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I am heading to PA this weekend and my first thought was great, I'll explore some trails on Saturday (Sunday won't work for me). Then I remembered that it is deer season, which while growing up always meant stay out of the woods where the drinking/guns party is going on. Do you Pennsylvanians (or anyone else) avoid the woods during deer season, wear different gear, avoid specific areas, etc.? It seems like there are accidents every year and sometimes the victim is dressed in orange.
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Tim
Gets pretty crowded in the woods around here in South Central PA. Saturday is the last day of deer season, so depending on the area may be well populated with hunters. I'll run on old logging roads in Michaux Forest, or along the Appalachian trail. The AT gets enough traffic and noise so the hunters stay clear.
Where are you heading?
Some State Parks have "No Hunting" areas around popular hiking trails.
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running under the BigSky
our big game season is 5 weeks long (7 weeks adding antelope which opens two weeks prior to deer/elk), so staying out of the hills isn't much an option. I just wear orange when I run, but our country is a little more open, so probably less chance of getting mistaken for anything
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sugnim
I wear orange and hope for the best.
I ran into a very nice hunter a couple of weeks ago who was packing out a buck on a bike cart. Talking with him was a welcome break--plus I'd never had a change to see a wild animal so up close & personal like that. Other than that, I've seen people wandering around with rifles, but I've never had any problems.
During hunting season, I make sure to not wear headphones, so i can hear what's around me. I've only had one bad experience. there were some morons trying to sight in the rifles and they decided to break every rule about gun safety ever written. They were shooting down the road I was running up. I heard them before I saw them, they saw me, waved and kept shooting down the road, towards me. I heard ricochets whizzing past my head.
There was a nice big hill 100 yards to their right they could have set there targets up on, but they were idiots. I would have told them what I thought of them but they had guns, and did I mention they were complete morons? I didn't want to risk it, so I turned up mountain and got them behind me as fast as I could.
to be clear, I don't think they were meaning to shoot at me, I just don't think it entered their minds that you're not supposed to shoot down roads, because they were morons.
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Three rules for running during deer season if I am not hunting:
1. Wear Orange
2. Crouch a little lower and run a little faster if I hear a bullet whiz by.
3. Wear Orange.
Did I mention orange?
They "shouldn't" be that close to the trails, but sometimes you have some idiots out there, especially on public land. Be safe.
LB2
I'll be in northern bucks county. I grew up in the area and there's not anywhere that I would be comfortable. I think its just the right amount of woods and the right amount of people to make a dangerous situation.
I'm near Nockamixon Park. Weekends during hunting season means both sides of the road will be lined with cars/trucks. I don't even like to drive down the road because I've had deer come running across. Its really awful. Sometimes the same deer will get shot by 2 or more people and they fight over it...so that areas out. I think Deleware Canal Tow Path it is.
Reminds me of a joke I hear around hear all the time.
A guy is out hunting and sees a great big buck. He decides this is the one for him, so he shoots it. He hurrys on over there, ready to claim his trophy and there's an old fellow standing by the deer. He quickly shouts, "move on old timer, that's my deer I shot him first" the old timer looks at him and says "we'll alright son, you can have it, just let me get my saddle off it first."
Wandering Wally
I stay out of the woods during rifle season. Too many yahoos with too much liquor and not enough sense out there. During archery and muzzleloader seasons I just wear orange and try to stay out of their way.
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Le professeur de trail
I'm from PA and I don't touch the trails during buck/rifle season (except Sundays). But then again I run a lot in state game land areas. But orange, orange, orange if you must go. I get a bunch of weird looks when I am out in some of the state game lands (Dec/Jan) when I see hunters. It might be either some "running" the trails or that I am wearing shorts in the middle of winter. I simply tip my head, say hi and keep moving.
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I didn't grow up in the States, so I have no clue.
During hunting season, I wear a bright orange hat (always), and except on Sundays an orange vest. A bit uncomfortable, but it gives me more sense of safety.
Not many accidents in our area, according to a doc who works at the local ER.
Still, sometimes I stay off the trails, especially in the dark, or when visibility is low.
Run for fun.
Why no orange vest on Sundays?
I probably should look up numbers first but why let facts cloud stereotypes(liquored up hunters). Yes there are a few knuckleheads out there but do you think it is safer driving to that trailhead? I know more peeps died on the roads of Wi. than there were hunting accidents during our 9 day general gun deer season. The only day I look for alternatives is the actual opening day of deer season. That can be pretty intense. After that just put on an orange cap and run. If you feel a bad vibe don't but a little common sense, maybe not out right at dusk or dawn, etc.
If you were running urban areas it would be no different- there are certainly areas of our city I wouldn't run thru late. Just common sense.
Actual hunting accident numbers are pretty small, they just get sensationalized by the media. And most are either self-inflicted or they whack a member of their own group. And some of those are really not accidents.
Just remember-- the bullet is going faster than the speed of sound. If you hear it you are OK. Though there might be that followup shot.
Had a hunting friend who lved in PA. Back then there was no hunting on the Sabbath. Dates back to the Puritans I believe.