Blaze Orange Requirements

[Mayfly]

Ok.... Forget everything you know. Delete your mind for a second I want you to look at these regulations and interpret them from what you are about to read.




Deer   Season:   Also, you may not hunt or trap during any open
season where deer may be taken by firearms (including special
hunts, early antlerless, youth seasons, and muzzleloader) under
applicable laws and ordinances unless the visible portion of your
cap and outer clothing above the waist, excluding sleeves and
gloves, is blaze orange. Red is not a legal color, except for those
who qualify under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
Blaze orange includes a camouflage pattern of at least 50 percent
blaze orange within each square foot. This restriction does not
apply to migratory waterfowl hunters on waters or in a stationary
shooting  location or to trappers on waters. Times and zones for
firearms are shown in the map on next page. Muzzleloader season
is open statewide, except for closed areas (see page 90).


According to what I read here I believe that in an area that is closed to firearms for deer hunting I do not have to follow blaze orange requirements. And... I never knew this but it says that I do not have to wear orange if I am in a stationary shooting location. (Deer Stand).

[MTCOMMER]

I believe if its firearm season, and you are hunting with a bow on the same propery, you must wear blaze orange at all times...thats my understanding.  If a gun can be used or is being used, no matter what, orange must be worn above the waist

As for the stationary position, according to the paragraph, you dont have to wear blaze orange if you are in a tree stand.... But that doesnt make sense, because in our case, when we do a drive as a party, through the woods, if someone was wearing camo, we wouldnt be able to spot them through the woods as easily as orange.

Thats a horribly worded paragraph, they should fire that guy who wrote that and hire someone who speaks english!

[MTCOMMER]

Or if for some reason you are duck hunting on the same land as someone hunting deer, you must wear blaze orange as a duck hunter....

[Mayfly]

I believe if its firearm season, and you are hunting with a bow on the same propery, you must wear blaze orange at all times...thats my understanding.  If a gun can be used or is being used, no matter what, orange must be worn above the waist

Wildlife - You are right but I am speaking of an area that firearms are not permitted by law.

[HD]

During any firearm season, you need to wear blaze orange to and from your stand, once you are in the stand you don't need to wear it. We do cause it's safer. Also, if you are duck hunting in an area that is still open to firearms, you need to wear blaze orange to your duck blind...which would be a staionary blind or stand. Once in the blind you do not need to wear it. Same with bow hunting, if it's open to any kind of firearm...you need to wear orange to the stand and back again, not while your in it.

Funny I had a discussion about this a couple weeks ago with a CO.... 

But, your right....it is confusing....

[thunderpout]

The stationary hunting refers only to waterfowl hunting in a blind.... bowhunting, upland hunting etc., you must have a blaze orange/blaze camo vest on during firearms & muzzleloader season... at least thats the way I have understood it, I was also told that by a C.O. ..... oh yeah, the people that word half the regs should be publicly flogged!  I swear the reg book could be cut in half if there was even a little proofreading and more common sense used.... but like a guy once told me, maybe its intentional that they try to confuse... that works in their favor when they decide to slap a fine on ya, eh?  its called controlled disaray.....

[MNBucKKiller]

There has been people (In the cuffs and collars of the outdoor news) who got tickets for not wearing orange while in a stand so I don't believe it.  Not sure what they are refering to as a "stationary position"

[wildlifeminnesota]

During any firearm season, you need to wear blaze orange to and from your stand, once you are in the stand you don't need to wear it. We do cause it's safer. Also, if you are duck hunting in an area that is still open to firearms, you need to wear blaze orange to your duck blind...which would be a staionary blind or stand. Once in the blind you do not need to wear it. Same with bow hunting, if it's open to any kind of firearm...you need to wear orange to the stand and back again, not while your in it.

Funny I had a discussion about this a couple weeks ago with a CO.... 

But, your right....it is confusing....

You are right on this Hunterdown,

[HD]

I think Thunder has a point about the "controlled disaray" thing....

A buddy got a ticket for wearing a camo blaze orange jacket with brown carhart bibs...
The CO told him that his body was supposed to covered with 50% of blaze orange. Since his top half was only 50% camo and 50% blaze, that meant his body was only 25% covered in blaze!

I don't think some CO's even have a clear interpertation of the rules...  

[HUNTER2]

I saw a few hunters this year with brown hats on instead of blaze orange. I don't know why. I like having the orange on for safety. I wonder if the warden ever pinches them for it? Or does he spend his time on bigger offenders.

[guythathunts]

I dont know if you can take off your blaze in the stand or not, but this paragraph does not say that you can take it off if you are stationary. As the sentance stands "on waters" and in a stationary shooting location" is written with "migratory waterfowl" hunters implied as the subject, just as it implies "trappers" as the subject "on watters".

You wouldn't interpret that "trappers" and anyone "on waters" could go with out blaze orange.


This restriction does not apply to migratory waterfowl hunters on waters or in a stationary shooting  location or to trappers on waters

[MNBucKKiller]

I think Thunder has a point about the "controlled disaray" thing....

A buddy got a ticket for wearing a camo blaze orange jacket with brown carhart bibs...
The CO told him that his body was supposed to covered with 50% of blaze orange. Since his top half was only 50% camo and 50% blaze, that meant his body was only 25% covered in blaze!

I don't think some CO's even have a clear interpertation of the rules...  

I've heard of people getting tickets for that as well

[BiggA]

I dont know if you can take off your blaze in the stand or not, but this paragraph does not say that you can take it off if you are stationary. As the sentance stands "on waters" and in a stationary shooting location" is written with "migratory waterfowl" hunters implied as the subject, just as it implies "trappers" as the subject "on watters".

You wouldn't interpret that "trappers" and anyone "on waters" could go with out blaze orange.


This restriction does not apply to migratory waterfowl hunters on waters or in a stationary shooting  location or to trappers on waters

I have to agree here. This sentence is pretty clear if you read it all and not just the potion that you want to hear. I dont think it is legal to remove orange while in stand even. If there is a firearm season open even if you are on private land it is my understanding that you must comply to the blaze laws. If firearm is not allowed then I do not know.

[Go Big Red!]

Why would you remove your orange in the first place?  Even if in a tree stand?  Sounds pretty reckless to me.  We have enough idiots out there who shoot @ horses, cows, sounds, etc.  We don't need them shooting at people by mistake sitting in a tree stand.

And even if you are on private land, that still isn't a deterent to keep people from "wandering onto your land" and shooting. 

[HUNTER2]

They must be squirl hunting to be shooting up in the trees unless deer have learned to climb

[Go Big Red!]

They must be squirl hunting to be shooting up in the trees unless deer have learned to climb

Anything is possible and that is the scary part........

[MTCOMMER]

Why would you remove your orange in the first place?  Even if in a tree stand?  Sounds pretty reckless to me.  We have enough idiots out there who shoot @ horses, cows, sounds, etc.  We don't need them shooting at people by mistake sitting in a tree stand.

And even if you are on private land, that still isn't a deterent to keep people from "wandering onto your land" and shooting. 

Yeah, personally, I wouldnt take off my blaze in my tree stand, it doesnt make much sense to... Its cold up there anyways, so taking off layers makes it pretty chilly 

But it is good to get the right interpetation of this, because I dont want to be in a situation where im duck hunting during deer season (even though I would never do that) and get cited for not wearing blaze or the right amount of it!  AND I DONT WANT TO HAPPENING TO ANY OF YOU!

[wildlifeminnesota]

I hunt State Land and I wear orange from top all way down.

[Moving2thecountry]

They must be squirl hunting to be shooting up in the trees unless deer have learned to climb

I know somebody that was shot through the leg while in a stand.  They never found the shooter, though. 

[Moving2thecountry]

I think Thunder has a point about the "controlled disaray" thing....

A buddy got a ticket for wearing a camo blaze orange jacket with brown carhart bibs...
The CO told him that his body was supposed to covered with 50% of blaze orange. Since his top half was only 50% camo and 50% blaze, that meant his body was only 25% covered in blaze!

This year?  This doesn't jive with the regulations as I read them.  Above the waste and a cap is all that matters, excluding sleeves and gloves.  Your buddy should bring the regulations to the judge and I don't see how he would loose.

[MNBucKKiller]

I think Thunder has a point about the "controlled disaray" thing....

A buddy got a ticket for wearing a camo blaze orange jacket with brown carhart bibs...
The CO told him that his body was supposed to covered with 50% of blaze orange. Since his top half was only 50% camo and 50% blaze, that meant his body was only 25% covered in blaze!

This year?  This doesn't jive with the regulations as I read them.  Above the waste and a cap is all that matters, excluding sleeves and gloves.  Your buddy should bring the regulations to the judge and I don't see how he would loose.

I though you had to be 50% as a whole body... either a whole suit camo mixed with orange or an orange none camoflaged jacked and what ever pants.  If your wearing camo pants with camo and orange jacket it doesn't add up to 50%, more like 25%....the way Hunterdown described it sounds right to me.

[HD]

Yup, he was sited this year.

That's what I mean by the "controlled disaray" thing Thunder was talking about. I have a really good friend that is a CO, he said that my buddy should not have gotten the ticket, but, it was a CO from a different county that gave my buddy the citation.

The rules are as clear as mud......... 

And, those little handbooks that are handed out every year, they only scratch the surface of all the laws and bi-laws. They are the "high lights" of the rules. 

[MNBucKKiller]

Yup, he was sited this year.

That's what I mean by the "controlled disaray" thing Thunder was talking about. I have a really good friend that is a CO, he said that my buddy should not have gotten the ticket, but, it was a CO from a different county that gave my buddy the citation.

The rules are as clear as mud......... 

And, those little handbooks that are handed out every year, they only scratch the surface of all the laws and bi-laws. They are the "high lights" of the rules. 

Really...thats interesting.  So the law depends on who your CO is?  The DNR needs to make the law book easier to understand, if the CO's can't keep track of the laws.

[HD]

Yea, I dunno......

I guess it's like everything else....people interperate (sp) the rules in different ways.
For all I know, it could have been a new CO just learning the rules.
I wasn't there, but, I'll find out how it turns out next time I see him.

[thunderpout]

CO's are no different than other cops, (or people in general I guess) last year I got a ticket (Edina cop, no other ticket... just that... think he was looking for something else?) for wrongfully licensing a vehicle because I transfered my conservation plates from my old vehicle to my new one... Ive done this on my last three vehicles! In fact the judge didnt know you could do this either, and had to look it up on his computer! (quote: well I'll be... youre right...)   needless to say, I beat the ticket.  Remember, 7 of 10 people are morons/lack common sense... now give those 7 a rule book or manual... watch what happens.   Even worse, let one of those 7 write a regulations book.....