Be safe, be seen
Although hunting is one of the safest ways to enjoy the outdoors, wearing blaze orange will help minimize your chances of being mistaken for game animals during the hunting season. While hunters are required to wear blaze orange during certain seasons, all outdoor users who are in the woods during hunting seasons should wear blaze orange clothing as a precaution. Pets should also wear an orange vest or bandana for visibility.
If you're wondering about what shade of orange and what amount works best, watch this short video about the effectiveness of blaze orange:
Blaze orange for hunters
Hunter Education and the use of blaze orange has helped dramatically reduce hunting-related firearm incidents in the field.
Legal blaze orange requirements
Hunters should be aware that wearing blaze orange is a legal requirement during some hunting seasons.
- All hunters during shotgun deer season and deer hunters during the primitive firearms season must wear at least 500 square inches of blaze orange material on their chest, back, and head. (Exception: coastal waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat.)
- All hunters on Wildlife Management Areas during the pheasant or quail season on WMAs where pheasant or quail are stocked must wear a blaze orange cap or hat. (Exception: waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat, and raccoon and opossum hunters at night.)
Will wearing orange impact my deer hunt?
Some hunters may worry that wearing blaze orange will hurt their chances of harvesting an animal. While deer are not colorblind, they lack the ability to detect colors like red and orange from green and brown. Wearing blaze orange will not matter to the deer, but may save your life.