Blaze Orange & ground hunting

[northener]

How many have been successful on the ground for whitetails while being legal and wearing blaze orange. I feel like a stand-out wearing blaze orange, even tucked into cover.

Our smokepole season is underway for the next 2 weeks.

[AZ_Longbow]

Deer don't see it at all, just keep your outline hidden, broken up and keep movement a minimum.

[Kopper1013]

While I have never killed a deer with a bow in blaze orange I will say I wear head to toe blaze orange up here and have killed several deer under 20 yards, who had no idea I was there and where relaxed when I shot. I even killed a basket 5pt at 4 paces who had no idea I was there. Last year I had my first chance at a mature doe with my bow in blaze orange but passed on the shot cause my freezer was full enough.
It can feel very unnatural wearing it with a bow in your hand but I use to feel the same way about hunting from the ground. Movement is what will ruin your day wait for the right moment and yes it can be done.

[Whip]

I'm certain that it has far more affect on me than it does on the deer.  I don't like wearing it, but when there is a gun season on I don't have a choice.  So I go with a minimum legal amount most of the time and use a camo blaze orange vest and an orange hat.  

Keep in mind I hunt my own private land, so I don't worry much about other hunters being able to see me.  If I thought there was any possibility of being shot I would wear as much as I could!

All that being said, I have killed one deer with the bow while wearing it and have had plenty of deer close by that never paid any attention to me.  At least not any more than they do when I wear normal camo.  Keep movement to a minimum, and you'll be fine.

[Stumpkiller]

I have had deer within 10 feet of me while sitting on a blow-down in full blaze.  Many times within 15 yards.  Motion and odor is what alarms them.

A bowhunting friend and I did some photo tests a while ago (pre internet or digital cameras!) with B&W film and blaze is a neutral gray that blends in.  Even better is the blaze with stick patterns (blaze camo).  He settled on green plaid as his standard.

When I bowhunt public areas I wear a blaze camo vest.

While it is not a requirement to wear the blaze orange when the inline muzzle season is on, our game warden strongly suggests at least a blaze hat.  According him in his words, "You gotta watch out for them, some of them are the worst of the worst and will shoot at anything, no matter how far away it is."   By far he means across fields that are a quarter mile or more across and into the trees beyond.  A farmer friend that has a patch of cover in the center of a section, has caught them lobbing shots into his little patch of small trees and switch grass from the roads several times, just to get any deer that may be in there moving, so then they can do the race around the section and head them off game.  I have seen it a few times when the muzzle guys that are safe hunters get absolutely furious with the ones that ride around and take long shots from the roads.  Last year I got into it with a guy that pointed his loaded gun at me, I had blaze orange on.  He claimed he was just checking me out with his scope, the scope was attached to a loaded gun.  A safe muzzleloader hunter would never do that.

[northener]

Pavan.   The same blasting into groves goes on around my area during slug season, pretty sad. It's all about bagging deer so they can go to the bar and thump their chest.  They get inflated egos for the evening.

[Cwilder]

It's all in your head

[MCNSC]

Anyone know where to find a good quality blaze orange vest?
All I have ever saw were basically junk, but it makes you legal.

[Whip]

The blaze camo vest that I have is from Cabelas.  It is Soft fleece, so very quiet.  No pockets - nothing fancy, but it is legal.  It also comes in solid blaze.  I don't like wearing orange, but this is a pretty good compromise.

[59Alaskan]

Originally posted by Stumpkiller:
I have had deer within 10 feet of me while sitting on a blow-down in full blaze.  Many times within 15 yards.  Motion and odor is what alarms them.
.

Me too.  My wife had a doe close enough to touch.  She ended up just shooting it instead

[Gdpolk]

I just use camo blaze and don't worry about it. The print helps break up the outline just like any plaid or camo would. 95% of the rest of the work for deer is knowing when to and when NOT to move, regardless of what camo you have.

[Cyclic-Rivers]

I wear head to toe blaze orange while hunting i areas gun hunters are.  I cant tell you how many deer have moved through 10 yards or less unalarmed or the least bit Leary.  as Others have said, its more about scent and movement.

[Tajue17]

deer see movement and they see with their noses,,, you can wear a white/pink and blaze clown suit and they won't even notice you, camo is for hiding from people and making other people rich..

if a deer ever comes in and it keeps looking at you acting nervous and trying to figure out what you are,,,,,means you already got bagged moving they just haven't really confirmed it yet.

[Brock]

as others said...breaking up your outline, not being noticed through movement or smell...are the big things that deer will notice.

deer will see you on ground if moving or not...depending on where you set up.  Especially here in southeast where deer have high pressure and our seasons are very long (15 Aug-1 Jan) for all weapons.  

Good location with good back cover and some front cover if possible...good wind...and keep movement to minimum...and you might get lucky down here on ground at close range.  Deer without as much or as prolonged pressure might let you get away with more in your area.

Good luck....worry less about color of clothing than the other factors.

[Biathlonman]

Blaze camo is illegal in most of the state's I frequent these days, just keep that in mind.  Was good for years and the language was then changed.

[MnFn]

Seems to be easier with bright snow cover.

One morning, I met my son standing in a field with snow gently falling around us.  As we were discussing where we were independently headed, I doe came out within thirty yards of us and fed on its way out into the hay field.  No movement on our part helped a bunch, and the right wind of course.

[perry f.]

Opening day of our firearms season I had a doe trot by under 10' from me while hunting with my longbow. I was on the ground wearing a blaze vest and hat sitting next to a couple big trees. She was so close I could smell her.

[eidsvolling]

I've used this blaze camo vest for years for bowhunting, rifle hunting and dog walking. It is extremely quiet, well-designed, and fits over everything I wear. I think it might just outlive me as well:

  Gamehide Sneaker Big Game Hunting Vest

[Nantahala Nut]

Just last week I had a 3 does come in to my spot. I had on a blaze hat, blaze gamehide pants, and a woodland jacket.  One was 8 yards away.  I had stood up and moved away from my tree to get some blood moving.  That doe knew something wasnt quite right but I stood dead still and she didn't spook. Movement is most important with breaking up your outline being second.  Color is a very distant third.  

The Asbell sight has a blaze orange vest I believe.  I love gamehide stuff for cold weather.  I have sat in pouring rain for hours and my gamehide pants never soaked through.  Warm as all get out and quiet.

....That doe was the first deer that gave me a shot this year, but it was on the first day of gun season and the first day I couldnt legally take a doe.  Dohhh!