Invasion of the Pumpkin People

Small game season opens October first. The woods will be full of people wearing hunter orange. I just bought some new orange hunting clothes myself. My hunting wardrobe is kinda psychotic. Some of my stuff is bright orange so that other hunters will see me. Then there's my cammo hunting clothes so I can be invisible in the woods. What's the thinking behind that?

When small game hunting I go for visibility. For me, small game hunting is fairly casual. I'm less likely to end up on the backside of beyond where few people go. It's likely I'll meet other hunters out there. With that in mind, it's more important to be seen.

Deer season is a more stealthy affair. It involves hiking in while it's still dark. That's when I'm going to end up in the middle of nowhere. There aren't too many hunters out there so I don't mind disappearing. Much of my deer hunting consists of sitting still for hours on end barely moving a muscle. I become the forest. Squirrels have been known to run up my leg thinking I'm just another part of the tree.

On my out of the woods I'll often pull an orange hat and gloves out of my pack. As I get nearer my vehicle there's a higher likelihood of meeting other hunters. Then I want to be seen.

Frankly, I'm not really all that interested in deer hunting anymore -it's too much work. Small game hunting, on the other hand, is more relaxed and fun for me. Besides, my lovely wife doesn't much care for venison. She does like how I cook up rabbits and game birds.

Last year I didn't get to go out at all. This year I'm happy to join the Pumpkin Army. Getting out is great exercise and does much for my mental health.

-Sixbears