View Full Version : Stealth Camping During Hunting Season
Gladiator
09-12-2008, 21:49
Is it a bad idea to stealth-camp during hunting season?
I'm planning an early November section hike near Unicoi Gap (GA). I usually prefer stealth-camping over shelter-dwelling. Is that a bad idea during that time of year, in that area? Aside from wearing blaze orange, are there additional precautions I should take? Feel free to share "hunter encounter" stories.
Thanks,
Gladiator
fiddlehead
09-12-2008, 21:53
I did a SOBO thru in 2001/2002 starting in ME in Oct and finishing in GA in Feb.
We followed deer season most of the way and were in the midst of it in at least 8 states.
We wore blaze orange hats and blaze orange plastic streamers on the front and back of our packs.
Never had a problem with any hunters.
It was actually nice seeing some people on the trail as there were no other hikers out at that time and we talked to many of them.
They usually asked us if we had seen any deer.
We would tell them, yes, but you have to walk far to see them, they are not here by the roads. Then we'd all have a good laugh. They were cool. (most of them)
Have a good hike.
ChinMusic
09-12-2008, 21:56
When is hunting season in northern GA? I'm planning Amicalola - Neels 11/6-10
Dances with Mice
09-12-2008, 22:15
I've met lots of hunters in Georgia and camped near or with them many times. Never had any problems. Hunting season is a fine time to hike and it's peak leaf season. Be aware that at sunset you could hear a lot of noise as hunters unload their rifles during blackpowder ('primitive weapon') season.
Here are the dates. (http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=606&txtPage=2)
When is hunting season in northern GA? I'm planning Amicalola - Neels 11/6-10
http://georgiawildlife.dnr.state.ga.us/content/displaycontent.asp?txtDocument=606&txtPage=2
Sorry for the double link post
Trying to hide during hunting season is about the dumbest thing to do. It’s a good way to get dead.
Why do you think hunters use orange clothes? To keep from getting shot.
During hunting season you should use all the orange you can find. For clothes and a tarp over your tent.
Or stay out of the woods all together.
Trying to hide during hunting season is about the dumbest thing to do. It’s a good way to get dead.
Why do you think hunters use orange clothes? To keep from getting shot.
During hunting season you should use all the orange you can find. For clothes and a tarp over your tent.
Or stay out of the woods all together.
I hiked through hunting season from Pennsylvania down through the South. Most hunters are great. They're out there for many of the same reasons you are--for the pleasure of being outside in the cold. That said, wearing orange is NOT dumb-looking, it is necessary. (In Pennsylvania, it's required by law, if you are on State Game Lands during hunting season.) The orange should be visible from all directions. I would also recommend avoiding hiking in dim light, such as dawn or dusk. If you must go around in dim light, wear lights and/or talk or sing loudly.
Gladiator
09-12-2008, 22:52
Trying to hide during hunting season is about the dumbest thing to do. It’s a good way to get dead.
Good point. I guess "stealth-camping" does imply that I wish to remain hidden. Maybe I should have said I prefer seclusive camping, although there is some overlap in those terminologies.
Dances with Mice
09-12-2008, 22:57
Good point. I guess "stealth-camping" does imply that I wish to remain hidden. Maybe I should have said I prefer seclusive camping, although there is some overlap in those terminologies. And there's no need to 'hide' in that area since you can camp anywhere you like. If you just intend to use a campsite away from the shelters, no problem.
South of Unicoi you'll meet few hunters anyway since there are no roads near the trail. North of there you probably won't see any north of Tray Gap.
ChinMusic
09-12-2008, 22:58
If you must go around in dim light, wear lights and/or talk or sing loudly.
"Yo hunter, two legs here, Yo hunter"
Two words...BlazeOrange ToiletPaper;)http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/wb_style/editor/separator.gif
Well that's four words but who's really counting. Seriously though, let's not forget what happened down here in GA a few years back. Be even more careful the further away you are from the trail. Hunters are required to know the location of walking trails and as long as you stay close to the AT it should be no problem.
Wise Old Owl
09-12-2008, 23:05
I shouldn't touch this - avoid wearing brown and yea just camp.
Gladiator
09-13-2008, 11:12
... Seriously though, let's not forget what happened down here in GA a few years back.
Enlighten me, please.
Enlighten me, please.
Well....
Toilet paper is white....
The underside of a deer's tail is white...
Hunter sees white and shoots without verifying his target...
Hiker using white toilet paper is shot or at the least needs to use more white toilet paper because he got more crap scared out of him from being shot at...
:sun
Jack Tarlin
09-13-2008, 14:29
Bob. S. some very good points.
If you're gonna be in the woods during hiking season, make sure that people know you're there. This does NOT mean be loud and disruptive to the folks who may be out there hunting, but at the same time, make sure that people know you're there. Wear LOTS of orange at all times (orange streamer tape off the back of your backpack doesn't hurt). Use extra vigilance very early in the morning and towards dusk, when visibility is poor. Don't feel that you're 100% safe because you're on the Trail. Hunters have a responsibility to know what they're shooting at before pulling the trigger; people who go into the woods and mountains during hunting season have a responsibility to help the hikers know what they're looking at.
john gault
09-13-2008, 14:56
Signs I saw in N. Georgia http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/showimage.php?i=17939&c=member&orderby=dateline&direction=DESC&imageuser=6936&cutoffdate=-1
Jack Tarlin
09-13-2008, 14:58
Last sentence of my post should have obviously read that there's an obligation to help the HUNTERS know what they're looking at.
sasquatch2014
09-13-2008, 17:07
I If you must go around in dim light, wear lights and/or talk or sing loudly.
Last year while hiking in the fall I came up with this little song to sing. It is best to sing a bit off key.
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
Don't hang me by my knees from the nearest tree
Don't gut me like fish this is my only wish,
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
I carry Leki Poles don't shoot me full of holes
I ain't in rut I am only scratching my butt
Oh I ain't no deer so please don't shoot me.
Feel free to add your own verses I have left this little gem in public domian for the good of all human kind.
So far I have not been shot at while sining this song so I can say that it a 100% effective way of proctecting yourself during hunting season from being shot at for a deer. Please note that you may be shot at for sining way off key but that is another issue.
Dances with Mice
09-13-2008, 17:24
If I were to walk down the trail singing anything I'd probably get shot and no jury in the world would convict the shooter.
Enlighten me, please.In 2002 a 16 year old girl was shot and injured by a hunter south of Blood Mtn. She was with a large group and did not want to be seen by others in her group when she went to relieve herself early in the morning so she went over 100 yds off the trail where she was shot by a young hunter. The hunter saw the white toilet paper which he thought was a deer. The girl is fine as she was shot in the collarbone, although if the wound were only a few inches lower she would have likely been killed.
Blissful
09-13-2008, 20:31
No sneaking around during hunting season for sure. I've herad too many stories of people getting shot by mistake. And even hunters shooting members of their own party.
trouthunter
09-14-2008, 11:46
Being both a hunter and a backpacker I would like to add that any true hunter would not dare take a shot at anything he / she does not have a clear view of, and only after making a solid verification of both the species and sex of the animal.
There is no way a RESPONSIBLE hunter could possibly mistake a hiker for an animal.
So the danger comes in when some dumb yahoo carries a gun in the woods before he has received adequate hunter education / training by a real hunter.
I don't at all dispute that it happens. But they are NOT hunters.
All hikers should wear orange in this situation. IMO.
I personally prefer to let the hunters have the place to themselves during hunting season, and find a more suitable place to camp. If thru-hiking, and you stay on a main trail you should be fine, even tent camping near a main trail should not be a problem. Hunters should be scouting and hunting in more remote areas, areas adjacent to trails generally don't yield much wildlife due to hiker activity. Generally speaking.
Still it is the yahoo you have to worry about and stupidity is hard to predict.
Being both a hunter and a backpacker I would like to add that any true hunter would not dare take a shot at anything he / she does not have a clear view of, and only after making a solid verification of both the species and sex of the animal.
There is no way a RESPONSIBLE hunter could possibly mistake a hiker for an animal.
OTOH, Even a responsible hunter may take a shot at a deer without knowing where his shot will land if he misses. Not usually a problem, unless you are standing/camping on the other side of the animal. Its important to help make yourself seen by RESPONSIBLE hunters, too. Square inches matter when it comes to wearing blaze orange.
SOBOs will encounter plenty of hunters on or right next to the Trail.
trouthunter
09-14-2008, 14:51
Umm, No, A responsible hunter thinks about what is behind his target, and should not take a shot he/she can not "place". I will say that too many wannabe hunters fill the woods, and to a hiker it doesn't matter really, the only thing that matters is staying safe. So as a hiker I do share your concern!
If hunting from a stand, a missed shot is placed into the ground just past the target, if hunting from a blind or when stalking, a real hunter pays attention to the lay of the land. This includes trails, roads, ect.
Not that I disagree that some people take wild shots, they do. You are correct about that!
Most of the guys I go with carry a map and compass/GPSR so we know the lay of the land.
I'm guess I'm splitting hairs to some degree, because you do have a valid concern! I just dislike being lumped in the category of "hunters" who are not really hunters, not by anyone at WB, but in general.
I did say that hikers should wear orange, but the best way to stay safe IMO is to stay out of the area during hunting season, and pitch camp close to the trail in an area that is situated so the surrounding terrain offers you some protection. I know that's not fair to hikers, but unfortunately it is an option. I personally give the yahoo's a "talking to" when I see them doing something stupid.
john gault
09-14-2008, 19:14
FWIW, you may offend other hikers:banana
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/low_impact_colors.html
.
ChinMusic
09-14-2008, 21:02
FWIW, you may offend other hikers:banana
http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/low_impact_colors.html
Low impact colors are fine except during hunting season. I find those that bother to lecture others about the color of their gear outside of hunting season to be anal.
john gault
09-14-2008, 21:19
...to be anal.
There's no shortage there...
mustangpwr98
12-03-2008, 10:59
Complaining about color of my clothing is stupid. Go get something real to worry about. Should we all don camo and facepaint and sneak around the woods like Rambo?
I wear a blaze vest, hat and bandanna on my pack. One thing to watch if you hike with a dog is that alot of them look like deer depending on the color. We always made a blaze vest for the dog.
Or stay out of the woods all together.
Never an option.
I was thinking about hammock hanging during the hunting season. I can imagine that, under just the right conditions, in low-light situations, a sagging hammock might look just like a nice, fat buck to a beer-fed hunter who's had a long day with no luck.
troglobil
12-04-2008, 10:31
We had a DNR ranger here in Georgia that was shot in the abdomen while investigating a waterfowl complaint.last week. He was mistaken for a deer. I don't think they wear blaze orange while in the woods.
He was moonlighting from his brain surgery practice.
I suppose it is difficult to sneak up on people wearing blaze.
Hope he is OK.
Umm, No, A responsible hunter thinks about what is behind his target, and should not take a shot he/she can not "place". I will say that too many wannabe hunters fill the woods, and to a hiker it doesn't matter really, the only thing that matters is staying safe. So as a hiker I do share your concern!
If hunting from a stand, a missed shot is placed into the ground just past the target, if hunting from a blind or when stalking, a real hunter pays attention to the lay of the land. This includes trails, roads, ect.
Not that I disagree that some people take wild shots, they do. You are correct about that!
Most of the guys I go with carry a map and compass/GPSR so we know the lay of the land.
I'm guess I'm splitting hairs to some degree, because you do have a valid concern! I just dislike being lumped in the category of "hunters" who are not really hunters, not by anyone at WB, but in general.
I did say that hikers should wear orange, but the best way to stay safe IMO is to stay out of the area during hunting season, and pitch camp close to the trail in an area that is situated so the surrounding terrain offers you some protection. I know that's not fair to hikers, but unfortunately it is an option. I personally give the yahoo's a "talking to" when I see them doing something stupid.
I dont think that you are the hunter that people are talking about. You are completely right, in that a RESPONSIBLE always checks what they are shooting at, but not all hunters are RESPONSIBLE.
The majority may be, and they arent the ones that people are worried about. It is the irresponsible, or inexperienced that people have to worry about.
ChinMusic
12-04-2008, 13:43
I dont think that you are the hunter that people are talking about. You are completely right, in that a RESPONSIBLE always checks what they are shooting at, but not all hunters are RESPONSIBLE.
The majority may be, and they arent the ones that people are worried about. It is the irresponsible, or inexperienced that people have to worry about.
BINGO!!!
I intentionally buy a lot of orange stuff with hunting season in mind. Orange is my "standard" color for hiking jackets/rain gear. I also figure its a good color should I ever need to be found.....
I'm not worried about the seasoned hunter. I only worry about that ONE yahoo.