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

A hunter was accidentally shot and killed in Oklahoma Saturday evening. Muzzleloader season opened that day and he was hunting with no orange on. Even bowhunters are legally supposed to wear atleast an orange hat while hunting during any firearms season in Oklahoma.

Alright guy's, we have enough people out ther trying to divide us hunters we don't need to do it ourselves.:bash:

I do believe if seasons DO overlap in certain areas, that for safety,
people should wear some orange as to not get shot(with arrows or bullets) that's just what those NON-hunters want to hear is all the mishaps!it just gives them more reasons to try and take our natural right to hunt away.

Like Bowfly said "i think he was good, except for not wearing orange...that is just plain dangerous and dumb"
I agree !

I just want people to be smart and realize if they arent careful that kind of stuff can happen. I could care less what non hunters think or say. I just hope somebody reads that and realizes they need to be safe. It can happen to anybody.

I live here in Iowa and bowhunters aren't required to wear blaze orange...even on the way to the stand; but you're right, he should be aware of the other seasons that are open. I thought all hunters knew what seasons were open, I could tell you EVERY season that's open at any time, not just deer...kinda weird...just thought that was kinda part of bein an outdoorsman.

Absolutely I couldn't agree more!
Not saying we didn't need to hear about the guy in Oklahoma( I live there).
Just saying ,when people are doing stupid things like not taking the precaution by wearing orange when hunting, it gives the NON hunters even more ammo against us.

Brushbuster07, thats how is how I see it too

Well here archery and ML season overlap and have no dress code. That said there are seasons now where archery/ml overlaps certain season where a dress code is required. The dress codes here apply to rifle and shotgun season BTW. IMO its upto the hunter if they think they need or should wear orange when not required, outside the letter of the law of course. About the only thing I see wrong or faulty with this situation is the bow hunters unfamilarity with the regs. IMO that is each hunters responsibility!

Congrats on the deer..BTW

The only mistake I see was not wearing the orange. Safety has got to be the number 1 priority. The best of hunts can be ruined in the blink of an eye by unsafe practices.

I think it's more a case of whether he was smart or not.

This all brings up the important point of safety: we have to guard against the foolish when we hunt. You did that by not pointing the gun at a target you had not identified and not shooting at sound. Good work.

I hunt a piece of private land, that is surrounded by other private land. The only way into my hunting piece is about a third of a mile on a "right of way" access road. I wear an orange hat and vest even though it's not required during any hunting season up there just to be on the safe side. It's not required here in PA during archery, only during the overlapping seasons, but I think it's the safe thing to do. Even on Public land I'll wear orange, when not required.

That said, I think the other guy did the right thing, but I think using common sense on public land, he'd have some piece of orange on. A good friend/hunting buddy of my boss's was killed during archery season, had no orange on. It's a totally different story and debate in itself, but I'd rather be on the safe side. I'll also agree with the OP about ID'ing your target before shouldering a firearm, or even reaching for the bow.

This is one of the most idiotic statements I have seen here in a while. I'm a bowhunter and a gun hunter. It's not all about bowhunters, as you obviously think. Gun hunters have just as much a right to be there as you. Call your game commission and ask them if they can eliminate gun hunting so the bowhunters won't be at risk and can have the whole place to themselves, afterall, we surely don't want any orange pumpkin a-holes shooting at you. You may want to look in the mirror before you start calling gun hunters a-holes.