunter orange (fl uorescent)
material above the waist, visible at all times (see
exception below).
Archery Hunters
A licensed bowhunter pursuing deer, elk and/or
antelope during the Archery Only Season or in an
archery only hunting district is not required to meet
the hunter orange requirement, even if there is a
concurrent fi rearm season in that hunting district
or portion of district. However, bowhunters hunting
during any portion of the general (fi rearm) season
for deer, elk, antelope, moose, bighorn sheep,
mountain goat, black bear, and/or mountain lion
must always wear a minimum of 400 square inches
of hunter orange (fl uorescent) above the waist,
visible at all times.

The only time I feel a need to wear orange for safety is when bird hunting with other bird hunters. Parker Heinlein summed it up perfectly in a recent article:

We’ve been wearing bright orange for so long that most of us have forgotten why. I suspect it was originally a safety issue, but a lot of hunters believe it’s simply to make them easier to spot by game wardens and landowners.

 

[Big Sky]

I think it's useless, but wear it to avoid getting a ticket.

This! ^^^

 

[MTborn64]

I personally do not believe it is useless.