Whenever i decide to go to more remote, harder to reach spots with rarer animals, like 7 times out of 10 there will be someone shooting stuff in the area.
Most times i try to go in the opposite direction of the sound cause i just think they will shoot me accidentally if i happen to make noise near them.
How do you deal with this?
Realistically i would want them to know im there so i dont get shot accidentally but i also dont really want to start yelling across a mountain and make every other animal im trying to find leave.
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I dont really keep track of hunting seasons but also most of the time these people are shooting in reserves and or either poaching so I doubt they also are keeping track of those
As both an iNatter and hunter myself, some suggestions -
Wear an orange safety vest and preferably also an orange hat or cap.
Instead of yelling, try loudly whistling or making birdlike noises following the tune of an obvious song that a human would recognise, but wouldn’t sound like human speech to an animal.
Park your vehicle in a very obvious and open spot that signals to anyone else about to enter that there is already someone there.
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Blaze orange or safety orange is the color used by hunters in the US to be recognized by fellow hunters. I assume that is used elsewhere in the world by hunters or by those who don’t want to get accidentally shot by a hunter?
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I always park my car visibly before a trail, most times i dont find myself having a orange vest cause i dont predict that ill find hunters in that location and i usually find out when im already deep in the forest but ill just bring one for safety from now.
Also i didnt think of whistling thanks, i cant do it myself that loud but im gonna buy one.
Im in italy, as i mentioned i just try to avoid them when i hear shots so idk what they usually would wear, one time i crossed one he was just wearing brown and green
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He’s wearing brown and green because he doesn’t want the animals to see him. That’s ideal when you’re out hunting alone. When there’s a risk of other people hunting mistaking you for an animal, though, high-visibility clothing is the way to go. Neon orange or yellow. Three evenly spaced shots with a firearm, or three long blasts on a whistle is also a pretty good signal for hunters that there is someone else in the area.
For me, though, I just tend to avoid places that are open to hunting. I don’t know if the rules in Italy’s parks are different, but I tend to prefer exploring in State and National Parks in the US because hunting is generally not allowed there.
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If that’s the case, avoiding them is the best decision. Lawbreakers may not take kindly to being witnessed.
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Hunting is allowed in most of the state parks in Massachusetts, just fyi.
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That may be for Massachusetts. That has not been the case in the states I have lived in, though. I think it is the case in most states that it is not allowed on State Park lands.
I don’t mean to offend, but if that is you in your profile image, then an orange cap or beanie would also be good - you have thick, long, luxuriant hair that might look like part of a long-furred animal from afar :P
It is in some Michigan state parks.
Yes, in some jurisdictions, it is required for hunters to wear at least one item of orange. There are also hunter- or naturalist-friendly options like blaze camo that puts some darker streaks or patterns over the orange to make it pop out a bit less to animals, eg.
Apparently deer can’t really see the brightness of orange, but I know many insects and birds definitely will (duck hunters won’t use it), so YMMV.
I think the best compromise for @mairo48 would be to wear whatever they normally do when iNatting, then switch to orange when they hear or see hunting activity.
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Hunting is not popular here at least in south italy since most species are protected and you can only go after invasive wild boar.
So there arent really hunting areas, hunters just show up in places where they know theres nobody thats gonna see em so whenever i encounter one its never expected
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LOL i usually tie it when im out but ill go with that
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Honestly, I just go in the opposite direction. Some people do things properly, other people you will find shooting uphill into trees and across paths and stuff like that. I don’t need to die because of an idiot.
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It may be a complicated situation… it happened to me a couple of times to cross a group of boar hunters. They told me without mincing words that I could stay there at my own risk because they were there.
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Underwater we have ‘spearfish’ and ‘filmfish’, maybe there is a terrestrial equivalent. Since becoming a spearfisher I have noticed my senses are more finely tuned. Perhaps (looking from the other side) joining a hunting party may help you find species you are looking for.
My backpack wears a safety vest. I’m not saying it’s the perfect solution, but that’s how I handle it!