Can pheasants see blaze orange?

I’ve been hunting with the same guys for about 30 years, on the same land for about 30 years....in 30 years, there has not been one close call with someone accidentally shooting someone else in our group. Before walking every single field, we have a plan, and everyone knows where everyone else is going to be, and when they will be there.

If I was hunting public land, where I might run into someone else, then yes, I would wear blaze oranges. But I’m not hunting public land and I’m not going to run into anyone, besides the other guys in our group.
 
Im not trying to change anyone’s mind. I started the post last year by asking a very specific question. I was not asking if people think it’s safe or not to wear camo instead of blaze orange.

After hunting last year, and getting some experience hunting without blaze orange, I posted an update. My update also had nothing to do with safety when wearing blaze orange or camo.

Maybe a few of the people that posted on this thread, should have started a new thread related to blaze orange and safety.

I’m heading to Winner in 4 days, hopefully I live to tell about it.
 
I don't think anyone including myself meant to go off topic and I don't think we really did as it still is talking about blaze orange, but the first thing that usually comes to anyone's mind when thinking orange is safety and not if pheasants can see you coming. I have no doubt they can see blaze orange and have seen it to many times myself posting the birds will skirt you by 50yds just out of range. I think in my experience it is more about noise and less about orange unless you are posting. If posting then absolutely orange will hurt you, but walking a field I don't think it makes a bit of difference as I don't think the birds can see over the top of the cover they are in and I am sure they aren't running and turning around every 20 yds to see where you are or your dog?? If you want to bag more birds in a field full of blue stem, don't slam your truck doors, don't yell at your dogs, don't go crazy blowing a whistle and as in our group no one yells rooster or hen unless views are obscured by sun or cover because everyone is within 20 yds of each other and can see the same thing.
 
I don't wear blaze orange, because I don't like blaze orange.I don't want other hunters to see me from the road.I wear camo, or faded, earth tones.I hide my vehicle, if possible.Youre right, don't make noice.They can hear you from a half mile.We never yell rooster, that's bogus.We are professionals.
 
In South Dakota they hunt those hedge rows, shelter belts all the time.I think I would be ok wearing orange, if other people were hunting with me. I don't hunt that way in Montana and Wyoming.
 
Goosemaster, that has been my point, which seems to have been lost on those who have better habitat to hunt. In eastern Colorado, the fields are flat (I can see at least 3 miles in any direction, at any time, and see everyone who may be in all those fields), and the cover is less than thigh-high in any of the fields, that visibility of my hunting partners is never a problem. I only hunt with no more than 4 people, total, so it's not like we get spread out over a hundred yards. We are all within 60 feet of each end of our line, unless we have a dog, when we may be spread out over 100 feet. We see each other all the time. And, the birds just have to stretch their neck and they can see us. Milo stubble, wheat stubble, or grass - none of it is tall enough to obscure our belts, let alone our chest or shoulders. Blaze orange is too easy for the birds to see in the fields I hunt.
 
Man I don't care if people I hunt with wear blaze or not. But it does make for a more relaxing hunt. Its busy enough trying to keep track of dogs.
 
Pheasants can see color, they can hear very well, they smell everything. I wear camo, I dress like a turkey hunter.I don't knock on doors dressed this way.I wear a golf shirt usually, or an international harvester t shirt.Blaze Orange is out, as is red.
 
Draw, an area in the landscape that the small rolling hills create a drainage between hills, stretching for a ways up or between the hills. Lower land, usually with the most cover, maybe a little water, and out of the wind. They can run for quite a ways, or just a 50 yard stretch. The cover in them areas draw in wildlife. Could be how it got the name draw.
 
As to the OP ? yes birds see color. That's why male birds have the color for mating. As for this orange is out idea, well, unfortunately there is "laws" in many states that require it. So if you don't wish to pay a fine, and have your pretty shotgun sold at public auction, you will wear orange. In MN your required to wear 20% I believe. I have been fine with just a hat, without a warden saying anything. Deer hunting they pay more attention to it I believe.
 
I think we have settled the OP question of whether Pheasants see color - they do. Does it affect hunting success - maybe. I cannot see how blaze would help. I can certainly buy that a flying bird will redirect away from blaze. For most of my hunting though, I can barely find the dog - not sure how often a bird will see me coming until in gun range (by then its heard me).

To the follow-on conversation, I am surprised with how many are on-board with hunting without blaze. I will not chastise - it is legal to hunt this way in SD, and can see rare scenarios where it is no less safe (hunting alone, deep in private ground). To cover the other 95% of scenarios, I do find it odd that it is legal in SD as in many other states it is not, and for good reason. Safety principles do not know state boundaries - I think SD is just behind the times.

The debate sounds like the one I had with someone who came with me once to SD - He walked around with his gun safety off. I didn't realize until he had it resting against my truck and a dog knocked it over. Thank god it did not discharge, but I noticed the safety was off when I picked it up and kindly asked WTF (never mind the fact that it was still chambered at the truck). He explained that sometimes he used to miss birds because he would forget click the safety off and this way he gets more birds, and it is perfectly legal. I explained that while that may be the case, so is shooting below 8’ off the ground or ground pounding between the dogs – those practices are legal and not passing on those shots will get more birds as well.

My personal choice is to trade a small advantage (at best) for a much safer experience, and I will not hunt with anyone who wants to play the ‘its fine because its legal’ card. This applies to proper use of the gun safety, shot choice, and blaze orange. But, to each their own.
 
I agree with you on the gun saftey. Always keep the saftey on, un till you are raising to fire. Yes, never shoot at a bird on the ground!! I knocked one down today, that ran, and I saw him in the tree row, and could have dispatched him, but I didn't know where my dog was! So I let my dog get on him, and he flew into a tree, and then I dispatched him. Orange, I don't like it.
 
Woollybob said:
..., I do find it odd that [not wearing orange] is legal in SD.... I think SD is just behind the times....My personal choice is to trade a small advantage (at best) for a much safer experience.....But, to each their own.
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I don’t find it odd at all. In fact, I’m thankful for it. There’s obviously a fine line in some cases between impinging on individual liberty & promoting it. South Dakotans must feel that mandating orange would be on the “wrong” side of the line. You can’t legislate people to wisdom. (Good thing to remember on voting day.)

I, personally, wear a blaze orange hat EVERY time I hunt pheasants, which is primarily alone (or w/ 1 or 2 others) on public land. There might be a brief time every couple years or so, where I may remove my orange for stealth reasons. I WISH everybody else would wear orange too, for their sake & for mine. But as you say, “To each their own.”
 
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It was a steady 25 mph wind.I got one 30 yard passing shot, where the bird was going 60 mph at least!!I didn't get him, needless to say.I brought down two roosters, in 15 shots of cheap 1 1-4 oz. Lead.I was shooting 5's, I wish I would have had 2's, or bb's, and the 11- 87.12. Auto's are the best wind guns, long barrels, and big magnums work best.
 
Goosemaster said:
It was a steady 25 mph wind.I got one 30 yard passing shot, where the bird was going 60 mph at least!!I didn't get him, needless to say.I brought down two roosters, in 15 shots of cheap 1 1-4 oz. Lead.I was shooting 5's, I wish I would have had 2's, or bb's, and the 11- 87.12. Auto's are the best wind guns, long barrels, and big magnums work best.
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2/15?!?! Takes somebody secure in his masculinity to admit to that. Must've been pretty tough conditions. I think I'd throw my shotgun in the slough, jump in the ol' farm truck, & head to the nearest bar.
 
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