FLUORESCENT ORANGE RULES TO REMAIN RELATIVELY UNCHANGED
BOARD GOES ON RECORD TO OPPOSE MERGER
BOARD CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO HUNTERS SHARING THE HARVEST
BOARD TAKES ACTION ON OTHER ITEMS
HARRISBURG - Responding to input from a broad cross-section of hunters, the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners adopted a slate of regulatory changes that simplify and consolidate the Commonwealth' s existing hunter fluorescent orange requirements. The action significantly changed the proposal given preliminary approval by the Board in June, but will reflect much of the current orange requirements.
The regulatory changes, a product of deliberations initiated by the Board of Game Commissioners' Law Enforcement Committee, will revise and update nine different subsections of Title 58 to complement laws contained in the state Game and Wildlife Code.
" The steps taken by the Board of Game Commissioners today will help streamline and standardize our fluorescent orange regulations," noted Mike Dubaich, Game Commission Bureau of Law Enforcement director. " We' re confident hunters will have little problem adjusting to them."
With a few exceptions, the adopted regulations require hunters to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing on the head, chest and back combined - visible in a 360 degree arc - when they hunt, or assist to hunt any game or wildlife, or move to or from a hunting location, from one hour before legal hunting hours to one hour after legal hunting hours, outside a motorized vehicle.
The exceptions are:
You may hunt waterfowl, doves and crows without wearing fluorescent orange. In addition, hunters participating in the post-Christmas flintlock muzzleloader season are not required to wear fluorescent orange clothing.
During the first two weeks of early archery season, bowhunters are not required to wear fluorescent orange material. When the early archery season overlaps with the October muzzleloader season/special antlerless firearms seasons, archers are required to wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing while moving about or relocating. They may remove their orange clothing and place 100 square inches of fluorescent orange material within 15 feet of their location when on stand. Finally, when the early archery season runs concurrently with the fall turkey season, archers must wear a hat containing a minimum of 100 square inches of solid fluorescent orange material while moving about or relocating. The orange hat may be removed when the hunter is stationary, or on stand.
During the fall turkey season in Wildlife Management Units 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 5B, 5C and 5D, and during the statewide spring gobbler season, hunters must wear a hat containing a minimum of 100 square inches of solid fluorescent orange material while moving about or relocating. The orange hat may be removed when the hunter is stationary, or on stand. In all other Wildlife Management Units (2C, 2D, 2E, 2F, 2G, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 5A), fall turkey hunters must wear 250 square inches of fluorescent orange clothing while moving about or relocating. They may remove their orange clothing and place 100 square inches of fluorescent orange material within 15 feet of their location when on stand.
" The Game Commission would like to remind hunters that these new regulations will not go into effect until the 2004-2005 hunting seasons," Dubaich emphasized. " You really don' t have to be concerned with them until after you' ve purchased your next hunting license."
Well if you haven' t heard by now the flo orange proposal to have archery and turkey hunters wear 250 sq inches of flo orange died yesterday when the commissioners voted against it due to an overwelming amount of mail against it. I just want to thank everyone who wrote the commissioners voicing their opinion on this. I guess the system does work sometimes.
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"If guns kill people then I can blame my pencil on mispelled words" Larry The Cable Guy
PA Game Commisssion Bowhunter Education Instructor
United Bowhunters of PA
www.enigmacamo.com
http://www.camospace.com/pahardwoods
WooooHooooo that is great news. I am glad to hear it. It comes as somewhat of a surprise actually. When I was walking through Cabelas yesterday there were two guys in front of me and one was saying to the other " Did you hear?" , " They passed that stupid blaze orange requirement for next year....." . So, as you can see, I am much relieved to see the change of mind on their part.
PA Orange reqirement
