Backpacking:hunting season

“Other than wearing hunters orange,what precautions do you take while backpacking/hiking during hunting season? Or,do you just not Backpack/hike?”

“dying my hair red..”

“I only hike on Sundays.”

“mapleleaf, wouldn't a red wig be easier?”

“Small game season, no problem. Big game season, I stay out except on Sundays.”

“Bring a gun... shoot back!”

“I'm confused. Here you can just as easily get shot on Sunday as any other day of the week.”

“I interpreted "hunting season" as "deer hunting season" and I don't go in the Maine woods during the month of November, except on Sundays.”

“Does that mean there is no hunting on Sunday in Maine?”

“that's right”

“An' Brer Fox, he lay low.”

“I just wear hunter orange. Hunting season is the best time to hike. I am not sitting at home during the best hiking weather.”

“Ya'll haf ta member. We'uns is kinda sloe here in Arkansaw. No kidding? If they tried that here people would be strung up. Probablt starting with the Gov.”

“Yeah, you can get shot in MI on Sundays too. Wear orange, hoot and holler if ya like.”

“I'm with you Smiley. I'll probably look like the court jester when I go out this weekend. Bells,whistles, and lots of wild colors.”

“Not me - I used to hunt, and there are still hunters from the old school that shoot at movement and too many hikers who don't wear blaze. Not to mention that a bullet from a rifle that misses it's target travels a very long way.

I don't know how it is anywhere else, but deer hunting in Maine is a religious thing. I think it'd be really rude to be out there makin' all kinds of noise - it's the hunters turn and it's only four or five weekends outta the whole year.”

“I just go to the places where hunting isn't allowed. The Shenandoahs don't allow hunting and some State Parks don't either. I don't necessarily trust the Sunday ban, as some hunters ignore it, but mostly it works. I've heard shots after sunset too, also a no no.”

“Deer season opens here Oct.1 for bow and ends I believe in Feb. There are several other parts mixed in: gun,muzzle loader,pistol,sling shot,bowie knife,pointed sticks. I had one of my best friends killed in a deer hunting accident by one of our other friends. So unless you only go in the summer months there will more than likely be someone in the woods with a gun trying to kill something. I'm not going to be walking thru the woods banging on pots & pans but I will make sure I am visible & heard. If that is rude so be it. I am also a hunter.”

“make alot of noise so you will run off every deer in 3 counties”

“Very sorry to hear about your friend arky, that's a terrible thing.

To be even more specific - I'm only referring to the regular "gun" season, not bow or black powder season, also not bear, moose, bird, rabbit, turkey, cow, pig, rat or other hunting season.

I'm not as concerned about getting shot as I am about scaring off the game. I like deer meat and I want someone I know to get one.

Multiple use of the forests is a good thing, the more people who use it - for whatever reason - the more likely it is to stay open to public use. Like Ginny said, there are places hunting isn't allowed.”

“Well said, twigeater. I couldn't agree more about the more uses people have for the woods, the more likely they are to be conserved.

If I'm lucky I only get to go hunting once a year since I moved up to Jersey. But for members of my family, hunting is very important to them and they always eat what they kill.”

“Gun Deer hunting season is only 10 days here in Wisconsin - except special things like black powder. It just stay out of the woods during that time (around Thanksgiving) The rest of the time - during bow deer season - I make sure to wear some orange clothing - like the hunters do
Dawn”

“You can buy orange clothing really cheap toward the end of the 10 day deer season around here. Alot of it is synthetic and makes good backpacking clothing if you don't mind the color. It is kinda wierd around here when a couple of us girls stop in a gas station or restaurant a week after hunting season. We'll have on orange vests or something and the guys will try to explain how it is not deer season anymore. You can either ignore them or explain that we are hiking and don't want to get shot by a arrow.
Dawn”

“Despite the fact that I already had one encounter with hunters, and it was an UGLY one, I'm going to do the right thing, and get something hunter orange to be safe. Guess it's the only thing to do, if I plan on hiking around here.”

“Safety yellow North Face Jackets work even better!

No hunting on Sunday in my area!”

“Im going huntin all weekend yall!”

“Hike where they ain't.
The Chattahoochee NF of North GA is sprinkled with Wildlife Mgt. Areas, and most of them have scheduled quota hunts (limited # of hunters). If one was concerned about hunters, they could get the hunting regs and find traily woods that are closed to hunting. Still wear something bright, tho!

Turkey, bear, small game, etc,... not a prollem.

Just our luck...
last year when BPBaby and I hiked Sipsey, that weekend was the one and only hunt of the season. Fortunately, it was rainy, and the boys *mostly* stayed home.

I wore my yellow raincoat over my pack (head-high plus), and put Belle's dayglow orange poncho on her. No problem-o.

Poachers are a year-round danger...”

“Going to paint my hair blaze orange!!!!

8)”

“Today is the opening day of the Archrey season in PA.”

“Expect lots of hunters out today.”

“I was going to head over to Promised Land for a hike, but I think I'll wait for tomorrow. Last night I noticed many of the homes that sit empty most of the year were all lit up.”

“That's one good thing about no hunting on Sunday.”

“Archery doesnt bother me , its rifle season that always worries me. Far too many hunters out there banging away at anything that moves without ever really looking at what they are shooting. With the shorter range stuff they have to wait untill your closer and it is a lot harder to be misteaken for a deer.”

“I have some orange to wear,but my dog always hikes with me and she has a bit of white on her chest and tail, so during the deer gun season, for three long weeks my hiking involves walking around the block in my neighborhood.It stinks because this is one of the best times of the year for hiking but I have had a few close calls in the woods so I just kind of wait it out.”

“Archery doesn't bother me either, but during the rifle deer or bear season I stay out of the woods.”

“I have an orange pack Cover...and yes... I carry. Seriously I have only had one problem in all my years.
It was an idiot who was bush shooting...I heard the sonic crack and then the gun being fired. I found a nice place to get low. Broke out some noisemaker and let the SOB know.”

“I agree with RichB.....I think it stinks that we have to stay out because of the few idiots.....”

“Well if you live in Davenport Iowa the city goverment is allowing bow hunting along the bike path that runs right through the middle of the city and Duck Creek. Alot of people are not riding their bikes right now.”

“One good thing during the rifle season is that it only lasts about 2 weeks for deer and 3 days for bears so it's not that long around here. No hunting on Sunday so you can get out then for a day hike. To me that only means most people will not hunt on Sunday. One time on a day hike I did see someone hunting on a Sunday, but since I only saw that one time I don't know how many hunters break that rule.
last edited: 10/02/06 7:08:25 AM”

“The hunting seasons are well on their way up in the Adirondacks. Riffle bear start Sept. 16 and runs through Oct. 13. Archery deer started Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 20. Muzzleloading deer runs from Oct. 14 through Oct. 20. The regular riffle deer season runs from Oct. 21 through Dec. 3.”

“Here in RI, archery deer season started yesterday, and there will be overlapping of the muzzleloader and shotgun seasons with it this year. We've required 200 square inch of blaze orange minimum on state lands for years during hunting season, doesn't matter what your doing.I always wear an orange hat this time of year anyway, state or private land, I figure it's best to be safe. Fortunately we don't have a rifle deer season, the state's too small anyway, but inline ML's and the saboted slugs are getting pretty close to CF rifle ballistics.”