Hunters and Hikers
Trail Runners, Mountain Bikers, Climbers, and XC Skiers too
Photo courtesy of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
By Alan Via
Every September I think of how concerns over hiking during the hunting season keeps some folks indoors.
As a hiker who grew up hunting, allow me to share some thoughts for those who don't want to give up weeks of being in the woods.
I began roaming the hills and mountains with my friends at the age of 10 back then we used bicycles to get to where we wanted to go. Our days usually involved fishing, poking around the woods, or fooling with BB guns. By age 12 we all had .22 rifles, with shotguns coming a couple of years later. Our outdoor calendars followed the hunting seasons for grouse, pheasants, squirrels, deer, and rabbit hunting with hunting dogs.
Into my early 20's, a day in the woods meant hunting, until a co-worker introduced me to hiking; it was a revelation that I could roam the woods without a firearm. And what an introduction it was. I was soon hiking and then leading hikes to bigger and bigger mountains in NY, New England and out west. I was named Albany Adirondack outings chair and wore-out four co-chairs in a 14-year tenure. Hiking replaced all of my woodland pursuits.
I have a foot in both worlds, hiker, and sportsman, and hoping this gets you thinking about how the two groups can co-exist.
We ask about whether to hike or where to hike during the hunting seasons. Let's remember that hunting license fees help pay for habitat and wildlife management, the benefits of which hikers enjoy as well. We've all read about so-called 'hunters' who poach, hunt with lights at night, take 'sound shots', bait deer and HWI (hunt while impaired). They are outlaws and deserve the disrepute they bring on many good hunters and woodsmen, many of whom remain largely below the radar as 3500 Club members. Given the demographics - the growing number of hikers and the decline of hunting, there may be even more hikers who behave badly and bring discredit to our sport. Those who camp near water, summits, or on trails, leave litter and campfires burning, build fire rings on summits or above 3500', cut trees, trim branches for viewpoints, and don't bury waste. I mention these so we don't single out hunting as the sport with bad outliers.
Some considerations if you'd like to share the autumn woods with hunters:
Trails: Look for those that start up steeply and keep going up. These are excellent places to hike. Hunting gear and clothing are heavy, and steep, rocky terrain generally attracts only the best hunters, weeding out the stereotypes we don't want to run into. Avoid trail-heads where the trail is easy to hike or walk, or follows old woods roads. Look for areas where hunting or Sunday hunting is prohibited. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut have different hunting season days and dates. Massachusetts does not allow Sunday hunting.
Clothing: Consider what you wear. A blaze orange hat, vest or gloves lets you be seen a long way away. The sports departments of large discount stores have these, and they are an inexpensive peace of mind. Hang a blaze orange bandanna on your pack. Leave white handkerchiefs or other clothing at home. White looks too much like the upraised flag or tail of a whitetail deer. My lab Bookah wears a blaze orange vest and a noisy bell during hunting season. During the spring turkey season, avoid bright blue, red or brown, all colors that male turkeys display during courting.
Every September I think of how concerns over hiking during the hunting season keeps some folks indoors.
As a hiker who grew up hunting, allow me to share some thoughts for those who don't want to give up weeks of being in the woods.
I began roaming the hills and mountains with my friends at the age of 10 back then we used bicycles to get to where we wanted to go. Our days usually involved fishing, poking around the woods, or fooling with BB guns. By age 12 we all had .22 rifles, with shotguns coming a couple of years later. Our outdoor calendars followed the hunting seasons for grouse, pheasants, squirrels, deer, and rabbit hunting with hunting dogs.
Into my early 20's, a day in the woods meant hunting, until a co-worker introduced me to hiking; it was a revelation that I could roam the woods without a firearm. And what an introduction it was. I was soon hiking and then leading hikes to bigger and bigger mountains in NY, New England and out west. I was named Albany Adirondack outings chair and wore-out four co-chairs in a 14-year tenure. Hiking replaced all of my woodland pursuits.
I have a foot in both worlds, hiker, and sportsman, and hoping this gets you thinking about how the two groups can co-exist.
We ask about whether to hike or where to hike during the hunting seasons. Let's remember that hunting license fees help pay for habitat and wildlife management, the benefits of which hikers enjoy as well. We've all read about so-called 'hunters' who poach, hunt with lights at night, take 'sound shots', bait deer and HWI (hunt while impaired). They are outlaws and deserve the disrepute they bring on many good hunters and woodsmen, many of whom remain largely below the radar as 3500 Club members. Given the demographics - the growing number of hikers and the decline of hunting, there may be even more hikers who behave badly and bring discredit to our sport. Those who camp near water, summits, or on trails, leave litter and campfires burning, build fire rings on summits or above 3500', cut trees, trim branches for viewpoints, and don't bury waste. I mention these so we don't single out hunting as the sport with bad outliers.
Some considerations if you'd like to share the autumn woods with hunters:
Trails: Look for those that start up steeply and keep going up. These are excellent places to hike. Hunting gear and clothing are heavy, and steep, rocky terrain generally attracts only the best hunters, weeding out the stereotypes we don't want to run into. Avoid trail-heads where the trail is easy to hike or walk, or follows old woods roads. Look for areas where hunting or Sunday hunting is prohibited. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont, and Connecticut have different hunting season days and dates. Massachusetts does not allow Sunday hunting.
Clothing: Consider what you wear. A blaze orange hat, vest or gloves lets you be seen a long way away. The sports departments of large discount stores have these, and they are an inexpensive peace of mind. Hang a blaze orange bandanna on your pack. Leave white handkerchiefs or other clothing at home. White looks too much like the upraised flag or tail of a whitetail deer. My lab Bookah wears a blaze orange vest and a noisy bell during hunting season. During the spring turkey season, avoid bright blue, red or brown, all colors that male turkeys display during courting.
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Off Trail Hiking: Give real thought to avoiding bushwhacking or herd paths during the big game season. Hunters expect traffic on or near hiking trails. You are much more likely to surprise a hunter if you are climbing through blowdown, pushing through conifers, or weaving your way through leaf-covered beech whips. If you see other vehicles near where you'd be bushwhacking, consider hiking elsewhere. Even in situations when you've been permitted to hike on private property avoid it during hunting seasons. Not only will your presence more-likely surprise a hunter, but the landowners pay taxes and support the land. Let them enjoy their sport without our tromping through their hunting ground.
Hunting Seasons: Be cognizant of hunting season dates. There are seasons for archery, muzzle loader, rifle, bear, shotgun, turkey and others. I ALWAYS avoid the first day and first weekend of the firearms big game season in the Catskills. There are too many hunters, many from outside of the Catskills who are overly eager to bag a deer. These are fine days to be doing something else. Many hikers are frightened to run into a camouflaged archer in the woods. Bow hunters need to be close to a stationary target, yards away. Motionless archers can hear hikers walking or talking hundreds of yards away. You're as safe hiking during the archery season as you'd be sitting in your yard watching the leaves fall.
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 Editor's NoteWith the 'successful' eradication of the northeast's top predators, mountain lions and wolves, the only things effecting the deer population are hunters and automobiles. Without predators to impact the population deer over-browse and denude forests of the native flora leaving ecosystems vulnerable to invasive plant species.
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In The Woods: I watch where I hike during hunting seasons, particularly big game season. I try to confine my bushwhacking jones and hike on trails, avoiding places like Shaft Road on the west side of Sherrill, or Big Hollow or Gillespie Roads. If I see a bunch of pickup trucks at a trail-head, or hunters hanging around, I try to be a good ambassador for hikers and let them enjoy their few weeks in the woods unmolested. If hiking on a trail, I'll carry on a conversation with my companions, or with Bookah, letting hunters know I'm around. And equally importantly, try to engage hunters in a friendly manner. We're ambassadors for our sport, and we all like to enjoy the woods in our own way.
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My intention is not to try to convince you about hunting. But rather, offer a perspective on how to enjoy the woods throughout the autumn season with less worry."
Story originally published in the Autumn 2013 issue of the Catskill 3500 Club's The Canister.
Story originally published in the Autumn 2013 issue of the Catskill 3500 Club's The Canister.
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