Has anyone seen this...This proposed regulation is in the comment period now...Trappers should think about this...

I don't wear hunter orange when trapping...I expect hunters (as I do when hunting) to identify their target. I do NOT want hunters getting used to the idea that if there is no visible orange it must not be a human...

But decide for yourselves and comment to DEC...

Written comments will be accepted through August 8, 2021. Email comments to:

wildliferegs@dec.ny.gov


A new 6 NYCRR 2.15 is adopted as follows:2.15 Fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink requirements for hunting deer and bear.(a) Definitions. Fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink may also be referred to as hunter orange, blaze orange, hunter pink, or blaze pink.(b) Purpose. The provisions of this section shall apply to the taking of deer and bear pursuant to sections 3-0301, 11-0303, and 11-0903 of the Environmental Conservation Law.(c) Specifications. Any person hunting deer or bear with a firearm or a person who is accompanying someone hunting deer or bear with a firearm shall display either:(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.

Sounds like it has things well covered as written. Does not require trappers to wear blaze, so heaven forbid they are allowed to think for themselves. If you are trapping out of your pickup truck and parking next to your sets perhaps you choose not to, but if walking distances through public land during deer season perhaps you do. Your choice as it should be.

Blaze orange saves lives like seat belts.

So do motor cycle helmets, bicycle helmets, insect repellent, life jackets, covid masks, hand washing, exercise and eating salads. All things a responsible adult should be able to choose when and where they need to do them.

It might just be the way I am wired, but I don't care for mandates for things like this. NYS has one of the best safety records regarding hunting of any State in the Union with a VOLUNTARY orange system. Consider those in the woods that are not hunting: Hikers, bird watchers, trappers, et al., they should NOT be required to wear orange. Hunters should be taking the time to properly identify their targets.

I worked for the Maine Department of Fish and Wildlife in the late 1980's when a woman was shot by a hunter while she was hanging her laundry in her yard. I recall a Sgt. Warden said that the hunter, during his statement said he saw (what turned out to be white mittens) but did NOT see any orange!! So he thought it must be a deer.

Maine had and still has an Orange mandate

Think about that for a moment! Could hunters fall into a false sense of security by equating orange don't shoot, but a lack of orange may not be a human???

I also believe the system we have now is safe, safe enough that I can go into the woods and set traps and not get shot as a bear or a deer.

I also don't want non-hunters to think our sport(s) are so dangerous that we are saying to them "don't go near the woods without orange or you can be shot." It's not true and we should not advertise it as such by agreeing to this STUPID mandate...

I disagree with mandates, but if they are going to require one for hunters then is should apply non hunters on state forests/lands. (private property should be exempt.

I because of the number of hunters i have meet in the woods that only go into the woods and handle a weapon, 4 or 5 days a year and seem inept, will wear orange. I have spent to many years in the military and seen to many accidents, One of my men was almost shot by a young private trying to clear his weapon in a chow line in Iraq. I watched a SAW go off when a Major was trying to unload it in an office in Iraq. Accidents happen. Even by supposed qualified people. I put in way over 20 years in and have seen my share, Look at range qualification courses, safety first.

I also wear orange as I am getting older , have had open heart surgery and carry nitro for my heart and i seem to slip and fall more (i know stay out of the woods) if I kick over out there I want them to find me and drag my carcass out with out wasting alot of emergency peoples time looking for me in camo on a creek bank.

Non hunters are going to think what they want based on there lack of education or limited education, your not going to change that. Like leash laws for dogs on state land.

Aside from that the new generation is to busy texting. they cant even drive and see a light turn red.

NY has one of the best hunting safety records in the country without a mandated BO law. The overwhelming number of hunting accidents are self inflicted. So how does wearing BO keep oneself from shooting themselves or falling out of a tree stand ? Most gun hunters in NY’s Northern Zone will not comply and the NYSDEC knows it. It is a revenue scam, giving ECO’s and Forest Rangers another reason to issue tickets.

And don’t tell me it’s about the collective right for safety. in America the individual right is as important if not more important than the collective right.

If it saves lives, why don’t the make it mandatory in Chicago ? More people are shot in 1 day there than in all of NY’s hunting seasons.

So, if you are hunting on your own POSTED land, and are the only person hunting on your land , would you still be required to wear Blaze Orange ?

Yup, you too CB!!! If you don't like that idea, I suggest you send comments to the email above...

Mn.has had blaze orange regs for decades.Before the Blaze became available,all wore red.I have no problem with this regulation.It allows you to know when other hunters are in your area. I have passed on more than one deer,because I had seen hunters earlier in that direction.A rifle load carries a long way and there is no way I want to be responsible for anyone getting accidentally hit. The orange also tells others I am hunting in a certain area,so they can avoid shooting my direction or interrupting my hunt.
When trapping during deer season ,I wouldn't be with out my blaze,I even hang blaze on my brown packbasket.
Blaze does in fact--save lives.
Tom

I wear some orange most of the time ,almost all of the time on public land we are only required to wear it if gun deer hunting

identifying your target is one thing I absolutely agree you should do . I have pulled up on a deer to see a bit of orange behind the deer 150 yards through the scope I didn't see that orange till I moved over a step to pull up on that deer then I saw it at the edge of my scope I waited for the deer to go a safe distance walking away fromt the orange then I shot it.

you can see people so much further away when they wear orange we do drives and even a person who has a minimum coverage vest vs a full coat and hat is not seen as far away , had the same guy been all camo I would have never seen him sitting against a log 200 yards out, would I have hit him? probably not

an orange hat during deer or bear season is not a bad idea I even kept an orange hat in my pocket hunting public for turkey , so I could pull it out when moving

I hate mandates also

in WI it is a minimum of 50% of your upper body and 50 % of any hat worn for gun deer hunting that was about 1978 before that Red was a requirement

with many fewer tags for bear I don't think it is a requirement.

people need to still 100% identify their target

when you have 600-700K people in the woods for opening weekend it can get a little busy.

you should demand that if they make hunters were orange or pink dog walkers walking on public hunting land need to wear blaze orange /pink if any hunting season is in progress. after all it is for their safety it might also serve to turn them into less of a dog park.

When I trap on public land, I go when people are not there. No worries of getting shot or my traps tampered with as I keep a low profile.

Time and effort would be better spent in NYS educating hunters to identify their target. A man running through the woods in brown with a white hankerchief in his back pocket should not be shot at. He should be recognized as such. A deer looks like a deer not a human! I know this is an extreme example but my point should be clear. Education not more laws and mandates are what is needed.

NYS in certain counties DEC issues alot doe tags as we have tremendos number of deer that are doing damage and moving into residential areas. What bothers me is the comment by some hunters, if its brown its down, that is a statement that say they may not be sure of their target.[u][/u]

Every deer I have ever shot was without question a deer.I believe strongly that hunters should identify their target., however I notice a lot of big game hunters in the Adirondacks wearing only camo and no blaze orange. For years the NYS Conservation Council opposed mandating blaze orange, instead promoting the identify your target theory.I , for one,disagree. There are just too many jerks out there that shoot at a flash of white, or movement, or taking a "sound shot". If blaze orange saves even one life I'm all for it.
Remember when everybody fought seatbelts or motorcycle helmets? How many lives have those mandates saved?
I'm in the woods during the Adirondack deer season as a trapper. I know there are hunters nearby. I'm an avid deer hunter myself and I think requiring trappers to wear some blaze orange should be added to the reg also. I know there will be those that disagree, but to me it is only common sense.

What about any person using public land wear orange? Duck hunters, bird watchers, hikers, etc?

We use if it's brown it's down , we do mean if it is a Brown white tail deer on land we have permission to hunt and the shot is safe it is down. but that gets a little wordy

we can not shoot white deer and prefer not to shoot spotted deer

only once did I think about shooting a non deer it was a brown large breed goat , there was a guy local jerk who decided to run his goats on his neighbors land since they were not around , we had permission to hunt that land , I thought it didn't look quite right then saw a black and white goat next to it and the ears were wrong also kind of small .

as far as dogs and people never thought one looked like a deer but some people shoot stumps they think look like deer


I have had a few deer I thought were stumps till they got up and moved then they were deer , that is the kind of identification needed you need to be 100% sure it is a deer where orange helps is on the what is behind your deer target it makes it easier to see a guy 25, 50 , 75 or 100+ yards behind the deer your looking at

I definitely would not do a deer drive without orange , you know the instance your guys crest the ridge that they are there.

What a lot of you are not comprehending is that a bullet doesn't automatically stop when it reaches a target. A hunter may very carefully and correctly identify his target as a deer. They may also not see the other motionless hunter, in full, very good camouflage behind that deer. It gets even harder to see someone else in camouflage if that deer is rapidly moving. Orange prevents harm and saves lives.

Keith

Be sure of your target and "beyond" is what's stressed in NY. I can't imagine a hunting course or State reg. book that wouldn't stress that. You should also never shoot a "rapidly" moving deer. Stay safe out there no mater what you do

Keith, I know what you are saying, but sadly it's you that is missing the bigger picture. Hunters are not the only ones in NYS woods. There are hikers and birders et al... Those others may not be wearing orange and GC Pete (above) is way wrong...In fact I would say his statement "Demand those other users (Paraphrasing) wear orange" is absurd! And please Pete never come to a public use meeting in NY and make that statement...While NYS has roughly 600k hunters, not unlike Wisconsin, we are the only State in the Union that also has NY City and the imbalance of non-hunters (literally MILLIONS) that could care less if we continued hunting...So suggesting for us to hunt they must wear some non-fashionable color is obtuse at best...

So where am I going?? We have to hunt as though some are NOT wearing orange...If that means you don't know for sure what is beyond the target you have clearly identified as the largest buck you have ever seen -- tough nuts! You do not have a shot!

NYS has an outstanding safety record using voluntary blaze orange and there is no valid reason to make it a ticketable offense...