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I'm fairly new to hunting and have a safety/regs question. I plan on going to Crown land to target shoot and test the pattern and action on a new shotgun. Is Blaze Orange required? I assume not but probably safer. If I wear it could I be accused of hunting out of season? Any suggestions or insight? I will have targets with me.
Blaze is not required.
You will want to ensure that the Crown land you're using is ok to shoot on however. You should also make sure that you are in fact shooting at proper targets / cardboard back stops, that way your activities can't be misconstrued as hunting.
Remember to clean up.
Some crown land is okay to hunt on......... but not to target practice on.......... so double check with the proper authorities to make sure.
Hunter orange is not required.....
You are not hunting, so no, it is not required.
The vast majority of Crown land is free to shoot, however I would check with the local municipality about discharge bylaws. Generally the closer you are to Toronto the more loony gun laws become.
no offense intended but what did you learn in your hunter safety course. it just seems that so many people are asking simple questions. are they teaching what really needs to be learned like how to not kill or injure people . Blaze is not even required for most non big game hunting just read the regs. maybe instead of quick courses of hunt safety and PAL get your licence pay your dollar it should slow down and let knowledge especially about safety, yours and mine sink in. sorry about the rant but it's about my life and yours. if you don't remember what you learned reread your lessons then reread, then reread, out here is no place to make a mistake
No offence, but he's not talking about hunting. It's a perfectly valid question for a new guy to ask, considering all the fuss about following regs to the letter in Canada. There isn't a concise online info source on this stuff either.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman
Its very clearly outlined in the hunting regulations where blaze orange is required. And since orange is a hunting requirement, and not a shooting requirement, there are no such federal gun laws. Why would the CFSC/RCMP specifically say "No orange is required while target shooting"? Its got nothing to do with them. It would be like if they had the statement "You are not permitted to eat a donut while target shooting" Neither of those have anything to do with target shooting.Quote:
Originally Posted by GreyTech
That may not be in the regulations or any other laws but it will certainly attract the attention of the local police! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
go to silverdale, you'll meet some of the locals and get better insight to shooting. Crown land is not the best choice for target shooting since there are people that hunt there. Remember all you need is a stray bullet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulton90
I was asking a question more about my personal safety. I trust myself to know the target and beyond. From what I have seen I'm not sure I trust the judgement of others. As I mentioned my experience is with small game and upland. Both require Blaze Orange so that is what I am used to. When I carry a firearm I am wearing orange. Just because something isn't required does not mean one wouldn't be better off to do it. I was thinking along the lines of a life jacket.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman
There are very few open seasons at this time of year on the Crown land I hunt (wolf/coyote/skunk). For safety I assume I can still run into other hunters/shooters. Perhaps I phrased the question poorly but there is no need for negative comments.
The OP lives in the GTA and you're telling him to "go to Silverdale" to just pattern a shotgun? Gee, if every new hunter out there followed that advice, they'd all be broke.Quote:
Originally Posted by poltrojan
Please be so good as to explain why Crown Land isn't a good choice? There's literally millions of acres of it, it's free. And as long as you safely choose your spot, no harm will be done to anyone. "There are people that hunt there" isn't a valid argument, since you're basically saying that you shouldn't shoot on crown land, because there's other people there who will be shooting too.
Best advice to the OP, is to find someone who is an experienced shooter, and ask them......which is pretty well what the OP has done.
I have not taken a lot of shots more experienced hunters probably would have. I didn't take them because I was not absolutely sure what was beyond my target in the forest. I'm not sure how my wearing orange gets you hurt.
These forums should be a place for simple exchange of ideas and information. When you hop on the new guy for asking a safety question then less new guys will ask questions. Does that make you safer or less safe?. That's my rant.
If you are so concerned then feel free to wear blaze orange but then you should feel the need to wear blaze orange going for a walk or checking your mail. Honestly, there are lots of places in Toronto I would be more concerned about taking a stray bullet over the crown land outside of the city.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulton90
You only need to wear orange while small game/ upland hunting if there is an open big game firearm season.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulton90
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I was wondering if it was common practice. Apparently it isn't.
Welcome to the forum. Leave it to a few to muddy the waters with a bunch of irrelevant BS to answer a simple question asked by a rookie. :silly: First,wearing blaze orange is only required when a season is open for big game. The regulation handbook will show you where and when they are. It's definitely not required for target shooting because that and hunting are two very different and distinct things under the FWCAct. To prove that you're target shooting,all you need to do is be "demonstrably" doing just that (targets set up against a solid back drop in a safe area that's either Crown land or on private property with permission.) You can NOT be charged with hunting out of season while target shooting. You need to be aware that just because the land you choose is designated as "Crown",it may not be large enough or in a locale that's conducive to target shooting safely.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulton90
Wearing blaze orange,although not legally required,is sometimes required when hunting on private game preserves as a condition of entry and is a very wise thing to do when upland hunting with other hunters all the time. Visiblity is safety. I hope this helps answer your question. Good luck
There's a good answer.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
Sorry you had to read through so much crap to get there.
Welcome to the forum...if you're still here.
I wear blaze ( at least some ) when small game hunting and so do my buddies and there is no harm in doing so.
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j1...ps96qhuxzc.jpg
Do what you are most comfortable with and ignore the keyboard cowboys and trimmer gave you a fantastic answer btw.
Not all 'Crown Land' is equal. Target shooting is not allowed in the Holland Marsh, Scugog Island, or Nonquon crown land parcels (and possibly others) according to posted signage. Take the 'Toronto' out of your location, and you may also find less 'attitude' from some here.
It's always good to wear orange when loaded guns are being used, even when training our mutts.
My two cents.
as I said no offense intended.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boulton90
Those are the three area I visit, but frequently visit the Nonquon Crown Land which has a bad rap from few years ago that someone intentionaly shot at a house with a .30 caliber ammo for 'target practice' I see too many trees will bullet holes not 1 meter above the ground but rather 3-5 meters.Quote:
Originally Posted by zoli 16ga.
I don't object OP going out to crown land to pattern his shot gun; it just leaves a bad rap for the rest of us. In the eyes of public one for all, all for one is seen.
We try to encourage all our students to wear hunter orange for all hunting except the 3 when you can wear camo (ducks, spring turkey, archery only deer), as its pretty hard to mistake a big orange "pumpkin" for any type of game in any hunting situation. No, its not required for small game, but it is just safer when others are in the field with firearms.
Quote:
Originally Posted by genec
X2 worth a second reading
Hunting ok, but do you encourage hunter orange for target shooting? For a walk in the woods?Quote:
Originally Posted by genec
When hunting in a gang I wear hunter orange as you encourage but the OP is going to be going to the bush and patterning a turkey gun. I cannot imagine everyone going to the gun club and putting on their hunter orange vest and hat to blast away at some paper.
I agree Fox but if the OP or anyone else feels better wearing blaze then I say have at er.
Yep, I agree there, if you feel more comfortable then wear it, but it is not a legal thing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hunter John
I also know that some COs consider hunter orange as part of the act of hunting, so target shooting wearing hunter orange may tend to cause them to believe that you are hunting.
The fact that someone is target shooting while wearing blaze orange could in no way shape or form be construed as hunting as long as they're demonstrably shooting specific targets like tin cans,water bottles or paper targets in a safe manner.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
There was a shooting death in a Simcoe County forest a few years ago on opening day of deer season - someone out for a hike.
As a result the County encouraged anyone out in the woods to wear orange for their safety!
No, he doesn't NEED to wear orange when target shooting, but it still makes him more visible to anyone else out there, for any reason.
Its a personal choice - up to the person to decide.
What about predator.. and turkey Hunting. . Orange won't work well for those..Quote:
Originally Posted by genec
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I have been asked for my hunting license and firearms license while in a truck with a blaze orange hat on, it was during deer season but on the main road and no guns or gear in the vehicle, how can you be hunting when you are driving on a county road? It did not seem to matter, the guy actually told me it was because I had an orange hat that he checked us.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
Funny....Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
Two years ago, while sitting for deer, clad head to toe in blaze orange, 9 turkeys walked right by one of our watches at the camp.
The need for camo is greatly overrated......
Yup, had a flock of about 40 Turks trundle within 2' of me while I was sitting at the base of a tree in full blaze orange coveralls plus hat while Deer Hunting..they never even looked my way.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluebulldog
Coyotes are coloured blind....movement is way bigger than camo......
If you had a turkey license and they were in season they would have seen you.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikePal
Could have shot 5 grouse with the 22 last weekend, too bad I was hunting rabbits and no grouse season.
They know
Or maybe instead of victim blaming we should be encouraging those who are hunting to perform basic, and proper, safety techniques like ensuring your target and verifying what is behind your target?Quote:
Originally Posted by genec
x2Quote:
Originally Posted by blasted_saber
but as a rebuttal to previous posts about being considered a hunter by wearing blaze what about the trend of wearing camo but what if you are target shooting wearing camo the rhetoric is endless if you feel comfy wear blaze or camo or whatever. just shoot safe
Here's a question anyone can wade in on. With a Black Bear season running during Wild Turkey season this spring,does that require all Turkey hunters to wear blaze orange,too?
Small game hunters are only required to wear hunter orange during an open season for moose, deer or elk, bear hunters require hunter orange while not in a tree stand. If you are not hunting bear then you should not legally need to wear hunter orange.Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
I think the biggest thing is that the number of people in the bush during the deer and moose seasons explodes, you go from maybe running into 1 or 2 other people to seeing someone every 100 yards in any direction. There are not the numbers of bear hunters as there are deer and moose hunters.
I agree,except the regulations specifically mention that "licensed" Bear hunters are required to wear blaze orange when NOT in a tree stand. If we're licensed in the Spring Black Bear hunt and also want to hunt Wild Turkeys,that kind of leaves a dual licensed hunter hanging,doesn't it? I sure hope someone thought of that before the legislation was drafted extending the spring bear hunt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fox
No different then small game hunters or archery deer hunters in the fall.
Quote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
if you are armed with a shotgun with either 4 5 or 6 shot I'm pretty sure mr or ms CO would believe you're turkey hunting. on the other hand if you're using a bow and dragging out a bear you better be wearing blaze even if you have a bag of turkey dekes on youQuote:
Originally Posted by trimmer21
That makes sense. I'm going to e-mail OMNRF for a clarification. I'll post it if I get anything back.Quote:
Originally Posted by lazyman
As I stated previously, for spring turkey, you can be in full camo. For fall hunts - do you feel safe in camo when other hunters are out hunting all other small game? That's a personal choice you have to make. As for hunting predators - I myself prefer to be in camo, but then I KNOW no one else has permission to be on our family farm hunting. If I was hunting another area where other hunters could be present I probably would at least have something orange visible above my blind. Again, its personal choice.Quote:
Originally Posted by topher
And the smart choice !!Quote:
Originally Posted by genec