Camo

Yes... not sure the required amount, but I was checked when I was out there this year and the officer commented I had enough orange on. He told my Uncle he was legal, but barely and he only had his vest that is about 1/3 orange. He had left his hat in truck. Officer told him to put the hat back on to be sure he had enough. He was not going to measure it, but was giving him the benefit of the doubt.


*** EDIT ***

I just looked it up on the SDGFP site, and it says it is recommended, but not required. So now I have no idea. I would urge you to wear it to avoid problems, more so just for the safety of it.
 
Bob Peters said:
Goose I seen your comments over the years. A couple days in MN I wore camo except for orange hat. I seemed to be able to sneak closer to them.
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I noticed this on blue grouse this year. Normally I archery hunt elk/deer (camo) and always took blue grouse whenever possible, they truly seemed like dumb animals as you could miss a bow shot over their head and they might not move. But this year I went rifle hunting instead which means full orange needed and every bird would flush way way sooner than I normally dealt with.

With that said, I'll still wear orange anytime upland hunting since the safety is more worth it than killing extra birds. Maybe if I was hunting alone on private property I would try it,
 
LittleBigHorn22 said:
I noticed this on blue grouse this year. Normally I archery hunt elk/deer (camo) and always took blue grouse whenever possible, they truly seemed like dumb animals as you could miss a bow shot over their head and they might not move. But this year I went rifle hunting instead which means full orange needed and every bird would flush way way sooner than I normally dealt with.

With that said, I'll still wear orange anytime upland hunting since the safety is more worth it than killing extra birds. Maybe if I was hunting alone on private property I would try it,
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I was pass shooting pheasants in a duck blind, like those Gucci European gentleman.
 
LittleBigHorn22 said:
I noticed this on blue grouse this year. Normally I archery hunt elk/deer (camo) and always took blue grouse whenever possible, they truly seemed like dumb animals as you could miss a bow shot over their head and they might not move. But this year I went rifle hunting instead which means full orange needed and every bird would flush way way sooner than I normally dealt with.

With that said, I'll still wear orange anytime upland hunting since the safety is more worth it than killing extra birds. Maybe if I was hunting alone on private property I would try it,
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I usually hunt solo.I wear full camo usually.
 
Quite honestly I'm shocked that SD doesn't require the use of at least some blaze orange while bird hunting. Do they not require some even when a deer firearms season is open? That just seems like suicide to me.
 
gimruis said:
Quite honestly I'm shocked that SD doesn't require the use of at least some blaze orange while bird hunting. Do they not require some even when a deer firearms season is open? That just seems like suicide to me.
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Nope. None required. Ever. But I'm with you. Between other pheasant hunters, deer hunters, coyote hunters, & people just out driving around shooting stuff that moves, I want to be seen and identified as a creature wearing an orange hat, most likely human & therefore always out of season.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
Nope. None required. Ever. But I'm with you. Between other pheasant hunters, deer hunters, coyote hunters, & people just out driving around shooting stuff that moves, I want to be seen and identified as a creature wearing an orange hat, most likely human & therefore always out of season.
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You can wear orange. I'm not usually. I do get yhe reasons behind it.You will get more birds without it.
 
gimruis said:
Quite honestly I'm shocked that SD doesn't require the use of at least some blaze orange while bird hunting. Do they not require some even when a deer firearms season is open? That just seems like suicide to me.
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South Dakota does require orange while deer hunting with a firearm. Here is what the regulation reads:

"Any person hunting any big game animal, except turkey or mountain lion, with a firearm shall wear in a visible manner one or more fluorescent orange exterior garments. The exterior garment shall be a hat, cap, shirt, jacket, vest, coverall or poncho worn above the waist."

When I first moved to South Dakota in the late 1970's there was not a requirement to wear orange when big game hunting. A few years later a young man was shot and killed north of Webster at daybreak when another hunter mistook him for a deer. It was shortly after that when orange became a requirement. Too bad it took the death of a young lad to facilitate the change.

I have always worn a fair amount of orange even while pheasant hunting. I rather be safe than sorry. And I want anyone hunting with me to have at a minimum, an orange hat/cap. More of it is better. I don't buy into the theory that wearing orange spooks pheasants. I've been hunting pheasants since 1956 and in all those years (67) I've never seen that wearing orange has any effect on hunting pheasants. A pheasant buried in waist deep CRP isn't going to see you regardless of what color you are wearing. Now hearing you, that's a whole different deal.
 
Dakotazeb said:
South Dakota does require orange while deer hunting with a firearm. Here is what the regulation reads:

"Any person hunting any big game animal, except turkey or mountain lion, with a firearm shall wear in a visible manner one or more fluorescent orange exterior garments. The exterior garment shall be a hat, cap, shirt, jacket, vest, coverall or poncho worn above the waist."
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So you have to wear orange WHILE you're big game hunting but not if you're pheasant hunting during the open firearms season. Seems slightly dumb. Certainly a pheasant hunter walking through tall grass or cattails could get shot at by a bone headed deer hunter.
 
Goosemaster said:
You can wear orange. I'm not usually. I do get yhe reasons behind it.You will get more birds without it.
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It would be interesting to know how often a pheasant actually sees me coming. Certainly they do occasionally. My guess is pretty rarely though. That said, pheasants always seem to know which direction to run, & if they were truly running blind through thick cover (as sometimes assumed), how would they always go the right way? Obviously they key in on noise. But maybe they're much more visually aware of their surroundings, even in super thick cover, than I've given them credit for all these years. 🤔
 
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