Hunter Orange Alert!

[Horniac]

I just received this via e-mail from a NM Outfitter I have hunted with in the past and thought I would pass it on...


HUNTER ORANGE ALERT - March 2013

This is an alert for anyone who hunts in New Mexico. The Game and Fish Department has asked the Game Commission to require hunter orange for most hunts in New Mexico, both vests and hats. Irrespective of what you have been told, ungulates are NOT completely color-blind, and they absolutely see solid colors better than camouflage patterns. We can provide technical proof on this subject if anyone is interested. For the hunter it means fewer shot opportunities, an extra expense and another source of frustration if you leave home without your orange garments.

New Mexico has an excellent hunter safety record. We think requiring hunter orange is more about control than safety. This is an effort to solve a non-existent problem. The department, in their initial presentation this month, admitted that this was in part being recommended so that ?the game wardens could see the hunters better in the field.?

Hunter orange is a good idea in flat brushy country, on hunts with high hunter density and/or when a line of hunters are pursuing upland game birds. However, we believe it should remain optional.

If you dislike being required to wear hunter orange, please write a short message in your own words and ask the game commission vote down the proposal to require hunter orange. The email addresses for the current commissioners appear below. You can simply copy and past the addresses if you like.

You may also call G&F Director Jim Lane?s office at (505) 476-8008.

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

Thanks for your efforts to shut down the hunter orange proposal.

Here is a link to a short Youtube video about a more serious safety & control issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0sujnvIV4g4Biggest killer and threat to everyone

 

[MuskegMan]

"We think requiring hunter orange is more about control than safety"

I call BS on that. I live in a state (AK) does not require any hunter orange. Do I wear it anyway? YOU BETCHA. Any time I feet that there is a chance of other hunters being near me. It's not definately not so ?the game wardens can see me better in the field.?

I do agree that solid color vest are not desirable. I wear blaze camo and have NEVER felt deer could detect me because of it. And I've called them in within 10 feet of me.

 

[NMPaul]

Thanks for the post Horniac. I agree with your post. Completely against it.

Will send some emails.

 

[hank4elk]

>Thanks for the post Horniac.
>I agree with your post.
> Completely against it.
>
>Will send some emails.


+1

 

[nmhntr]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-13 AT 04:23AM (MST)[p]That's a stupid rule proposal!!

 

[mozey]

LAST EDITED ON Mar-30-13 AT 07:44AM (MST)[p]
...so that ?the game wardens could see the hunters better in the field.?

That's what I thought. I have mixed feelings on this. Do I want wardens checking on you all to make sure you're not poaching? Absolutely.

Do I want to be interrupted during my hunt so that they can check my licenses, etc? Absolutely not...

Are poachers going to wear hunter orange? Probably not. It's similar to the "if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns" argument. If you make hunters wear orange, only the law abiding will wear orange, and their overall hunt experience will be less satisfactory.

 

[jamaro]

http://www.monstermuleys.info/cgi-b...z=show_thread&om=5003&forum=DCForumID34&omm=0

It is under a comment period, from what I am hearing MIGHT be a done deal. It is in response to a few shootings over the last few years.. I think the guy getting off the 4-wheeler last year is what is bringing this up.

The issue is liability, there is concern that someone might sue the Dept if they don't make it required.

J

 

[northernNMhtr]

I wear hunter orange when hunting with high power. I don't bother me. I'm surprised that it has not been made mandatory since in the hunter safety classes they really encourage and teach about the purpose of wearing orange.

 

[cosmic_cowboy]

From what I've heard on the underground gossip around town... the guy that was shot on the 4 wheeler was NO Accident they had a long standing dispute and I think the shooter got 2nd degree murder charge. This is about the powers that be trying to protect us from ourselves.I also think there is something to the game wardens being able to see you is the REAL reason for this. I still think its a bunch of BULL!Its going to waste their time looking for guys not wearing orange instead of enforcing the laws we already have.And as I already said on here lets make it apply to everyone... not just firearms hunters....anyone who's in the woods during hunting season must be a PUMPKIN !!!!

CC

 

[hank4elk]

Good point CC,I say make everyone NOT hunting wear the orange.Ranchers/cowboys, outfitters/guides ,hikers,forest circus employees,DG&F employees,folks in trucks.......that way the hunters really know where others are,and everyone is safe....
From what I have found out it is done deal too,and ramrodded by the new head of DG&F (who is from another pumpkin state)and new commission chair who was appointed with no discussion. Us hunters have the least amount of the input in anything it seems,and we foot the bill for it all. Sweet deal for everyone else.
I never see an DF&G employee or LEO in the field,just near roads and cafes,so maybe after hiking in I'll just opt out of orange.
Jeez,they can hardly catch any poachers,theives etc.so we get punished. Bunch of BS. I only wear orange when I'm feeling uneasy about others around,and I avoid that by hunting alone.

 

[mozey]

I grew up in a hunter orange states. I'd like to see the conclusive study that hunter orange makes us more safe, because I heard about hunting accidents in those states more frequently then I do here. I doubt there is one--it's just someone's idea that hasn't thought it through.

I think wearing hunting orange makes getting closer to game a lot more difficult, thus hunters are apt to take longer shots. And therein lies the real risk: long shots and skyline shots. With that tradeoff, I don't believe hunter orange will every make us anymore safe than camo.

 

[hank4elk]

You said it Mosey,last time I hunted in UT it was an orange zoo and 3 people where hit that year....

 

[jamaro]

The Fed pulled these numbers... They nor I really care, but I am afraid the Dept isn't going to provide any real numbers..


WAFWA STATES
We asked all WAFWA states that require hunter orange to provide us with incident statistics five years prior to and five years after their hunter orange requirement. North Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington were able to provide us the requested information. These four states saw a combined decrease of 22% in total hunting incidents per 100,000 hunters and 40% in total hunting fatalities per 100,000 hunters. Of these four states, Texas? results were the least successful. While their rate of hunting incidents per 100,000 hunters dropped slightly, their rate of fatalities per 100,000 hunters actually increased. It was not clear what may have contributed to such an unexpected increase in fatalities following hunter orange

 

[EVILNR]

LOL!!!!
The NM soap opera continues.

 

[npaden]

>The Fed pulled these numbers... They
>nor I really care, but
>I am afraid the Dept
>isn't going to provide any
>real numbers..
>
>
>WAFWA STATES
>We asked all WAFWA states that
>require hunter orange to provide
>us with incident statistics five
>years prior to and five
>years after their hunter orange
>requirement. North Dakota, Texas, Utah
>and Washington were able to
>provide us the requested information.
>These four states saw a
>combined decrease of 22% in
>total hunting incidents per 100,000
>hunters and 40% in total
>hunting fatalities per 100,000 hunters.
>Of these four states, Texas?
>results were the least successful.
>While their rate of hunting
>incidents per 100,000 hunters dropped
>slightly, their rate of fatalities
>per 100,000 hunters actually increased.
>It was not clear what
>may have contributed to such
>an unexpected increase in fatalities
>following hunter orange

Interesting that they would use Texas as an example, especially since Texas doesn't have a hunter orange requirement on private lands which make up about 99% of the hunting area.

 

[mozey]

From what I know, Utah has had a hunter orange requirement for about 40 years. That would be some pretty unreliable data.

Can anyone get a link to the actual studies?

How many hunting accidents has NM had in the last ten years?

 

[hank4elk]

...and CA does not require orange with way more hunters and yahoos...

 

[salsola]

I've found two studies on-line:

One from North Carolina:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resource..._Carolina_Impact_of_the_Hunter_Orange_Law.pdf

One from New York:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resource...juries_and_Wearing_Hunter_Orange_Clothing.pdf

Neither study seems like a stringent analysis of available data (neither study seemed to control for number of hunters afield when comparing injuries before/after hunter orange rules).

Here's a table of hunter injuries (both fatal and non fatal) for 2002- 2007. NM had 2 deaths and 12 injuries.
http://ihea-usa.org/news-and-events/news/incident-reports?id=147

 

[RioHuntNutt]

Bow hunting wouldn't really benefit from it , but I could see some use on rifle hunts. Unit 38 Corona used to be called little Cambodia cuz all the lead flying.When I was a kid I remember going to Kmart to get a new orange vest and cap , would be super pumped because it meant hunting season. Now my girls get excited getting camo clothes but I tell them it serves a purpose but orange will still be worn in my family during all rifle hunts.It should be an option , but one I would hope people would take a serious look at.Also many clothes companies makes camo looking orange clothes....Just sayin.

 

[5yearcoueshunter]

Looks like the Department is going to recommend NO CHANGE to current rule. They are recommending going more to the Education route of encouraging hunters to use Orange. Good news I think.

http://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/commission/documents/SGC AGENDA 05_23_13 Roswell_Final.pdf

 

[NMPaul]

That is good news. An orange hat in the pack is always a good idea.

 

[257nut]

in wisconsin where i hunted deer for thirty years you had to wear hunter orange. both cap and jacket or vest was the minimal. it had to be solid orange no camo orange. but than again we had close to seven houndred thousand gun hunters. i did notice here that during the rifle deer hunt there was a number of people wearing red. during the muzzle loading deer season there was nobody that i noticed wearing red

 

[mozey]

Thank you, Travis, you just made my day.