Is it okay to fish now (hunting season edition)

[discomidge]

Hey, just wondering what you guys do during deer season. I really wanna hit the C&R stretch of Penns tomorrow where I lit it up last weekend stripping streamers and only saw one redd (nobody home), but my wife thinks I'm insane and would be a little pissed if I got shot. Got a blaze orange beanie which I've been wearing all fall.

So what do you guys do? Hang it up during deer season? Wear your custom blaze orange waders? Go to Spring Creek (ugh)?

That streamer bite was so fun, it's tough to resist the pull....

 

[Swattie87]

It’s ok to fish if you choose to. Yes, wear appropriate blaze orange clearly.

From a simple safety perspective, I choose not to fish in areas where hunters are likely to be during rifle deer season…SGL’s, SF’s, etc. Since this encompasses most of the fishing I do, most years I don’t fish from Thanksgiving until mid-December. There’s other stuff (family get togethers, Christmas decorating/shopping, etc) that often occupies weekends during that time period anyway, so it’s not much of a loss.

I’ve fished Black Friday the past couple of years, and that was enough to tide me over until rifle was over.

 

[salvelinus]

My wife and i bought cheap orange mesh vests that you can wear over top of everything. We got them mainly for hiking during hunting seasons, but if I am fishing on public land in any hunting season I wear it. Can't be too careful. I got it at the Wharton store but I would think they are available elsewhere.

 

[phiendWMD]

I try to stay along roads if I'm fishing SGL during rifle season. And definitely wear orange. Hopefully most people aren't going to be shooting over roads or anywhere near one.

 

[Bamboozle]

I have a blaze orange cap, vest & bandanna I used to wear on SGL's or other areas where hunting is permitted, but I gave up fishing them a few years back during rifle season as there are just too many other places to fish to risk it any more.

 

[discomidge]

Thanks for the perspectives. Decided not to risk it, went to Spring Creek, and caught a few. One section was absolutely covered in redds. I had a good time watching the fish go at it.

I found a pile of fresh deer guts right next to one of the lots. Seemed like an odd place to leave a heap of entrails.

 

[bigjohn58]

I always said on the wild/native streams to avoid them this time of year. Let the trout finish their spawning. Lots of browns are still spawning at this time. I always said from mid October to mid December avoid the wild/native streams.

 

[pcray1231]

I am a hunter so I hunt during deer season.

K. 1st. If you are scared to be in the woods. Then you should be scared to be just about anywhere. Really, its not that dangerous. Any hunter mistakes you for a deer, thats pretty bad. It ain't happening. The only time you should have "stray bullet" issues is if some idiot shoots at something skylined. And then I hate to say it, but bullets travel MILES. As safe in Penns Creek as the shops downtown.

The most dangerous thing in deer hunting is treestands, heart attacks during dragging, and negotiating steep slopes when its icy or snowy. And ticks.

Turkey hunting can be a little dicy. Specifically the sutuation where guy in all camo surrounds himself with decoys making sounds like a turkey. And another guy in camo attempts to sneak up on that turkey, while making sounds like a turkey..

 

[PennKev]

It's worthwhile to remember that public lands (SGL, state parks, etc.) are THE ONLY places some folks have to hunt, and they only have a couple weeks to do it (for general firearms season). Maybe keep that in mind and tread lightly.

 

[DGC]

I am reminded of Mike's response #5 in this thread not long ago.

Codorus Posting Question

Probably applies elsewhere as well and amplified by anglers and hunters being more numerous in the pandemic.

 

[DGC]

Double post deleted

 

[Bruno]

I wear an Orange Ball cap. More importantly I have an orange vest for my dog. While not quite deer sized he is the close in color to a deer.

 

[laszlo]

I fished Mon. in a "deer brown" hoodie and all I could think of is how fast would I have to duck when I heard a gun shot.

 

[DGC]

Lol, Lazlo. Only in Hollywood does the report precede impact.

 

[wgmiller]

Sharing outdoor spaces with hunters does carry a very real risk. There's always the remote risk of getting shot accidentally, which seems to happen at least once every rifle deer season. When you look at the sheer number of rifle hunters in the woods, your chances are quite low, but there's always the chance. Just a few days ago an Etown hunter was accidentally shot in the head and killed by a family member while out hunting:

https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/elizabethtown-man-killed-after-being-accidentally-shot-by-relative-while-hunting-report/article_d7fa09a2-516a-11ec-9bb0-7fe03f46dc3d.html

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Unfortunately, you cannot recall a round once it has been fired.

I remember as a child, the police came to talk with my father several times one 1968ish hunting season and we attended one of his buddies funeral. My father never went hunting again to my knowledge.

In October I went fishing on one river in Michigan and this guy pulls up to put his canoe in. He informed me that he shot a deer the previous day and was hoping to find it. The only orange items I had was the inside of a reusable shopping bag. I wore it on my head to be on the safe side. LOL.

 

[Swattie87]

With rifle now over, I got out today. Wasn't a great numbers day, but the fish caught were of good quality. I fished a stream in between two SW to NE running ridges, so I stayed out of the wind pretty well.

Seemed like others were enjoying the end of rifle season as well. Didn't see any other anglers, but ran into two hikers, and two separate groups of mountain bikers. Nice day out, was good to be off the couch.

 

[Dave_W]

Very nice Swattie!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Saw a bunch of anglers out in NCPA yesterday. I fished during rifle seaason for the first time in my life on sgls this weekend as my buck tag is filled. Caught some brook trout on a large stocked stream and wasn't shot at in the process.


Thank you for at least thinking about the safety issue. On opening day a hunting friend was sitting in sight of a popular hiking trail in Loyalsock State forest. In the last hr and half of day light he saw 15 or so hikers, non wearing orange and 3 had off leash black and choc labs without any orange...