Muzzle Loader Season Regs.

[buckhunter]

I am trying to find out if you have to wear orange as a bow hunter in this wkend muzzle loader season. And if so do you have to wear it all the time while walking or in a tree stand.

[Strother23]

Yes you have to where orange regardless of weapon choice and you have to where it all the time. Im not happy about it either but it's the law. You can read more at ODNR.com

[buckhunter]

Thanks for the info Strother23. I understand the safety part of it only because some so called hunters shoot at movement and not game.What I don't understand is why a bow hunter can't shoot a buck during muzzle loader season. I hope it is not to kill a lot of doe and end up like Pa.That is why I hunt in Ohio, Pa is trying to copy Ohio in some cases now it looks like Ohio is copying Pa. Bad move as I see it.

[Strother23]

Yea I don't fully understand why it is a NO buck weekend for everyone and not just the muzzle loader hunters. It's frustrating to say the least. Not sure if I will hunt this weekend because of it.

[Big_Holla]

Still think this is a wasted weekend. Yep you have to wear the required amount of orange all the time and like others said, NO BUCKS even if you were to use your bow.


Hunter Orange Required

Hunting any wild animal (except waterfowl) from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset during the youth deer gun season, deer gun season, the antlerless deer muzzleloader season, and the muzzleloader deer season is unlawful unless the hunter is visibly wearing a vest, coat, jacket, or coveralls that are either solid hunter orange or camouflage hunter orange. This requirement applies statewide on both public and private land.


Deer archery hunt during the antlerless deer muzzleloader season. Archery hunters must comply with the hunter orange requirement and can only take antlerless deer during the season.

[mrbb]

they did the NO buck rule in PA yrs back, as a effort to get hunters to kill doe, and to possibly catch some folks off guard by the rule and make some money on citations/fines
main gola was to kill doe before they bred!

and well it also helps them get tips on people that shoot bucks then as non being legal, so if any butcher shops or people were caught with any, that added mroe fines to the pool
there goal was to lower doe numbers in some area's that really needed it
but sadly, it seemed to kill more doe in places that didn't need them gone, and I know not so many folks followed the rule of no bucks here, so??

getting rid of does before they breed is the main goal I would think
thus forcing the hand a little on hunters that still wnat to hunt that weekend
again, it makes sense to me in HIGH deer, Higher doe to buck area's
but having a state wide deal, makes that a fail waiting to happen
as sadly hunters don't have self control, or many don't
and that is what really cause certian places in PA to be so low on deer numbers
hunters can blame the state all they want
but if you have very few deer in your are, and you keep killing them,
your the bigger problem
and that sadly is something most hunters in PA that cry about no deer where they hunt, have in common
I hear it all the time
they cry they never see deer, but as soon as they do they kill it! and back to bitching about there being no deer???
and they also don't do anything to help the habitat support deer
I get it, the state should be in better control of things, BUT if they shut down an area to hunting so deer can come back, them same hunters would bitch about that too, maybe even louder, saying things like why cannot they hunt where they have in the past, or want to or???

just be Glad Ohio hunters, you have a season so long to get it done, , you have QUALITY deer, good numbers in most places and a state dept that does a much better job that many many other states
so I would tread lightly on just loosing one weekend, and speak in good words, it can be a LOT worse, ask most hunters in PA

[Strother23]

Looking at it from the big picture one no buck weekend isn't bad considering we have until Feb. to get a buck. Il still probably hunt some and try and get some meat for jerky and summer sausage but il have my bow wearing orange.

[mrbb]

we in PA have had to wear orange for yrs in many season's most other stated didn't(last efw yrs they been lacking on tange useage here)
it never caused me any problems with spooking deer or getting busted
I think wearing camo is more in our heads, and just makes us feel more like a hunter dressed like a tree , than it really dos to kill a deer
cannot tell you how many times I have had deer within feet of me , not wearing camo, and some BIG bucks too
so??
a little orange won't do you no harm in my book!, but might save you from being shot, so?? better safe than sorry ???

[nomad_archer]

Im with mrbb on this one. Even when I dont have to wear orange I wear an orange vest and sometimes a hat and then hang it around the tree when I am on stand. It has never caused me to get busted but it is always nice to have some orange to wave when you have another hunter or small game hunter come in on you.