Ride safe during hunting season

One thing for sure this goes for all hunting season trail riders you cannot wear to much blaze orange. Put it on you and the horse if possible. I am a hunter and one thing that every hunter should know is what your looking at. If you are not 100% sure what it is do not take the shot. If say I was deer hunting and there was what looked like a deer I wouldn't shoot it cause I think its a deer. Same with mules and elk antlers and horses. They may look like a elk or a moose but you should first of all not hunt near the trail and make sure you aim away if hunting in the 100 to 200 yards away. And again making sure of the target.

Local law (and I think that it is Georgia state law) prohibits hunting within 50 yards of a public road. I like to ride on the local dirt roads, so I am glad of that. There are not all that many official riding trails. The only one near here is in a park and they do not allow hunting there.

State law prohibits road hunting here but it doesn't stop everyone from doing it. So few game cops out there the risk of getting a ticket is extemely thin.

Having a law and enforcing it is certainly a different thing.

Our local $2000 fine has helped tremendously. This huge fine for illegal hunting was started after a local man was shot on his own property. He was in a tree stand. The tresspasser said that he thought that the guy was a wild turkey. It was not even turkey season. Most of the locals believe that it was murder. The guy was convicted of manslaughter. To add to the tragedy, the victim's wife never got over it. She started drinking heavily. She eventually died of multiple organ failure. I guess most folks would understand why people around here are not terribly friendly toward poaching.

Celeste, that is so sad. Some things you DON'T get over. Whether it is a stupid hunter or an idiot in a vehicle - a split second can change someone's life forever. Be safe always and remember that once some is hurt/dead all the "I didn't mean to, I am so sorry" will not change squat.

I avoid riding during main gun season, wear orange, don't ride a buckskin or any horse resembling the color of a deer. This is why I love my bright white horse, or I cover my sorrel with orange. If they shoot at the white horse covered in orange they have some explaining to do. The only deer that my horse resembles is an albino, which in my area of michigan are illegal to hunt. And/or why they shot at hunters orange.
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Let me rephrase that whole not riding, I avoid riding on trails. I still ride on the roads wearing hunters orange and having conversations with my horse.

Around here (northern Idaho) there is so much area to hunt that there isn't very much pressure on most of it. As a result, there are very few hunters in any given area. So we go ahead and ride. We wear blaze and if there are fresh ATV tracks along a road or trail I take a different one.

I have yet to actually see a hunter out in the woods when I'm riding. I've seen them with their rigs along the roads, but not out in the woods.

I used to live in Wisconsin where there was tremendous hunting pressure and LOTS of people with high powered rifles in relatively small areas. That was scary! I think that when the hunting pressure is higher more people tend to shoot stupidly. When you're the only hunter in the woods there's time and incentive to take your time and plan your shot--instead of shoot at "that thing that moved!"

I didn't even ride my ATV in Wisconsin during the hunting season. Out here I don't much worry about it.

As an avid hunter, and budding horse addict, I can understand both sides of the equation, and respect both sides.
I am also a firearms instructor, certified by the NRA.
One of the basic safety rules is "know your target, and what lies beyond it", and another is "never point your firearm at anything you don't intend to kill".
Unfortunately, not all hunters observe and practice these basic tenets to safety.
Bells are good, blaze orange is good, making noise is good to an extent.
Deer and elk are curious animals, and are known to be attracted to strange sounds.
Chainsaws and weed whackers are both extremely noisy, and can be heard for great distances.
They also attract forage animals, like deer, as the noise is something they equate to fresh tasty food. Think about it - deer and elk are grazers, similar to horses. Mowing down weeds to expose fresh understory is like ringing the dinner bell!
Staying on roads is wise, bright colors are wise (definitely not brown or white-the same colors as bodies and antlers), and bells, are all smart moves.
Riding in larger groups is also smart. Deer may ber herd animals, but big bucks are generally solitary until the rut. Elk tend to congregate around the dominant bulls, especially during the rut.
You can find out when the rut generally happens by talking to the folks at the gun counter at the local sports shop.
I would use the time of the rut as a training time in the pasture instead of venturing out into the woods if possible. It lasts about a month from start to finish, but it's the most prime hunting time, and its when the boneheads that call themselves hunters are most prone to doing stupid things.
As an aside, I have only had one negative experience while hunting. A bowhunter, and I use that term very loosely, thought he saw a deer and let an arrow fly, which impacted about two feet from me. I proceeded to remind him of the basic safety rules, specifically of knowing what you're shooting at.
Long story short, I cut his bow season short by cutting his bowstring.
Darwinism doesnt always work itself out. Sometimes it needs a little push.

I have lived and hunted in Utah my entire life. Always with horses. I have gone on multiple hunts in Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. My favorite place to ride is in Big Elk country and there is no better time than during the rut whether you have a tag or not. The fall colors are out, the air is crisp and the bucks and bulls can be seen in all their glory. I wear orange because it is legally required during the rifle hunt. I wear every bit of camo I have when Muzzleloader and Archery hunting and am as quiet as I possibly can be. I have never been shot at or been in danger that I know of. I have never "almost" shot at anything that I didn't hold a legal tag for. At least in the west I don't see any problem riding during hunting season other than you might have a hard time finding a place to park at a popular trail head. Obviously I can't speak for places I haven't been and it very well may be dangerous.

If you want a great ride where you can feel safe and be in the Mountains when they are most beautiful load your horses and head west for a ride in late September/early October. If you have never heard a bull elk bugle on a crisp fall morning in the high country you need to. The best time is during the Muzzleloader hunt.