Here we are now on the brink of this year’s hunting season. Take a moment and try and picture yourself in this situation. There you are hiking along the trail feeling like everything is alright and you are safe from animals that before the cold weather you weren’t. Snakes and bears are about to go into hibernation so you feel safe hiking along. Then all of a sudden you hear gun shots and catch the breeze of a hunter’s bullet passing your face just inches off.
Think it couldn’t happen on the trail? Think again, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy hunting is permitted along the trail to the tune of a steep 1250 miles of it through national forest lands, national recreation areas, and on state forests and game lands. Only about 900 miles of the Appalachian Trail have a law that restricts hunting along the trail. But the protected corridor on the trail is often narrow, averaging about 1,000 feet wide. That is not a lot of protection.
So the best advice that can be given to hikers during hunting season is being in the know about how to protect yourself. While hiking during this time it is a good idea to where a bright orange hunters cap and or have an orange vest either on your person or hanging in good view off your back pack. Learn the regulations and hunting seasons for the areas where you will be hiking before you go. Specific dates for hunting seasons vary year to year and also by type of game hunted and weapon used.
Small-game seasons (turkey, rabbit) stretch from fall through the end of May; large-game seasons (deer, bear, and moose) generally occur October through January. Hunting on Sundays is prohibited in some states. In fact here is the hunting information for all the states the trail crosses through courtesy of the Appalachian Trail conservancy. It is a good idea to print this and take it along with your 2011 data book if you plan on doing a thru hike or long distance hike or even a section hike during hunting season.
All fourteen states that the A.T. traverses require hunter education classes prior to issuance of licenses, which has led to a significant decrease in hunting-related accidents. But that does not mean that hikers shouldn’t be any more aware of safety during this time. Never take a chance on the trail with your life or the life of a partner. You can even get a blaze orange back pack cover that would be a great idea and make sure that the pack is covered at all times.
As your backpack is hirer than your body it can be seen for a long way. In late 2002 and early 2003, two A.T. hikers were shot and seriously injured in separate incidents by hunters who mistook them for deer but neither hiker was wearing blaze orange, and neither hunter properly identified his target. It’s as much the hunter’s responsibility to identify what they are shooting at prior to firing as it is the hiker’s responsibility to wear bright orange.
Since dogs are on all fours, it is also a good idea that your hiking dog wears orange as well. That way a hunter will not mistake your dog for a small bear. If you are hiking in Pennsylvania the law states that all hunters and non-hunters are required to wear at least 250 square inches of fluorescent orange material on the head, chest and back combined, or a fluorescent orange hat, from Nov. 15–Dec.15 (except on Sundays). The orange material must be visible from all angles (360 degrees).
Hikers should be aware that interference or harassment of hunters in the lawful pursuit of game is a violation of law in all fourteen A.T. states. That includes dogs that are used in the hunting process as well, so leave the hunters and dogs alone when hiking please. Avoid wearing certain colors that could be mistaken for game as well. Colors such as brown and white during deer and bear season is not a good idea. During turkey season don’t wear red or blue.
And the old trick to avoid unwanted run-ins with bears works for hunters as well. Make noise, wear a bell and whistle or talk as you hike. Never try and hike as quietly as possible, when you make noise then a hunter and animals such as bears know you are there. When a hunter knows you are there he or she will not shoot if it is a bear he will want to get as far from you as possible. Above all else, never hike alone. If something happens, you can send for help if you have a partner.
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