Hunting season

So we're just about to hit deer hunting season here. Our trails are on private property, but the barn manager told us that the owner of the land does give a few people permission to hunt there. So we have to be cautious.
He has orange vests for us to wear out on the trails, and today I picked up some bright orange leg wraps for my boy (Halloween is good for something besides candy ). I think I'll also get some of that orange flagging/trailmarker tape stuff and hang it on his tail, wrap it around his bridle, and hang some on the saddle - if I can figure out where to buy it around here. A sporting-goods store?

What else do you do for protection from hunters?

We ride through the woods singing. The more off tune and loud, the better!

Also, I cut a piece of blaze orange fabric and put it over my saddle blanket like a baby pad. Always wear LOTS of orange. I have an orange jacket especially for the occasion. We have bells tied to all our saddles as well. It sounds like Christmas and you can't miss it!

I was going to say lots of bright colors, sounds like you've got that idea tho! Haha. Crafts store will have bright ribbon you could play with and fabric for on top of the saddle pad or horses hindquarters

The noise idea is great too! Bells sound like a great idea and if you don't like to sing maybe you could bring a small personal radio?? Play Christmas carols! Haha
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If I think there might be hunters around, or bears, I have a string of bells I put on the saddle. And orange of course.

This is how I dress my horses for hunting season. I put a cloth hunting vest around his neck and over his rump (the wind has kind of blown it in this photo, it usually drapes better). I usually wear an orange vest too.

I've heard of people hanging little bells on their breast collars.

If you are riding around dusk and dawn, get some reflective tape. I would wear it in the daytime as well, but the bright reflections should help too.

And don't wear camo, either.

Our property borders a huge game reserve that we ride in all the time. It is always some kind of hunting season here - turkey, squirrel, rabbit, or deer with bow, muzzle-loader, modern gun, etc. We can ride with the usual precautions during most of them. However, we just flat out don't ride during "modern gun" season for deer. Every idiot and their uncle goes out for modern gun season and my husband won't even let me go on a walk that week!

I hate deer season with a passion. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against deer hunters. My oldest daughter and her husband (and his family) are avid deer hunters, and we enjoy the fruits (or meats in this case) of their labor. However, there are always the few that give the rest a bad name.

Neighbor lost two of his horses to deer hunters several years ago. A man took his 15-year-old son out on his first hunt. They had two rifles, two deer stand and two cases of beer between them. Son (yeah, the kid) tried to make another beer run (daddy was too drunk) and was bragging about the two huge bucks they had just bagged and were going to have to drag out with their four wheelers.

You guessed it - the bucks were the neighbor's two geldings. Sheriff's deputy and the game ranger both caught up with the son as he was weaving down the road in his dad's pickup. They both wound up in jail. (Not to mention paying through the nose for those two horses.) Did I mention that they didn't even have permission to hunt on the property?

I'm going to buck the crowd and say that wearing an orange vest and sticking to the main trails will probably be fine. Making alot of noise while others may be hunting is rude and will not help to make you any safer.

Actually making noise is the key to keeping safe. If a hunter hears just hoof beats they are going to think it's game. But if they hear bells( the most advised thing to use) then they will know that it is a human. My uncle ( very avid hunter) always reminds me to wear bells when walking or riding in the woods. My horse wears neon orange polos, saddlepad, nylon bridle, and a nylon breast collar with sleigh bells that I made just for trails. Even when it's hunting season I make sure to make noise so I don't startle something :)
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