Advocacy & Safety - Riding during hunting season

Do any of you guys ride during hunting season? I live in a rural area and get a bit nervous when I hear gunshots while I'm riding. Bear season opened this past Saturday and deer opens this Monday. Sometimes I feel like Cyclists are always in season:eek:

Road ride or MTB? No issues riding on the road. MTB - yes I'll ride during hunting season, but not where hunting is allowed. Not so much because I'm worried about getting shot -- I'd wear an orange vest if I did ride where hunting is allowed. But I figure -- they have a short season, I don't wnat to ruin it for them -- and possibly have them going to whoever oversees that particular piece of forest or park to complain about bike riders.

And there are plenty of places I can MTB where there is no hunting allowed anyway.

I hear gun fire all the time. I live in a rural area as well. If I see a pick up truck on the side of the road in a random location...probably hunters.

Ride on Sundays. No hunting on Sundays. Wear an orange vest. Put something on your bike to make noise as you ride it. You should be fine. Bullets don't travel very far in a forest and deer hunters are usually in tree stands so the bullets or arrows are headed downward. Hunting accidents are rare.

Do hunters in Pa use shotguns or rifles to hunt?
When I lived in rural PA as a kid-some place called Boothwyn(Namenes- creek road??)-between Wilmington and Philadelphia-closer to Delaware I think-we would find lots of expended shotgun shells(they were real prizes for a 5 yo)-.Never found and any empty rifle cases.
In the 1950's it was rural-not suburban at all-strictly rural-there would be groups of old houses maybe 1/2-1 mile apart.
Shotguns -even with slugs- don't carry very far.
Yeah, we really prized those shells.

Do hunters in Pa use shotguns or rifles to hunt?
When I lived in rural PA as a kid-some place called Boothwyn(Namenes- creek road??)-between Wilmington and Philadelphia-closer to Delaware I think-we would find lots of expended shotgun shells(they were real prizes for a 5 yo)-.Never found and any empty rifle cases.
In the 1950's it was rural-not suburban at all-strictly rural-there would be groups of old houses maybe 1/2-1 mile apart.
Shotguns -even with slugs- don't carry very far.
Yeah, we really prized those shells.

Both, depends on the game. Bear...probably a rifle. Deer, probably a rifle, bow, or maybe, just maybe a shotgun with a slug. Turkey...bow or shotgun with a choke. Ducks or geese, shotgun.

I worry more about wet leaves taking me down than a bullet.

If your helmet has no horns attached -- or if you're sans helmet, if you have no horns on your head -- and you're not wearing a fur coat, then I suspect that you're fine.

Real question: How many hunters get shot by strangers while wearing appropriate garb?

Actual stats for PA.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_334577.html

Actual stats for PA.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_334577.html

Yikes! 16 shootings were attributed to people shot who were mistaken for game.

Do what all the other hunters do wear orange.


I was on tour when I came across some poachers.
I was very scared. Guy on the hood of the car with a shotgun and guy on the trunk with a shot gun. Middle of the night and on a non-motorized trail.

Hmmm ... that sounds like a lot. Perhaps you should add a daytime blinkie. I would be surprised if the combination of appropriate attire and lights fails to effectively address the issue; but clearly, I am speculating here.

blaze orange.

Yes, blaze orange. If I'm on a stand and a buck steps out I won't take the shot if I know someone is on the other side of that deer because I can see them. I may not be delighted about the situation, but I won't press the shot.

If someone is on the other side of that deer and I can't see them because they blend in ... well, if can't see them I can't be expected to know they're there.

Just like riding at night without lights. If the motorist can't see the cyclist, then the motorist can't be expected to know the cyclist is there.

Two examples that still haunt my mind....

My aunt was hanging wash in her development and was shot in the arm by the Township Supervisor out shooting groundhogs about .75 miles away w/ a .22.

I work in a Trauma Center ER, a hunter came in last year who was shot by another hunter who thought the other guy was a turkey in a tree. He was around 260lbs and was wearing bright orange pants, vest etc.

I guess there is no real avoidance of stupidity. Oh well, I just continue MTBing on Sundays and just keep my eyes open for flashes of orange while riding through wooded areas on the road.

Safe riding!

We had a hunter shot by another hunter just outside of the city limits a couple of years ago. The victim was knocking sticks together to mimic a couple of males fighting for mating rights. The shooter knew he couldn't see the cause of the noise, he just shot into the area. When the shooter went to get his prize, he found a trail of blood to follow. When it ended at a driveway, he figured his buck was of the two-legged variety and he called the sheriff who sorted the whole thing out. The wounded hunter drove himself to the hospital and was successfully treated.

It wouldn't have mattered if the victim was wearing blaze orange or not, the shooter was just shooting at noise. These happen pretty regularly around here. I think alcohol us commonly involved. Needless to say, I try to avoid areas frequented by hunters during hunting season. I wish we could divide the state into quadrants and have all the hunting seasons in a given quadrant open during the same two-week period, then I could enjoy the forests during the other 50 weeks without being shot at, at least on accident.

I have to admit that gunfire doesn't fill me with comfort, but I hear it at home too. So going out riding doesn't seem all that much more dangerous. You'd think that hunters would be careful not to shoot towards occupied houses, but history shows that you'd be wrong. We have deer in our yard fairly frequently, and we are in a highly populated area.

The odds of being hit with a bullet drop very quickly as distance from the shooter increases. If you are really worried about it, load up on the orange and avoid red, white, blue and black during turkey season.

3/4 mile with a .22- ??
The idiot had to be shooting upward at a fairly high angle to get that kind of range out of a .22. A ricochet -probably what he claimed-would not carry that far.Maybe he was on a hill shooting fairly flat in which case he was clearly an idiot- or maybe shooting uphill- it cleared the hill then carried to your aunt?

Has anyone ever read of any cases where a bike rider was actually shot?

I haven't heard of any bikers getting shot. The three most recent nonhunter fatalities I recall were all on foot, and shot as "bears." I think it makes "sense" that a dark, stationary blob, probably half submerged in shrubs, is more likely to be mistaken for a foraging bear than a mountain bike rattling down a trail. I'd still wear blaze orange.

Once I was hunting mule deer and saw a shadow/movement through some trees up on a ridge. I didn't want to risk making any noise by messing with the binoculars at my side, so I waited to see what exited into the clearcut. I had my 30.06 shouldered but not aimed. Out comes this old fart riding a horse slowly, no hi-viz, all muted clothing. Since he had a .44 Redhawk at his side, I didn't say anything. I was thinking how many drunks/kids/elk poachers would have been more than willing to take a shot at him.

3/4 mile with a .22- ??
The idiot had to be shooting upward at a fairly high angle to get that kind of range out of a .22. A ricochet -probably what he claimed-would not carry that far.Maybe he was on a hill shooting fairly flat in which case he was clearly an idiot- or maybe shooting uphill- it cleared the hill then carried to your aunt?

Has anyone ever read of any cases where a bike rider was actually shot?

He probably took this shot. Which....you aren't supposed to do. Know your target and what's beyond.

http://blueridgeblog.blogs.com/blue_ridge_blog/images/groundhog.jpg

If it's a beautiful fall day and I really want to go mountain biking in an area frequented by hunters, I'll do it... but wear blaze orange and stay on main forest roads until hunting season is over. I've never had a problem with hunters, most are out there with safety in mind and they're often gone by midmorning.

I HAVE had problems with stupid target shooters. They're out there all year and often aren't as careful. In my time, I've been inadvertently shot at (i.e. bullets whizzing by, that's a sound you don't soon forget), seen target shooters set up targets right across a forest road, and lectured a group who were shooting off into the trees, not realizing that the very road they were parked on switchbacked right into their line of fire a few hundred yards ahead. Idiots!!!

Yes, I ride during hunting season in the country. When I do, I wear a hi-viz blaze orange vest with reflective yellow stripes over my bicycling outfit. In addition, I have my bicycle's red and white blinkies on, too. I haven't had any trouble.

I love it how a group of people generalizes about another group of people based on the actions of a few bad apples.
For example, drivers think all cyclists break laws because they see a few of us run red lights, etc.
Or, a few clearly bad hunters shoot other people, so all hunters must be doing this.

Hunting courses should be mandatory, and where I live, they are. Among the safety tips we learn are to be sure of your target and what's beyond it. Never shoot at a target at the top of a hill. Never shoot at a target that you can't clearly identify. If you get shot by mistake, it is likely a bad hunter who has no clue what he/she is doing. Don't classify all hunters by the actions of these dumba**es.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Lemond yet.

I have a second cousin who gave up hunting in Napa and the surrounding area (That is Napa California, wine country) because it was getting to dangerous. Taht was over 30 years ago and he had bagged a buck for at least a dozen years straight on opening day each year. Just was no longer worth the risk.

I hunt during hunting season.
Just got home from 8 days deer hunting in the Federal forest. didn't take a shot as I didn't see anything legal. Saw a couple ermine and the rare drama of 2 bobcats taking down a snowshoe hare, plus the usual assortment of grouse, woodpeckers, & songbirds. Followed a set of wolf tracks in the fresh snow past my stand.

Wear some orange and ride. The chances of someone not in the hunting party getting shot are slim to none.

In this thread no one could find any instance of a MTB beingt shot - Ever!
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?685324-Hunters-Gunning-for-Mountain-Bikers-in-Sisters-Oregon

http://dnr.wi.gov/news/BreakingNews_Lookup.asp?id=1924

600,000 deer licenses sold - 6 incidents opening weekend, none fatal, all same party. More people die from heart attacks and tree stand falls then actual firearms.

Yikes! 16 shootings were attributed to people shot who were mistaken for game.

Was this guy one of them?
http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/cdapress.com/content/tncms/assets/editorial/b/26/9b1/b269b1e7-e9d4-5fb0-b93b-723de5ab04a1-revisions/4c30ade7d2282.image.jpg

Sorry, old thread, but I'd have to agree - bike with blaze orange. How many of us bike with hi-viz cycling clothing anyway? I worry more about idiots on the road who can't see bikes.

I have a cousin who is a hunter. A few decades ago he had a run of bagging a buck on opening day that was over a dozen years long.

He then pretty much stopped hunting here in California.

Opening day was just too dangerous and after opening day the deer were just too spooked.

Local to me there are no problems.

If I were closer to places where hunting was allowed I' stay away opening weekend and likely check to find something like a National Park or similar area where hunting is not allowed and ride there.

BUT riding where huntung is not allowed is not a sure thing. I'd stay alert and bale very fast if I heard gunfire close. The idiots who hunt out of bounds are apt to be the idiots who shoot blind.

Often. A buddy and I used to go hunting on our mtbs.

I've hunted with a bike too. Gets you deeper into gated territory where hikers won't go.

In major American cities there is gunfire directed towards humans every day.

Not even mentioning drunk drivers and road ragers.

At least deer hunters are good shots.

Not a mountain bike, but I've hunted and ridden horses all over prime blacktail territory during hunting season. I always wear blaze orange, and wrapped my tack in blaze orange vetwrap and never had a problem. Don't know if I would take a horse out during elk season, though - where I grew up that was what all the city slickers went for, and I could see them shooting at any large quadroped tramping through the brush.

I'm pretty sure my father would manage to rise from the grave and throttle me if I ever took a shot without being sure of my target and what was beyond it.

In Massachusetts, there's no bear season, and deer hunting is shotgun, muzzle loader, and bow and arrow only. No rifles. It's something I don't worry about. None of those loads are coming out of the woods onto a road. I think it's more of a concern for mountain bikers.

Yikes! 16 shootings were attributed to people shot who were mistaken for game.

Those people may have been game...if cannibal's were out hunting, they have to eat too. Your link took me to a sports page, is killing humans during hunting season now considered a sport?