Trail Riding Etiquette

Just a question. Is it considered "bad" if I was to tie a red ribbon to my horses tail, simply because I don't know whether or not he's a kicker?

No, not at all.
I for one would appreciate the warning if you have a horse you are unsure about.

Missed post....sorry guys and gals...

Now now Gunslinger, are you sure you aren't just afraid to admit that you actually do eat porcupines?

Taste like chicken......

Great reminders for riders. Thanksf or compiling this.

There was actually a different thread that posed the "hunting and riding" issues.

That being said.
People so get shot a lot. Mostly because so many hunters do not follow good hunting practices.
You don't shoot unless you are "on target". If there is something between you and the deer you don't pull the trigger. My last hunt on public land (long ago) saw a man (in orange, legally there) killed because someone shoot "through" him with a .308. Bushes blocked his location from another hunter who shot at a deer "through" where the first hunter was positioned. Clearly the hunter, who was shooting at the deer, did NOT have a clear shot (or he was a terrible shot if he had the deer in the clear) if he had to shoot through something. Accident or not, the hunter was wrong and it would not have happended if he'd used safe hunting practices.
I hunt. Have done so for 46 years (even trained my first QH to hunt from). Amoung the many safety rules I grew up with was you never shoot at what you don't have a clear shot at. Always know what is in the direction you're shooting to ensure you don't shot towards a road, house or where people might reasonably be. Common sense really, but to often not practiced.

Granted, I have to good fortune to own enough land that I don't need public land to hunt on, but the rules still apply. The 8 people I allow to hunt on my land have to follow simple rules.
1: All shots are restricted to a certain roughly 60 degree area from a center point on my land, because there is nothing but woods and no homes, roads or trails in that that direction for over a mile.
2: All hunting is done from tree stands so that any round fired will go into the ground if it's a miss.
3: Any shot had must be at something clearly identifiable and clearly seen.

It's unfortunate that so many hunters have given hunting a bad name. I don't defend hunting. I do it, but I don't defend it, because in trying to defend it for the good hunters I'm doing so for those who (just in my opinion) really have no business hunting or being allowed to. Having a hunting licence give you the right to hunt. Pity it's not regulated in the way that haveing a drivers license gives you the right to drive. Depending on what you want to hunt, you can hunt all year here. Some animals are always in season (e.g. Beaver and coyote) and in some cases you don't even need a license or permit to hunt them. Scary if you think about it and I'm thankful that many people are not aware of that or there would be even more stray bullets flying around.

Hunters are the reason hunting gets a negative rap. People are always letting me know that my posted signs are shot to pieces and I know it's "hunters" who are doing it, because I won't allow them to hunt on my land.

As for riding during season. I ride. I have the right to ride on public roads and public trails that allow horses. It's really not my job to dress my horse in orange or wear a flashing light on top of my hat so a hunter can determine if it's a horse or a deer. If the hunter can't tell the difference then they shouldn't be hunting. If they can't control their urge to shoot when they can't clearly ID what they are shooting at and have a clear shot, then they shouldn't be hunting. If they can't make sure that their missed round won't travel to a location that might potentially have something that might not need to be shot in it, then they shouldn't be making the shot. I keep animals on some of the land I allow to be hunted, as do some of my neighbors. A fencing keeps the animals in certain aress. The rifles have to point in a different direction. And if an animal gets out (it can happen) then it's up to the hunter to know what they are shooting at. A deer is not a domestic animal and the hunters on my land have to be able to tell the difference.

Hunting accidents happen when someone with a weapon breaks some fundamental safety rule. It's sad the a very enjoyable and beneficial activity (hunting in this case) is being diminished more and more by people who profess to be "hunters" because they are able to get a license and a weapon, but can't seem to find the common sense and practice good hunting safety. Not saying that all hunters don't. Many are very good and I've known some that are even more strict about their rules for hunting than I am, but there are far to many that shouldn't be out there.

Well said.

What you are saying is, if there were noting but responsible hunters, there would be no more anti-hunters. So I have to assume that the anti-hunting crowd is only there because of bad hunters. Has it ever occured to you that anti-hunting groups will be there regardless and will, and do, go out of their way to condemn hunting and if they could, they would have hunting taken away from everyone. Do you defend your right, or privilege to drive? By your post above, I would say not, because bad drivers give all drivers a bad name. The same goes for people on bikes. They are about the most irresponsible people on the road today. We have spent millions of dollars for bike paths here, and yet the people on bikes ride on the sholder of the road, along the white line, instead of on the bike paths. So by your logic, they are the ones that give all bikers a bad rep. Maybe they should regulate biking like they do driving, make them take a written test and a road test so they can have the RIGHT to bike.

No it is not your jobto dress like that, but it is your responsibility to take safe measures throughout life to hopefully prevent accidents or tragidy. Do you not wear a seat belt while in a car or truck? Is it wise to have a fire extinguisher in ones house or home? Is it not wise to drive at night with your lights on? Is it not wise or ones resonsibilyt to salt the icy steps at ones house or business to prevent an accident? It is not your responsibility to ride your horse on the side of the road, far enough away from moving traffic, or if it is not your job to do so, thne you will be giving all horse riders a bad name.

So when the above poster says well said, I say very poorly said.

What I said is that if all hunters conducted themselves properly and hunted responsibly there would not be th issues there are. You wil always have PETA and the like, but they represent a minority of those with problems over hunting. People getting shot by a stay bullet in their yard (it's happened) and hunters shooting other hunters even some dressed in orange (it's happened) and cars getting hit while going down the road (it's happened....I've a bullet hole in my arm to prove it...and your seat belt doesn't matter much to the bullet), etc, etc, etc......

And IF hunters were all responsible people wouldn't have to worry about getting shoot. So yes, it does fall on the hunter.

This argument that it's my responsibility to prevent accidents.....do you?
Are you taking responsibility for protecting yourself and your horse from hunters who are not? Are you and your horse wearing body armor? Are you driving an APC? Is your house hardened to withstand a high powered bullet? Do you have a privacy fence higher than your horses and thick enough to stop a 30.06 round? Remember....according to you it's "your responsibility to take safe measures throughout life to hopefully prevent accidents or tragidy", not the hunters responsibility to hunt in a responsible manner. So it must be your fault if something happens to you, not the nut who shouldn't have been hunting to begin with.