Can pheasants see blaze orange?

Inspected the 2017 SD Handbook - found one reference to blaze orange for youth season, "recommended."

Could not find a law for wearing blaze - pheasant hunting - adults.
 
How about deer hunting? I would assume if in the field during rifle season one would need to follow the Deerhunters requirement.
 
From the SD regs. book

FLUORESCENT ORANGE CLOTHING: Big game licensees (excluding turkey and mountain lion) hunting with a rearm must wear at least one exterior garment of uorescent orange while hunting. Garments include hats, shirts, vests, jackets, coats or sweaters. Regulations at Sand Lake and Waubay National Wildlife Refuges require rearm deer hunters to wear a minimum of 400 square inches of visible solid uorescent orange (not camou age orange) material on the head, chest and back.
 
Maybe pheasants can see orange, but I don't think it affects them. They don't have X-ray vision and can't see through the stalks of grass.

If in fact pheasants can see and process orange, it doesn't alter their flight pattern. I wear an orange hoodie along with an orange hat but I've also seen birds come ripping over if I'm stationed at the end of a draw or field. I shot a rooster which had been flushed by a hawk. The bird came right at me as I was on the edge of a field with a hedge row behind me. The bird never made any sort of change of direction and it almost landed in my bag after the shot.

I agree with the posters who said they're not going to sacrifice safety for a couple of birds. We're not going to hunt with people who don't wear orange as accidents can and will happen.

Maybe they can hear orange?
 
Pheasants like all birds see color, in fact studies have shown they in fact can see more colors than the human eye can make out. https://news.yale.edu/2011/06/22/birds-eye-view-far-more-colorful-our-own

The question is... how does orange affect Pheasants while hunting. Personally and this is just my own opinion, I think they can ASSOCIATE orange with danger as in human danger. When on the wing I've seen it go both ways, some will flare some do not, although movement might be the main reason they do. I know for a fact movement as in the form of a predator (humans are predators to them) that waterfowl often flare big time. I guess it's not a far stretch to think that adding movement with a bright orange color that they can see just makes it easier for them to spot you.
 
Bilbo Baggins said:
BKelly, I have not taken the opportunity to hunt in CO., I mostly stick to Nebraska and Kansas. I looked at the Kansas regs and could not find anything where blaze orange is mandatory. Since I hunt solo a bunch I might try one of those spots where the birds dump out the opposite end as I enter the far end. I am always quiet and try to walk in the wind. Maybe someone else will chime in on the subject.
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Try wearing all camo sometime, with a face mask, gloves, everything.You will get way more shooting.
 
Bilbo Baggins said:
BKelly, I have not taken the opportunity to hunt in CO., I mostly stick to Nebraska and Kansas. I looked at the Kansas regs and could not find anything where blaze orange is mandatory. Since I hunt solo a bunch I might try one of those spots where the birds dump out the opposite end as I enter the far end. I am always quiet and try to walk in the wind. Maybe someone else will chime in on the subject.
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So sort of long-ish strip of cover? If this is happening, the color of your clothing isn't the problem. The birds are on to standard games, so you have to change your offense. Either find a way to approach unseen & unheard from the other end. Or find a buddy to block/post, or perhaps better yet, hunt from each end & try to pinch the birds in the middle. In these cases the potential benefits of wearing orange outweigh the potential consequences of not wearing orange.
 
I have not seen anyone who is adamant about wearing orange, above, address the depth of cover. As I stated last year, and earlier in this thread, most of what I hunt is less than mid-thigh high. Therefore 1) it is pretty simple for birds on the ground to look and see orange coming their way, and 2) hunting with others, it is very simple to see each other, even without orange.

I have shown hunting partners over the years how they can get closer to birds by not wearing orange on their fronts. Same type of cover, sometimes the same fields, sometimes others, some fields with orange, and some without. They ALWAYS have birds flushing closer to them when they are not wearing orange. Many of those hunting partners have stopped wearing orange in the area we hunt together, as they see the benefits of not advertising their presence. There is nothing unsafe about walking 50' apart in short cover, sans orange. If someone is unsafe in that scenario, they are unsafe with orange on their buddies, also.

Now, I am not saying the proximity to the flush is solely about no orange. I also insist on not talking in the field (other than "hen" or "rooster"), close car doors VERY quietly (aside: My son and I hunted together two weekends ago. We pulled into the parking spot on one of my access fields, and got out of the car quietly, got our guns out, and closed all 4 doors VERY quietly. I walked 50' south, he walked 50' west. There were weeds in between us. The plan was for him to get some shooting at birds flying out to the west, if there were any in there. I got about 10' in to the weeds, and about 20 birds flushed west. They had not heard us, even getting out of the car and closing 4 doors. Being quiet is very important!), and don't run through the field. All techniques that have proven to be very effective in the area I hunt, over the last 12 seasons. Put all of those together, and I can count on one hand how many days in the last 12 seasons each in my hunting parties have not had opportunities to limit. However, when guys wear orange, or yell/whistle at their dogs, and their shooting opportunities plummet.

As for me "insisting" on certain protocols, flame me if you want. I have acquired all the access where I hunt, and everyone I hunt with is my guest. If they don't like the guidelines, they don't have to hunt with me, and I don't have to invite them to hunt with me again. However, no one has ever told me that what I am requesting is unreasonable, either. They get their opportunities at birds, and we seem to have a good time.

Wear orange when there is tall cover. Birds won't be as likely to see you, and your buddies will be able to see you peripherally. But, when cover is short, orange reduces your chances of getting close to more birds. (During deer season, if you are hunting in an area where there may be deer hunters, then safety is not about your party, but deer hunters not seeing you. Good reason to wear some orange, even if only on the back of your cap or game vest, as that will be visible to deer hunters, but not as much to the birds.)
 
Logical said:
I have not seen anyone who is adamant about wearing orange, above, address the depth of cover. As I stated last year, and earlier in this thread, most of what I hunt is less than mid-thigh high. Therefore 1) it is pretty simple for birds on the ground to look and see orange coming their way, and 2) hunting with others, it is very simple to see each other, even without orange.

I have shown hunting partners over the years how they can get closer to birds by not wearing orange on their fronts. Same type of cover, sometimes the same fields, sometimes others, some fields with orange, and some without. They ALWAYS have birds flushing closer to them when they are not wearing orange. Many of those hunting partners have stopped wearing orange in the area we hunt together, as they see the benefits of not advertising their presence. There is nothing unsafe about walking 50' apart in short cover, sans orange. If someone is unsafe in that scenario, they are unsafe with orange on their buddies, also.

Now, I am not saying the proximity to the flush is solely about no orange. I also insist on not talking in the field (other than "hen" or "rooster"), close car doors VERY quietly (aside: My son and I hunted together two weekends ago. We pulled into the parking spot on one of my access fields, and got out of the car quietly, got our guns out, and closed all 4 doors VERY quietly. I walked 50' south, he walked 50' west. There were weeds in between us. The plan was for him to get some shooting at birds flying out to the west, if there were any in there. I got about 10' in to the weeds, and about 20 birds flushed west. They had not heard us, even getting out of the car and closing 4 doors. Being quiet is very important!), and don't run through the field. All techniques that have proven to be very effective in the area I hunt, over the last 12 seasons. Put all of those together, and I can count on one hand how many days in the last 12 seasons each in my hunting parties have not had opportunities to limit. However, when guys wear orange, or yell/whistle at their dogs, and their shooting opportunities plummet.

As for me "insisting" on certain protocols, flame me if you want. I have acquired all the access where I hunt, and everyone I hunt with is my guest. If they don't like the guidelines, they don't have to hunt with me, and I don't have to invite them to hunt with me again. However, no one has ever told me that what I am requesting is unreasonable, either. They get their opportunities at birds, and we seem to have a good time.

Wear orange when there is tall cover. Birds won't be as likely to see you, and your buddies will be able to see you peripherally. But, when cover is short, orange reduces your chances of getting close to more birds. (During deer season, if you are hunting in an area where there may be deer hunters, then safety is not about your party, but deer hunters not seeing you. Good reason to wear some orange, even if only on the back of your cap or game vest, as that will be visible to deer hunters, but not as much to the birds.)
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I get it. The quiet aspect. The protocols. Even the orange. I'm fine w/ no orange on rare occasions if I KNOW the cover is going to be suitable & I'm hunting alone or with the very few people in this world I'd trust to not send a bb into me. For me, in grass though, I almost always err on the side of safety. The orange might only get stowed if we're trying to sneak up on a big thicket or something, where the birds themselves might basically be standing around in VERY short cover. Whether pheasants register orange or not, it's whole purpose is to be bright. If they're able to see above the tops of cover, they'll pick up something bright & moving. In my case, the cover I hunt is typically varied, as is the terrain. There's rarely a guarantee I or my buddy won't pop into taller cover. And there's no guarantee I won't unknowingly be just over a little rise from somebody. When I DO happen to meet another hunter, or one of us emerges from taller/denser cover, I want the first thing visible to be ME. Plus, like most of us, I trust myself more than anyone. But I also know if my dog is hot, I'm very focused on him. If a bird flushes & happens to fly anywhere near another human, it's nice for that human to stick out like a sore thumb. We all know that even in short grass, you're not seeing your buddy & his yellow/brown/drab outfit silhouetted against a blue sky. That only happens if he's standing on top of a hill. Otherwise he's got a background that's probably equally yellow/brown/drab. Not always easy to see & see quickly. Hunting without orange can be done with a degree of safety that's acceptable to some people. But in nearly all circumstances, orange ADDS a degree of safety. I shoot enough birds that the extra degree of safety is preferred, whether I miss a few opportunities or not.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
I get it. The quiet aspect. The protocols. Even the orange. I'm fine w/ no orange on rare occasions if I KNOW the cover is going to be suitable & I'm hunting alone or with the very few people in this world I'd trust to not send a bb into me. For me, in grass though, I almost always err on the side of safety. The orange might only get stowed if we're trying to sneak up on a big thicket or something, where the birds themselves might basically be standing around in VERY short cover. Whether pheasants register orange or not, it's whole purpose is to be bright. If they're able to see above the tops of cover, they'll pick up something bright & moving. In my case, the cover I hunt is typically varied, as is the terrain. There's rarely a guarantee I or my buddy won't pop into taller cover. And there's no guarantee I won't unknowingly be just over a little rise from somebody. When I DO happen to meet another hunter, or one of us emerges from taller/denser cover, I want the first thing visible to be ME. Plus, like most of us, I trust myself more than anyone. But I also know if my dog is hot, I'm very focused on him. If a bird flushes & happens to fly anywhere near another human, it's nice for that human to stick out like a sore thumb. We all know that even in short grass, you're not seeing your buddy & his yellow/brown/drab outfit silhouetted against a blue sky. That only happens if he's standing on top of a hill. Otherwise he's got a background that's probably equally yellow/brown/drab. Not always easy to see & see quickly. Hunting without orange can be done with a degree of safety that's acceptable to some people. But in nearly all circumstances, orange ADDS a degree of safety. I shoot enough birds that the extra degree of safety is preferred, whether I miss a few opportunities or not.
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100% Agreed A5
 
If you hunt with knuckleheads, you are 17 times more likely to get shot in the ass. Otherwise, it doesn't matter.

You can usually tell if deer hunters are around. If your etiquette is so poor as to ruin their hunt, you might deserve what you get.

If you are hunting food plots with the outfitter, it doesn't matter as they know how to hem the birds in, regardless. If you are hunting creek beds with your dogs and a buddy, you will do a lot better to be quiet and not glow like a road worker.

Your dogs are always in far greater danger due to low visibility issues when in the field than you are. Every year in SD, several are killed/injured by trigger-happy "hunters". A real hunter will never put a dog in danger, ever, but if I was going to use orange, it's on the dogs.
 
Last year was my first year wearing Camo only...and was also my last year wearing blaze orange. When posting far corners, the birds were flying right at me and right over my head. We were short a few guys last year and made a few scarecrows to help us post. Scarecrows were dresses in full blaze orange. When the birds got up, the would see the scarecrows in blaze orange and would then fly right over my head.
 
Highvoltage

With the guys that I hunt with, wearing camo vs. blaze orange, doesn’t increase the chances of getting shot.
 
I personally would never hunt without any orange on, even if I was by myself. You never know if your going to run into another group or person on a piece of land? If you do chances are better than average that something bad "could" happen because they don't see you and in that case you would probably have no one to blame but yourself, hell look at all the people that get shot in a year wearing a ton of orange! Another thing is god forbid something should happen to you in the field and you can't make it out, it's going to be a lot harder for people to find you wearing camo in a field of brown. As someone who has had an emergency in the field before and luckily was hunting with a group of friends that helped me get out, I don't know what would have happened had I been by myself?? I get you think that the chances of getting shot by one of the guys in your group won't happen but there is a reason they are called tragic accidents when they do happen and in my opinion I value my life to much and I know my wife and kids do too for me not to wear at least a hat or a vest. Not saying you need to be head to toe in orange but a hat or vest isn't going to make that big of a difference in birds taken in a season. I know I have no problems and neither do the guys I hunt with. Again just my opinion.
 
I’m hunting the same private land that we have always hunted....so yes, I do know that I’m not going to run into any other hunters, besides my group.
 
waterdog09 said:
I personally would never hunt without any orange on, even if I was by myself. You never know if your going to run into another group or person on a piece of land? If you do chances are better than average that something bad "could" happen because they don't see you and in that case you would probably have no one to blame but yourself, hell look at all the people that get shot in a year wearing a ton of orange! Another thing is god forbid something should happen to you in the field and you can't make it out, it's going to be a lot harder for people to find you wearing camo in a field of brown. As someone who has had an emergency in the field before and luckily was hunting with a group of friends that helped me get out, I don't know what would have happened had I been by myself?? I get you think that the chances of getting shot by one of the guys in your group won't happen but there is a reason they are called tragic accidents when they do happen and in my opinion I value my life to much and I know my wife and kids do too for me not to wear at least a hat or a vest. Not saying you need to be head to toe in orange but a hat or vest isn't going to make that big of a difference in birds taken in a season. I know I have no problems and neither do the guys I hunt with. Again just my opinion.
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Very well put! It never can happen, until it does. Then it was a tragic accident. No one is perfect, and all it takes is one mistake to change life forever.
 
I agree, I don't always wear camo,I wear regular clothes, sometimes blue, green, but Orange really spooks birds.I don't run into other hunters very often.
 
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