Blaze orange vest question

We had a lengthy discussion on this topic a while ago and here is the answer I got directly from a CO:


Hello,

I'm curious about blaze orange requirements when wearing a backpack. Obviously, a backpack will cover up a significant portion of the blaze orange vest. Would you consider this as having less than the required 400 sq inches of visible material? Are there other variables to consider? I suppose a 250 lb man would have more visible blaze than someone who is 150 lb. It came up in a discussion recently and would like to have some clarification.


Thanks,




Greg

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry. We apologize for the delay in responding to your email.

As long as you are wearing the required 400 square inches there should be no problem. You should remember however that wearing a backpack that covers a large portion of your hunter orange makes you less visible to other hunters. You may choose to purchase an orange backpack or cover your existing backpack with a piece of orange fabric or an orange vest.

We hope you have found this information helpful. If you require further assistance contact the Natural Resources Information Centre toll free at 1-800-667-1940.

Regards,

Here is the link to the discussion:

http://www.oodmag.com/community/show...and-back-packs

Thank you! So basically, with a full blaze orange vest, with a "not so blaze" orange back pack, I should be good....

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Originally Posted by BirdIsTheWord

Thank you! So basically, with a full blaze orange vest, with a "not so blaze" orange back pack, I should be good....

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Yep. I do the back pack thing over my blaze orange jacket,have met and talked with lots of CO's and have never had an issue. There's still lots of visibilty.

I can still put a few birds in my vest's game pouch and it isn't perfect but when I'm using the backpack it's my option.

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...ps0779fda2.jpg

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/g...psd2208acb.jpg

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Originally Posted by BirdIsTheWord

Thank you! So basically, with a full blaze orange vest, with a "not so blaze" orange back pack, I should be good....

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According to the above CO's interpretation, yes. There's a chance you could run into one that will see things differently but it's not worth stressing over. You're more than covered from a safety/visibility standpoint too as your pack would be "nearly blaze".

Like trimmer said, I've run into CO's in the field while wearing a green pack over my vest with no issues.

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Originally Posted by wolfhunter

in the past 8 years no hunter orange, not one square inch, no charges either..........:)

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It's a safety issue and only a fool would not wear blaze orange...don't come whining on here when you do get charged and one day you will!

It's a TOTAL of 400 sq inches, that has some showing on all four side. Can't all be on one side, front or back but must be visible from all sides to some degree. In open hardwood you can locate another hunter 1/2 mile away but in a green swamp things get up close and personal....
Even my spare cheap strap-on vest has over 400 inches on EACH half. If you have a jacket with oranges leaves then you can have over 1000sq inches of orange .....:rolleyes: Especially if you are normal sized.

Unless you are hunting in a zone that has an open firearms season for big game then you can't be charged for hunting small game without blaze orange. If there is an open season you need 400 sq inches of coverage. If you were charged you would win in court, that is the law in Ontario. Having said that only an idiot would hunt without sufficient blaze orange to guarantee his/her safety regardless of the laws.

The blaze orange requirement only applies to LICENSED Black Bear hunters when hunting Bears specifically,outside any open Deer,Elk or Moose gun seasons. That's the way the law is written. Whether or not it makes a lot of sense is open for lengthy debate,without doubt. Common sense would dictate,though,that if hunting in an area where there's active bear hunting,it's best to not look or sound like a bear. Put the blaze on. Many WMU's in southern Ontario have very few,if any,populations of Bears,therefore,it would be reasonable to assume there wouldn't be any bear hunting going on,either,negating a need for small game hunters to wear blaze orange except for the open gun season for Deer including the special black powder week. I'll likely get some heat for this,but,I wish when they wrote the regulation,they included blaze orange camo and permitted it to be worn while hunting big game as the only requirement. It sure would have eliminated a lot confusion and likely would have lead to a much higher rate of compliance.

Hunter Orange does not guarantee safety. Nor do we need to lock up our guns in order to keep them from criminal hands. Yes obey laws, but don't fall for stupid rhetoric. How many people were shot hunting last year in Ontario where Hunter Orange is mandatory?And compare it to other provinces where Hunter Orange is not.