Its Orange Season again

[peakbagger]

Various state hunting seasons are starting up. I have seen a few hunters parked at their traditional spots of late. Time to get the orange gear out. At least for now, Maine still bans hunting on Sundays although there is lawsuit working its way up through the legal system.

Vermont's regular deet hunting season starts Nov 11th, which is usually the weekend that Darn Tuff has the factory sale, assuming they do not cancel it again due to Covid this year.

 

[DavidG]

Various state hunting seasons are starting up. I have seen a few hunters parked at their traditional spots of late. Time to get the orange gear out. At least for now, Maine still bans hunting on Sundays although there is lawsuit working its way up through the legal system.

Vermont's regular deet hunting season starts Nov 11th, which is usually the weekend that Darn Tuff has the factory sale, assuming they do not cancel it again due to Covid this year.

It's on this year. Went public last week.

 

[peakbagger]

It's on this year. Went public last week.

Looks like this weekend.

Thanks, might be an early drive to Northfield

 

[NH2112]

I don’t get the people for whom hunting is apparently so important, but who can’t plan to have a day or 2 off Monday-Saturday. Is one day per week that I don’t have to risk ending up like Karen Wrentzel too much to ask for? I have no problem with hunting, I do have a problem with hunters who apparently use hunter orange as an excuse not to have to 100% identify their target. Even if I’m wearing black, brown, or grey there’s no part of me that comes close to resembling a bear, deer, or moose.

 

[Rhody Seth]

Here in Rhode Island it's mandatory to wear blaze orange in the woods during hunting season. I trail run throughout hunting season and rarely even hear hunters, let alone see them. Of course we probably don't have the numbers of other New England states. But frankly I'm surprised at states that don't allow hunting on Sundays - some people can only get out on the weekends.

 

[maineguy]

Is one day per week that I don’t have to risk ending up like Karen Wrentzel too much to ask for?

I don't understand your complaint. There is no hunting in ME on Sunday...that's one day a week. You don't get that in most states including NH, VT, NY etc.

 

[skiguy]

I don't understand your complaint. There is no hunting in ME on Sunday...that's one day a week. You don't get that in most states including NH, VT, NY etc.

The whole season is not that long to begin with. I have no problem with sharing the woods with hunters. Not to mention there are plenty of places to go where people don’t hunt. It also puts food on the table for some whom really need it. Otherwise rumor is it’s a great time to take a beach vacation down south somewhere.

 

[maineguy]

Here in Rhode Island it's mandatory to wear blaze orange in the woods during hunting season. I trail run throughout hunting season and rarely even hear hunters, let alone see them. Of course we probably don't have the numbers of other New England states. But frankly I'm surprised at states that don't allow hunting on Sundays - some people can only get out on the weekends.

Mandatory for non-hunters?

 

[Rhody Seth]

Mandatory for non-hunters?

Yep. Everyone.

 

[KRooney]

The whole season is not that long to begin with. I have no problem with sharing the woods with hunters. Not to mention there are plenty of places to go where people don’t hunt. It also puts food on the table for some whom really need it. Otherwise rumor is it’s a great time to take a beach vacation down south somewhere.

Per Google, "As of today, there are 11 states that have restrictions of some sort. Four states ban hunting on Sunday altogether. They are Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine and Pennsylvania. Three states allow Sunday hunting on private land; those are South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia." Not many, IMO. The only one that surprises me is PA since they have a healthy whitetail deer population.

 

[NH2112]

I don't understand your complaint. There is no hunting in ME on Sunday...that's one day a week. You don't get that in most states including NH, VT, NY etc.

I’m referring to the lawsuit to end the ban on Sunday hunting.

 

[maineguy]

I’m referring to the lawsuit to end the ban on Sunday hunting.

OK, I had forgotten about this. One of those unintended consequences of the referendum which passed a few years ago. In this case, I agree with you. The ban is very reasonable. I used to do quite a bit of local hiking in the Kittery and York water districts on Sundays and it was nice not to have to be concerned with wearing orange, etc.

 

[NH2112]

The whole season is not that long to begin with. I have no problem with sharing the woods with hunters. Not to mention there are plenty of places to go where people don’t hunt. It also puts food on the table for some whom really need it. Otherwise rumor is it’s a great time to take a beach vacation down south somewhere.

What do you consider to be “not that long”? Because big game season totals 3+ months between bear, deer, and moose, depending on where the weekends fall. Though bear season itself is 3 months, basically from the end of August to the end of November, which covers both deer and moose seasons. Factoring in non-big-game seasons there are hunters in the woods the entire year - daytime coyote season is Jan 1 - Dec 31.

Blaze orange regulations are nothing but a means of absolving hunters of the need to 100% positively identify what they’re shooting at. There is not a single part of a human body that can possibly be mis-identified as anything but part of a human body, regardless of the color of clothing being worn, if the time and effort is taken to identify what you’re looking at. What they do is put hunters in the mindset that shooting at noises or movements is fine as long as there’s no blaze orange there. Not all of them, but enough of them.

I have no problem sharing the woods with hunters; I was an avid hunter in 3 states (small game in ME as a teen, small game and deer in NC & GA while in the army) but haven’t hunted in 30 years. I live in the middle of the most heavily-hunted area of Maine, and while I haven’t asked friends & acquaintances who hunt (multiple species & seasons) what their stance on Sunday hunting is none of them have ever mentioned that it should be allowed. My theory is that it’s mostly out-of-staters - whom I have absolutely no problem with, whether hunters, fishermen, snowmobilers, or ATVers, regardless of how much they increase traffic in town - who push for it. And probably guides they hunt with.

 

[Puma concolor]

I’ve gone hiking in Maine regularly during hunting season for the past several years (including near Jackman). Mostly trail-less stuff. Wore a reflective yellow vest a few times and nothing distinctive a few other times. Hunters are everywhere - mostly cruising the dirt roads at 10 or 15 MPH - and I’ve felt pretty pretty safe once I‘ve gotten about 100 yards into the woods. But this year - after questioning whether I may have been shot at on two different occasions - I finally bought a blaze orange jacket. Said as much to my wife. Funny that I never knew there was a blaze orange law until right now. And, at this point, I pretty much have nothing left that I want to hike up that way. Such is life.

 

[Nessmuk]

Mandatory for non-hunters?

Not required for non-hunters in NY, only if accompanying a hunter in the field.

From the NYSDEC hunting regulation:​

Fluorescent Orange & Fluorescent Pink Clothing Requirements​

Any person hunting deer or bear with a firearm or a person who is accompanying someone hunting deer or bear with a firearm shall wear:

1. a minimum total of two hundred fifty square inches of solid fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink material worn above the waist and visible from all directions; or
2. a minimum total of two hundred fifty square inches of patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink consisting of no less than fifty percent fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink worn above the waist and visible from all directions; or
3. a hat or cap with no less than fifty percent of the exterior consisting of solid fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink material and visible from all directions.

But still a good idea for all during hunting season. Years ago when I hunted with my father, he cautioned me to never bring a common white hanky. The common practice of flipping a hanky to open it looks exactly like the flashing tail of a departing white tail deer. And the exposed neck of a white T-shirt worn under an unbuttoned over shirt looks like the white chest of a deer.

 

[Dana]

Per Google, "As of today, there are 11 states that have restrictions of some sort. Four states ban hunting on Sunday altogether. They are Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine and Pennsylvania. Three states allow Sunday hunting on private land; those are South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia." Not many, IMO. The only one that surprises me is PA since they have a healthy whitetail deer population.

No Sunday hunting in Connecticut, either. Supposedly it's allowed in private hunting preserves with town permission, but I don't know if any such preserves actually exist and they wouldn't be open for hiking during hunting season anyway. Public land shotgun season in CT is only a couple of weeks.

It's been a few years since I've hunted, but neither I nor anybody I hunted with would ever shoot at anything not positively identifiable. Sadly, I know idiots exist, but they're a small minority,

 

[DavidG]

As I have gotten older and given the topic lots of time to marinade, I believe that when I die my energy doesn't die its recycled.
As what? I don't know.
Is that bug I squashed grandma?
If I were hungry enough one of the deer in the backyard would be in the freezer.
Now what if grandma came back as a pig or other domestic animal. That doesn't bother me at all.
Bugs make up more living things than humans.
I wonder what a dung beetles life is like 👍