Facts Behind Blaze Orange Vests

It seems a contradiction that after all that camo and efforts from hunters to avoid being detected by the game the are behind of, they use a blaze orange vest shining like a sparkle among the bushes, if the aim is to be undetectable, why one should use such a easy to see vest?

Well, it's a matter of safety and regulations. Usually during hunting season you are not alone out there, in fact, it's plenty of hunters looking for their games and it would be easy to shoot some one else if not easyly distinguishable from a potential catch; moreover, if you are wearing a great camo, you could be on the line of fire between another hunter and an animal and if he/she is not able to see your shape, you could be seriously injured or even die; that's why on most states the use of a blaze orange vest is mandatory.

The color was choosen because there's not a lot of orange things on the bushes and because such color jumps to the sight for human beings, hence if you see something orange moving on the bushes you'll immediately identify it as another hunter and won't shoot.

But what about the games? If a person is able to see the orange vest, why don't animals? After all they won't find such a brilliant colour familiar on their environment and could fly away!

If you are wondering about the aforementioned, you are right, but there's some facts you need to know to clarify the situation.

On some cases such as deer hunting, orange is a minor issues since deer are partially blind to some colors and orange could be confused with yellow or green, nevertheless, the solid pattern is still a major concern, furthermore, the use of camouflage is not to make you see like a tree but to fuse you with the environment and a solid, orange vest certainly won't help; but it's better to be detected by deer than not being detected by another hunter!

On the other hand when you are behind ducks or turkeys, wearing an orange vest is a big problem since their sight is particularly keen and the birds don't only see the color, but associate it to human presence so they will go away when seeing an orange vest; but once again safety first! Other hunters must be able to see you to avoid accidents.

But even when it seems contradictory there's a key point regarding orange vests which could explain why such clothes don't have a negative impact on hunting success, and it's the fact that regulations don't require to wear orange vests always when hunting, but only when moving or hiking around.

Usually you are not walking among trees shooting the first thing you see moving, instead you choose a fix position such a blind or a tree and stalk your prize from there and then it's when you must remain undetectable; thus you may take off your orange vest once you achieve your hunting spot and store it out of sight, letting the camo to do the magic to fuse your shape with the environment. Once you have finished there, it's mandatory to wear the orange vest again before continuing your journey.

That way you will have the best of both, camo and orange vests, the first one will keep you undetectable when standing motionless and the second will keep you safe when moving around.

As a final hint, remember to check local regulations regarding orange vests since they may vary not only among states but also between seasons and even depending of your game, thus be sure to be informed properly before going out.