I received a message from the Georgia DNR this morning that gun season for White Tail Deer beginning in a little over a week. I am reminded why I sold my deer rifle and quit going out in the wood during deer season, too many idiots in the woods with high powered firearms. Now I am in Georgia where many citizens and visitors chase trout in blueline streams in the same environments as the deer hunters. Many of you also trek in similar situations.
It would not be a really bad idea to get one of those really bright vest or caps to wear for until deer, bear, whatever you have, season is over. I made a pretty good living for a long time as a result of the stupid acts of others, but I have also had friends and family members injured by the stupid acts of others. Be careful, try not to look like a deer.
When I’m out hunting I always include in my kit a few of those 99 cent orange vests from the discount stores to give to people I run into on the state game lands, especially during late small game season when many non-hunters aren’t aware that anything is in season anymore.
Always a good idea to wear blaze orange during the hunting season even if you are just out for a walk.
Years back I was out hunting with my father inlaw, it was in our deer/bear season, I have often wondered if there was some ulterior motive with the couple we met out for a walk. He had his girlfriend/wife bundled up in a big furry black coat and black pants. My father inlaw read the riot act to them and escorted them off our property, never saw anything in the newspaper about an accident so maybe she was listening.
I have even heard of some farmers spray painting there cows orange for a few weeks.
Some years ago I was fishing the lower section of the White river the week before gun deer season. Suddenly I heard the sound of a shot and a chunk of bark flew out of a tree on the bank over my head. I dove below the opposite bank where the shot came from and began yelling at the top of my lungs that I was there. It seems that two fools were trying to sight in a deer rifle from fifty yards out with no backstop but the tree they taped the target to. I guarantee that they know more about gun safety and profanity now than they did when they started.
Good thread.
I fished a mountain trout stream last week on national forest lands and wore my blaze orange ball cap. Our muzzleloader deer season is in full swing, so I stayed on the side of caution as well.
Back 30 years ago I got a compound bow with the intention of deer hunting, thinking bow hunters should be more knowledgeable than gun hunters. Back then I probably gave the black powder guys the same respect as I did the bow hunters. But nowadays, there is not that much difference in a black powder gun and a cartridge firing gun except reload speed. You probably have a lot of the same yoyo’s out there both seasons. We make it way too easy to get hunting license and driving license in the USA.
While it never hurts to walk on the side of caution…wear a had with some orange in it during the hunting season. But I would say any more than that is overkill since the first thing seen moving in the woods with a moving person is the head. Don’t wear a brown jacket and white hat, then run up and down wooded trails…just use a little common sense.
I have been a hunter all of my life. I’ve hunted numerous states coast-to-coast…and the fact remains…more injuries and deaths happen in schoolastic sports every year than hunting. And most hunting acccidents are either self-inflicted or falls from treestands. Having been actively involved in hunting organizations from local, state and national, to portray hunters as dangerous bumbling idiots is neither fair or accurate.
You are dead on about hunting accidents being mostly self inflicted. And there is definitely an anti-hunting bias among the Madison Avenue types. The protect the animal people don’t seem to realize that there are plenty of most game animals, the hunters make sure land is set aside and habitats maintained for them. It’s mostly the non-game that become scarce due to loss of habitat and the changing environmental conditions.
On a side note; I got to watch a couple of expert trainers show off their champ retrievers last night. I have never been duck hunting but those dogs were a thing of beauty. I wish I could have gotten my kids to behave that precisely.
Years back I was out hunting with my father inlaw, it was in our deer/bear season, I have often wondered if there was some ulterior motive with the couple we met out for a walk. He had his girlfriend/wife bundled up in a big furry black coat and black pants. My father inlaw read the riot act to them and escorted them off our property, never saw anything in the newspaper about an accident so maybe she was listening.
Should have asked the guy how much life insurance he had her covered for.
I have even heard of some farmers spray painting there cows orange for a few weeks.
Before anyone is given a hunting license for large animals they should have to be able to ID all of the major breeds of livestock, as farm animals. When I was a kid living in the country I think any hunter from a town larger than 10,000 population was consider suspect until he proved otherwise.
I wear an orange cap. If you wear a vest and put a backpack or sling pack over it, it becomes almost invisible. Be sure, if you wear a vest, you don’t obscure it with other gear.
