Hunter Orange Celebrates 50 Years in Arkansas

Bell bottoms, parachute pants and tight-rolled jeans have all gone the way of the dinosaur, but one clothing trend has lasted the test of time, at least in the deer woods. This weekend’s alternative firearms season marks the 50th year a hunter orange vest and hat have been mandatory in The Natural State.

Nothing says “I’m a deer hunter” quite like wearing the legally required 400 square inches of blaze orange and a matching headcover. Some hunters may opt for the alternative fluorescent chartreuse called “hunter safety green,” but there’s something about seeing that blaze orange on a hunter’s hat or vest in a passing truck that makes you give the original “Jeep wave.”

Although Hunter Education wasn’t required until 1985, the blaze orange requirement for deer season had already been in effect for almost a decade. Some safety-minded hunters voluntarily wore bright red-and-black checked wool shirts and a few even voluntarily began wearing chartreuse and orange garments while in the woods, but the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission made the use of blaze orange mandatory for all firearms deer seasons in 1976. The law was later expanded to include bear and elk seasons as those species recovered enough to allow modern-day hunting.

“Deer really don’t see colors the same way we do,” Matt Gideon, Hunter Education and Boater Education Coordinator for the AGFC, said. “They have dichromatic vision, which means they only see blues, purples and greens well. That blaze orange that stands out to people is more muted to a deer. It’s obviously not going to be the same color as your surroundings, but it actually blends in much better than bright green camouflage or blue jeans. You really don’t have to worry too much about the deer spotting that blob of orange out in the woods. A deer is going to notice movement much more than a single out-of-place color.”

Gideon says hunters who still have concerns that their solid-color vest or jacket may give away their location to deer can always opt for blaze camouflage.

“Black patterns through the garment break up that solid block of color but still let people see you from very far distances,” Gideon said. “Blaze camouflage is legal in Arkansas, so it’s a good compromise.”

Arkansas wasn’t the first to hop on the hunter orange wagon. Massachusetts was the first state to require hunters to wear the garish color, passing it into law and hunting lore in 1961. Some states still do not mandate hunter orange, but Gideon says it’s always a good idea to ensure you’re visible, not only to avoid being misidentified as a game animal, but also so hunters know you’re present if you happen to be in the background of a possible shot opportunity.

During a study conducted in New York from 1989-1995, 343 incidents involved two hunters and a firearm, indicating a case of mistaken identity or being in the field of fire during a shot. Of those incidents, 259 of the shooting victims (76 percent) were not wearing hunter orange. This study helped pave the way for mandatory blaze orange use beginning in 2021.

Break out that blaze orange jacket with pride this weekend, deer hunters. It’s a better fashion statement than one that says “Members Only.”

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CUTLINES:

MAN IN STAND
Blaze orange became mandatory during firearms deer seasons in Arkansas in 1976. AGFC photo.

YOUTH WITH DEER
Blaze orange camouflage is legal in Arkansas and helps break up your outline without diminishing the visibility of the bright orange to humans. AGFC photo.