View Full Version : Hunting season, safe to hike?
Phoenix7
08-03-2004, 01:50
I'm wondering if safety can be an issue while hiking AT during hunting season. Do hunters stay away from the trails? Or do they use the trails? Should I start wearing orange in Sept.?
Thx,
Phoenix
Youngblood
08-03-2004, 07:34
Hunters use the trails in Georgia. Wearing an orange hat and even an orange pack cover is advisable. Be sure to wear the orange hat when going off trail to dig a cat-hole, especially in early morning. That may be your most vulnerable time because you are in poor light conditions, off the trail and trying to hide in the brush... might not be a bad idea to throw something with bright colors on top of any bush you are hiding behind.
Youngblood
Tim Rich
08-03-2004, 08:21
I've sectioned a good bit of the AT during hunting seasons. On the trail, I've met bear and squirrel hunters in NC, rabbit hunters in VA and CT, and deer hunters many times. I've never had a problem - hunters I've met have been no more or less friendly than hikers I've met.
The AT website has a good overview and a state-by-state assessment of hunting seasons at http://www.appalachiantrail.org/hike/hike_info/hunting.html
Check the state(s) you'll be hiking in September. The AT site rightly says to be more aware of larger game seasons such as deer and bear. In general, September deer seasons are bow hunting periods (far lower risk). In the northeast, several states have bear seasons that run during September, and moose season may run during that time as well.
Youngblood's advice on dusk and dawn movement is excellent. One of the two cases of a hiker being shot (that I know of) occurred during a dawn potty run. His description of hiding behind a bush made me think of one of my favorite movies, "Cool Hand Luke".
"Shakin' it here, boss!"
Enjoy your hike,
Tim
Youngblood said:
"That may be your most vulnerable time because you are in poor light conditions, off the trail and trying to hide in the brush... might not be a bad idea to throw something with bright colors on top of any bush you are hiding behind."
smokymtnsteve
08-03-2004, 08:32
it seems that the shooting of the young hiker in GA was related to the flash of white toliet tissue...maybe we need to carry bright colored TP
Pencil Pusher
08-03-2004, 09:02
Geez, shooting by sound.:mad: A father shot and killed his son this way while hunting in Colorado a few years ago. A tragic consequence for a moronic style of hunting.
smokymtnsteve
08-03-2004, 09:06
Geez, shooting by sound.:mad: A father shot and killed his son this way while hunting in Colorado a few years ago. A tragic consequence for a moronic style of hunting.
when I wuz growing up down south here we seattled lost of arguments with a hunting "accident" :D
Rain Man
08-03-2004, 10:17
Should I start wearing orange in Sept.?
YES. I did a GA AT section hike in November and ran into hunters. In fact, one offered me trail magic at a road crossing. Bottled water and a power bar.
I saw lots of hikers with blaze orange on. One unprepared thru-hiker had gotten spooked by a hunter kid who "came outta nowhere," and he started stealing the orange plastic marker strips off of trees whenever he came across one, and tying them to his pack. It was quite gaudy by the time I saw him.
I tied my red and my yellow hankerchiefs to my pack and wore a white shirt. If I went back on the AT during hunting season, I'd have an orange blaze pack cover or vest over it. You can buy them at the ATC web site, or dirt cheap at Wal-Mart.
Rain Man
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smokymtnsteve
08-03-2004, 10:24
No white at all ....them hunters shoot a White flashes.
copythat
08-12-2004, 23:27
Cabela's sells a safety orange pack cover. I bet it's not ul, and probably we could save some oz with some bright orange silnylon and some shock cord.
I always wear orange in season. Not quite as concerned on the AT as hunters are very aware of the trail. But I am very concerned when hiking lesser travelled trails here in GA. I do get a little jumpy at times when I hear the shot guns. I have been known to yell at the top of my lungs to make hunters aware they are near hikers on a trail.
Phoenix7
08-14-2004, 01:57
Thanks for the info all. Looks like I've got to spend a little more money in clothing. And maybe I should pre-dye my toilet paper:-? .
Phoenix
Phoenix7
08-14-2004, 02:02
Thanks for the replies all. Looks like I'll be investing in a vest, hat and pack cover. Maybe I should pre-dye my toilet paper :-?
Phoenix
MedicineMan
08-14-2004, 06:22
sounds like a business opportunity for someone, can you picture lonewolf at Dots' with a batch of orange brew and a case of Charmin?
seriously, has anyone thought of a strobe light? not good for a thru-hiker due to battery woes but on the back of the pack the section hiker wouldnt notice it but it would radiate in all directions e.g. over the pack for a hunter to see, not that the pack cover is not a better idea, just thinking of 'what else' can one do
frankcornbread
08-14-2004, 10:48
Petzl Tikka Plus has a strobe setting.
FC
magic_game03
08-14-2004, 12:44
I'm not so sure a strobe is such a good idea, many of us hike because we want to get away from all the flashing bright lights of the city. also, many of the state gamelands we hike REQUIRE everyone (not just hunters) to wear 200 square inches of orange during any open season but very few non-hunters abide by this regulation.
on a scary note, along your hike you will be in quite a few cross hairs and never even know it. many hunters get bored and scope things out while they are waiting for their targets. I remember a nobo (butterfinger) in '03 telling me about a hunter that scoped him out from about fifty yards off the trail. when the hiker noticed the hunter and confronted him the hunter never took the scope off the hiker or said a word back. butterfinger said he got the hell out of there quick.
another scary time, i saw a young boy (about 11-12 years old) out turkey hunting with his father. what scared me was the boys age and the fact he was carrying a shotgun that was bigger than he was.
From the best of my research, there have been 2 hikers HURT by hunters in the HISTORY of the AT. Not exactly something to sweat out to my way of thinking.
Hypothermia, falls, car wrecks while hitch-hiking, dogs, lightning, bee stings, plain old heart attacks etc; EACH are far, far more dangerous than hunters.
My advice is to wear some bright clothing during hunting season and carry a small light just before dawn and just after dusk. You'll have a great hike during a great time of year and come home safely.
copythat
08-19-2004, 23:44
From the best of my research, there have been 2 hikers HURT by hunters in the HISTORY of the AT.
That may be true. Still, every year there are hunting accidents in Conn., usually when the hunter is breaking a basic safety rule, like firing after dusk or HWI (hunting while intoxicated). They've killed friends, joggers, passersby and law enforcement officers. I can't recall an accident right along the AT, but they sure happen other places. And just before dawn, the woods along the trail and across the river sound like an armed assault is on the way. (Usually not Sundays, as there's no hunting Sundays in Conn., but even then I hear reports.)
CYA WITH ORANGE!
bluebird
10-23-2004, 03:19
I've got to say that one of the funniest things I saw while thruhiking was hunters along the trail... they would invariably be trying to be silent and hidden while trying to 'catch' their prey. What a joke!
Many were hiding just off trail... hikers would be hauling along the trail, chatting and making all kinds of noise and there would be a hunter 'hidden' in the trees hoping to catch some game. Ha, Ha!
I wore two orange bandanas during hunting season and made plenty of 'human' noises along the trail. One bandana was pinned to the back of my pack and the other to the front on my chest strap!
Happy hunting... ha, ha.
Bluebird '01
My most memorable experience with hunters was in VA in the morning, the section just north of Linden. There was a lot of freezing rain the night before, and the trees and bushes were ice coated. The sun had just risen and and shown through the ice. It was so beautiful it was almost painful.
On a wide stretch of trail, two hunters approached walking southbound. They were chatting as they walked, rifles held in the crook of their arms, pointed up at a slight angle.
We exchanged hellos as we passed. Beautiful morning, Gorgeous, things like that. I passed on to their right, the direction their guns were pointing, and both switched their guns to their other arms to point away from me. It was hunter eitquette of which I was unaware, but somehow made me feel good inside.
Walking on, I realized that hunters have more in common with hikers than we realize. These two guys were enjoying a walk in the woods, just as we do. I realize there are moron hunters who go up to Maine to drink and get away frm the wife and all, but most hunters love the outdoors. And don't forget there are moron hikers, too. You only have to look at trash on popular mountain peaks in the Whites, and see toilet paper hanging from trailside bushes to realize that.
I know hunters kill animals, and that must be unpleasant for a vegetarian to contemplate. I don't have much use for trophy hunters, myself, but the hunters you see on the AT are likely to be eating what they shoot. I eat meat, and to criticize hunters for killing and eating deer, rabbit and pheasant would be hypocritcal.
Walking on, I realized that hunters have more in common with hikers than we realize. These two guys were enjoying a walk in the woods, just as we do. I realize there are moron hunters who go up to Maine to drink and get away frm the wife and all, but most hunters love the outdoors. And don't forget there are moron hikers, too.
Thanks for that story. There are lots of hikers who are hunters, and I'm one of them. When hunting, I've had the opportunity to observe animals in the wild in a way few non-hunters ever see. I've seen foxes hunting and deer feeding their way through the forest and even packs of wolves hunting. Most hunting is a lot of observing and little shooting.
The "bad apples" in any group get the press, and since nowadays most people don't hunt, many tend to fear hunters even if statistically it really isn't warrranted.
One thing I'd like to point out is in the U.S. there is almost no such thing as a "trophy hunter." I have been hunting since I was a kid and have never seen a deer or elk etc. killed just for the antlers. The law forbids it in nearly every situation, and if anyone did it they had better hope another hunter doesn't catch them at it.
While many of us do admire and respect "trophy" game animals, we also make full use of every bit of meat we can use, and support programs to preserve the habitat of game and non-game species alike.
WalkinHome
10-23-2004, 15:20
I have hiked around the Nahmakanta area a few times during hunting season. Not a big deal. No hunting on Sunday and Maine law requires two articles of blaze orange.
Jack Tarlin
10-23-2004, 16:40
I saw dozens of hikers in the woods over the past week and a half in Tennessee and North Carolina, equally divided between sectioners and long-distance hikers.
I saw exactly NO hikers other than myself wearing any blaze orange, even though hunting season had very obviously begun, and should have been apparent to the hikers (i.e. hunters on or near the Trail, at Trailheads, frequent overheard gunshots, etc).
All of my Northbound hikes have ended in late September and early October in Maine. The numbers of hikers I've seen wearing blaze orange can probably be counted on one hand.
There is never an excuse for a hunter to shoot blind, or for a hunter to fire on a human being "by mistake," but it happens more often than you think, and this unfortunately plays into the hands of anti-hunters and anti-gun zealots. The vast majority of hunters are resposnsible, level-headed, and law abiding, but there is always the chance of an accident when you're in the
woods or mountains in hiking season.
Hikers need to be reminded of this, and they need to start wearing blaze orange. It's easy and it's cheap----my old cap is flaming orange and cost something like .99 at Wal-Mart. They also carry such things as orange bandanas and cheap orange fleece gloves. Tying some orange streamers to the back of your pack is also a pretty good idea. ALL of these items are available on the Trail, especialy in Maine.
When an accident occurs, all too often, people are quick to jump on the hunters. The vast majority of accidental woodland shootings during hunting season are equally the fault of the victim. If you're going into the woods in the Fall, you wear some blaze orange, period.
Hikers are NOT the only folks in the woods this time of year, and they really need to start being more aware of this.
shades of blue
10-23-2004, 17:06
I agree with almost everything that has been said so far. The only thing I take issue with is that accidents are usually equally the fault of the victim. There is NO EXCUSE to shoot something that you are not positive what it is. None at all....I used to hunt and my brother and father still do. Most experienced hunters won't shoot an animal unless they are sure they will kill it quickly (so they don't loose the meat, and cause longer pain). That means they are shooting for a particular place on the big game such as deer. Hunting accidents are discharging your weapon by droping it, or not having the safety on and tripping. An accident is not shooting at something you can't see well enough to completely identify. That is idiocy.
YES, hikers must be responsible and protect thereselves. NO, they are not at fault if some idiot can't tell the difference in a human and a deer. And YES, they are still as hurt or dead even if it isn't their fault...so wear orange.
Flash Hand
10-24-2004, 02:00
its safe as long there is no cops and projectile.
And, bring your safety glasses.
Flash Hand :jump
Youngblood
10-24-2004, 09:36
I don't think that 'sharing fault' is the prefered term, I think maybe 'sharing responsibility' to try to prevent hunting accidents from happening. In that regard, be careful wearing or waving white articles around also...and do wear blaze orange while on and off the trail when you are in the woods during the fall and winter. Don't forget about this when you go off trail to take care of those nature breaks and stoop down behind the bushes.
Youngblood
orangebug
10-24-2004, 11:00
It is surprisingly easy for a hunter to mistake a person for a white tail deer. A white tail will suddenly appear, moving vertically up and down. This can be mimiced by a person walking with a white hat or squatting near a ridgeline while completing the tasks of toileting.
Good, experienced hunters will not shoot at movement but will positively identify their target. New, younger and excitable hunters might choose to take that shot - even though it is a very low percentage shot.
Find some blaze orange for a hat, maybe even some blaze orange duct tape for your pack.
Rain Man
10-25-2004, 07:15
... The vast majority of accidental woodland shootings during hunting season are equally the fault of the victim. ....
MAYBE if the victim were wearing a deer disguise.
Rain Man
.
i have a RED backpack....along with a BLUE sombrero & an ORANGE sleep-pad (attached to my pack)....should be enuff color diversity to not CONFUSE any hunters!
i spotted a few SOBO hikers on our recent section-hike that were sporting the ORANGE ("dont shoot me...i'm NOT a deer") vests
max patch
10-25-2004, 09:45
ALL of my hiking shirts are orange - one less thing to think about.
My pullover fleece is bright orange. I wear it in camp and tie it to the back of my pack while hiking. It's also my pillow.....
bearbait2k4
10-25-2004, 13:55
The last time I was out in the woods, I picked up a pack of those little halloween pumpkin leaf bags, and made a pack cover out of it.
The pack of 10 is like a dollar.
You can be safe, festive, and have a pack cover, all in one - - although I can only recommend these bags for maybe a week or so (kind of flimsy).
Phoenix7
10-31-2004, 23:25
Thanks a lot for the replies all. Since I started this thread I got an orange vest and orange baseball cap. Next step is orange pack cover. And I'll be sure to show no white in my clothes.
Thanks,
Phoenix
Enter the woods at your own risk, especially during hunting season. You've got all kinds out there. Drinkers, excited youths, hard of hearing and seeing, mean ones, and many who are responsible, who can hear and see. Just wear bright glow in the dark orange. I wear a joggers lightweight (and cool) glowing orange vest.
Rain Man
11-02-2004, 12:19
I picked up a couple of cheap blaze orange bandanas in Millinocket as souvenirs in September.
This past weekend (on my Wesser-to-Fontana, NC section hike), I draped one across the top of my pack and either wore the other on my head when I was sweating, or draped it across my sternum strap.
Some hikers were blazed-up pretty well. Others not at all.
The seven hunters I ran across all only wore orange caps and that was it.
Anyway, I like multi-function hiking gear and thought these bandanas fit the bill.
I've seen the posts saying not to wear white, but last year when I checked with the Ranger District in Georgia, they specifically suggested white if I didn't have blaze orange, so I wore a white t-shirt on that hike.
:sun
Rain Man
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