Re: [at-l] hiking in hunting season

["Will O'Daix" <thegreenghost@email.msn.com>]

<snip>

>How dangerous is it to be on the trail during hunting season. Has a hiker
ever
>been shot by accident by a hunter who mistook him for a deer or whatever?

ok, this is all imo stuff...
1- we don't know because there is no official public record or official
public source for us to go to... whether it's about gun accidents or about
rapes or about murders or official rescues...
2- hunter awareness used to be stressed in the ATN, then stopped for a time
& within the last year there was a list of seasons & some of that info...
but this info is sporadic at best...
3- some non-hunters may not understand the warnings of not having something
white or waving white flags etc... it's because some deer hunters spot deer
by the white area on the deer's rear end... hence the name, white tail
deer...
4- in some areas, it's law that hikers or anyone out in the woods at certain
times have some piece of orange clothing, it may not be AT law but if we
venture off the trail without a piece of visible orange clothing, we may be
breaking a law... but I admit I don't know east coast hunting regulations...
(btw, orange, flo orange, international orange, are scientifically
measurable & more visible for a greater distance, it has to do with with the
color spectrum & what the human eye can see the easiest & farthest)
5- a healthy respect & awareness of hunting seasons is smart, I agree
100%... & not all hunting is with guns or just for deer...
but... some people are overly fearful of hunting season because of an
anti-gun bias that exists among certain groups... (these may not be the
perfect words to describe this situation, so go easy on the flames)... I'm
not trying to insult PETA or anti-gun organizations, in fact, in some ways I
respect & agree with them but... I also know they are not above using scare
tactics to further their causes... in fact, I believe that a great deal of
fear on the trail is created by a lack of information... without official
lists or statistics, then false info abounds, gossip creates misinformation,
and fears increase... which really is harmful, because if people are afraid
of the wrong things, then they will develop a false sense of security about
what they think are good things, & that may in fact cause them harm...
people may let down their guard at the wrong time by thinking they are
safe...
6- I don't hunt... or own a gun...
safe travel / will / the green ghost.




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