Can orange safety vest be used when hiking during hunting season?

This answer is based on research and my experience hiking in the United States, specifically the Midwest and Northeastern US. I mostly focus on deer season, because that's the big one in this area. Be sure to find out which hunting seasons are most popular in your area, and look up the specific dates.

Blaze orange and ANSI orange are very similar. In fact, the range of variation for products sold as "blaze orange" or "hunting safety" is pretty much identical to the range of variation of what's sold as ANSI orange. See the comparison below. Although the hunting vest in my example looks lighter in color than the ANSI vest, I've seen examples where the reverse is true.

Blaze orange hunting vest (Source: Amazon.com)

ANSI orange safety vest (Source: Rainwear.us)

Furthermore, blaze orange is not actually required for hiking during hunting seasons. Hunters may be required to wear fluorescent orange during certain seasons. For example, deer hunters in Pennsylvania are required to wear

"a minimum of 250 square inches [of fluorescent orange] on head, chest and back combined, visible 360 degrees" (source).

The US Forest Service has this tip:

Safety Tips for Non-hunters visiting the National Forests

• Wear bright clothing. Make yourself more visible. Choose colors that stand out, like red, orange or green, and avoid white, blacks, browns, earth-toned greens and animal-colored clothing. Orange vests and hats are advisable.

The reflective patches shouldn't be a problem, because they're really only visible when you shine a light on them. They won't make the orange any less visible. They will make you more visible if someone shines a light on you, which could happen if someone is hunting at night or in the daytime with a spotlight. Night hunting and/or using a spotlight to stun deer is illegal everywhere I've looked into hunting regulations, which is probably why hunting orange gear tends not to have reflective patches. If anyone is hunting at night, you really want them to be able to see you.

Other safety recommendations (from multiple sources) include:

• If you bring a dog, the dog should have an orange vest, coat or bandanna.
• Make noise while you hike. Talk, sing, whistle or clap, much as you would to alert bears of your presence. In fact, bear bells would work well for this.

My personal recommendations:

• Stay on designated trails as much as possible. Don't go walking through dense brush or tall vegetation, or following game trails. If you must do this, be sure to make plenty of unmistakably human noise. Deer like edge habitat, like areas where forest meets field. Be especially careful (and noisy) when emerging from forest into a clearing.
• Make sure your orange vest is visible from all directions - if your backpack covers it, get another vest to put on your pack. Make sure your rain gear doesn't hide your orange vest. Or consider getting an orange poncho. Orange bandannas are a cheap and easy way to add a patch of orange to anywhere you need it. They're readily available at stores like dollar general and walmart, especially during hunting season in areas where hunting is popular.
• Consider not hiking in public hunting areas during the most popular hunting season, the standard firearm deer season. (Some states have special seasons for muzzleloaders and flintlocks - these may be less popular, and thus less crowded and dangerous.) It's just a couple of weeks, so find somewhere that doesn't allow hunting during that time. On the one hand, even aside from the safety concerns, you won't enjoy the hike as much because of constant sound of shooting, and the woods will be crowded. On the other hand, gun hunters only get a limited window, so it's considerate to leave the forest entirely to them during that window. Plus, some people drink while they hunt (not everyone, but it really only takes a few drunks with guns to be both obnoxious and dangerous).
• Hiking during bow hunting season is fine if you take precautions. For whatever reason, it seems like bow hunting tends not to attract the sort of casual hunters who get drunk while hunting. Maybe that's just because it's less popular than gun hunting, which also means the woods will be less crowded during bow season. Plus bows are silent, so you won't be annoyed by gunshots.

To summarize: Wear bright clothing, ideally orange. Make noise that only a human would make. Avoid looking, sounding and behaving like a deer. Avoid hiking in popular hunting locations during the most popular hunting seasons.

posted about 5 years ago

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csk‭

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