What do you think...?
 

I encountered a situation I'd never had before with another hunter on Saturday. I was set up at the edge of a timber overlooking a bean field on public land that I knew was frequented by deer. I got out there and set up around 2pm. I was hunting with my muzzleloader, and according to state law I was wearing the required blaze orange vest and hat so I was pretty visible.

About 3pm a bowhunter comes walking in on the opposite side of the timber behind me about 50 yards away. I hear movement, and turn around slow (without bringing my gun up, BTW), and see him walking right toward me in full camo. He never said a word until he was right up to me. He saw me because I was wearing orange, and started to question me about what I was hunting (I said deer), and why I had a gun (because it was early ML season) and that he was surprised that a gun season coincided with bow season. Anyway, he turned out to be a pretty nice guy after I established that I was, in fact, legally hunting there and we chatted for a bit before he went to set up his climber about 75 yards behind and to the left of me, well out of my shooting area.

So, on the one hand, I was glad he came over and let me know where he was going to be, and I didn't mind sharing the area with him because it's a large space and he was hunting an area I couldn't cover from where I was at and he was down wind of me, too. On the other hand, I was a little miffed that he didn't know gun hunters could be in the area (it was public land and early ML season) and wasn't wearing orange at least while he was walking in. And because he didn't identify his presence when he saw me but just quietly walked in and I was lucky to hear the footsteps in the brush (which sounded like a deer coming) and turn around and spotted him be his movement. He is lucky that I am of the mindset that you don't present the gun until the target it ID'd, so I didn't have him at gunpoint, but maybe a less careful hunter might have at least shouldered their gun and pointed it in his direction, or maybe even shot. And if there had been a deer that he pushed to me between us, I might not have seen him either. Thank God nothing happened, but I guess that I think that maybe he was a little dumb not to have on at least some orange while walking through the woods during a gun season.

What so you guys thing about this? I can't really decide if he was right or wrong, or both.

Mike

Well in CO. thats the way they do it, been there done it, no problem either, a person should know the seasons tho. Some archers were a blaze hat to there stand.
Redclub

As a post script, I shot a big bodied 4 pointer in the bean field from 30 yards about an hour and 15 minutes later, so he didn't ruin the hunt for the day. I'm not complaining about a whole "this guy ruined my hunt..." thing. It was public land, and he had every right to be there just like I did. My concern is the safety/hunter etiquette thing regarding approaching another hunter without ID'ing yourself.

Mike

Interesting that he chatted w/you at all. Bow and small gamers in PA have been around for a long time. Just got to be alert all the time and drop the brown and down syndrome.

It's the hunters responsbility to not shoot him, it's smart if he wore orange, but you held the gun, it's your job to not shoot him.

I wear orange when I know its gun season, especially walking in/out, but I sometimes don't know when exactly ML season is since I don't hunt with that weapon. Smart to know, but sometimes I forget

I wouldn't have waved to you either, probably, mostly brown movement? Hmm, some people shoot at that, not saying you do, but some do. It's strange that he came over and talked to you and strange that he setup 75 yards away.

The appropriate thing for the other hunter to do would have been to call out his position to you before he walked in. That way you know it's not a deer making it's way to your tree stand.

If there is an open firearm season I wear my blaze orange vest and hat into the stand and then take the vest off. The hat stays. I usually try to hang the vest on the back of the tree I'm sitting in as well.

In Manitoba while bow hunting you do not have to wear the required blaze orange, until gun season starts (bow and ML season overlap) then the bow hunter must wear the same 400 sq. in. of Blaze. To me it is more of a safety issue than a law. I still have a tag that I could use for bow but I'm currently ML hunting. If I tag out during ML then I'll bo back to bow for a couple of weeks. There is no way I would ever take a strole through the bush during gun season wearing nothing but full camo. That would be just stupid. I know I hunt safe, but I don't know if there's some yahoo that is over excited and will shoot at the snap of a twig. Some guys just make you shake your head in wonder.

First off he was in the right and I'm bettin that archery season had been going on for sometime in that area. Your dumb ass game commission thinks it's OK to have a gun season during a archery season, risking every bowhunters life and limb. And YOU buy into it! It's his risk if he doesn't want to put on any orange as it is his fault not knowing that the orange pumpkin A-holes were going to be out in the field with him.

in PA during the overlap between archery and muzzleloading, turkey season, and junior doe hunting, we archery hunters must wear orange when moving...however, we can take it off when on "stand" either on the ground or in a tree...but, we must also place an orange wrap/marking around the tree we are in to alert others of our position

i think he was good, except for not wearing orange...that is just plain dangerous and dumb

Hey, that's a great idea! Lets just stop the bow season for every gun season then, instead of just the 2 1/2 weeks of the shotguns seasons in December. So instead of stupid dip**** bowhunters like you having almost 5 months of deer hunting, we could cut it down to like 2. That would be swell, I think! :pcwhack::hit:

Now go to your room and play, the adults are trying to have a grown up conversation here.:wave:

Mike