Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Upland Birds => Topic started by: BigGoonTuna on June 25, 2009, 11:31:37 AM

Title: How much orange?
Post by: BigGoonTuna on June 25, 2009, 11:31:37 AM: Being that this is going to be my first year bird hunting, how much orange is enough to satisfy our state's requirements? Most of the upland bird vests i see seem to be khaki with orange pockets and a big orange patch on the back. Is that enough, or is a full orange vest necessary?

Sure would be nice if the manufacturers would list how many square inches of orange is on their product.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Dave Workman on June 25, 2009, 12:36:54 PM: 400 square inches, cap and vest.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: chukarchaser on June 25, 2009, 10:28:15 PM: I know what you mean about the vests being marginal and I use one of those mother packs so it is primarily on my back, so Like Dave stated I use a cap and have had no issues.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: follow maggie on June 25, 2009, 11:46:15 PM: It can be really hard to tell what's 400 square inches, especially when not all in the same place. I wear a bright orange shirt under mine to make sure I'm good. A hat is always a good idea in taller stuff.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: shoot-em-dead on June 25, 2009, 11:52:28 PM: Your average vest is about 1200 square inches. A ball cap is around 350. Just remember the law says 400 and visible from all sides.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: bobcat on June 26, 2009, 12:22:02 AM: I don't see how a hat could be 350 square inches. I've always figured more like 100.

400 square inches would be 20 inches by 20 inches. So to make 350 your hat would have to be almost 20x20.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: follow maggie on June 26, 2009, 12:29:27 AM: It's 400" total. It doesn't have to be on the same piece of clothing. Also helps with the visible from every direction rule to have it on more than one piece of clothing.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: bobcat on June 26, 2009, 12:37:49 AM: All I was saying is that a ball cap can't possibly be 350 square inches. Do the math, see what you get.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Dave Workman on June 26, 2009, 04:34:01 AM: Okay swell, A ball cap isn't 400 sq. in.
We got that.
:P
:chuckle:

Now, it may be camo orange or solid orange. I wear orange on opening day of grouse season while hunting up on S. Cle Elum Ridge primarily because for the past 3-4 years, maybe longer, there has been a certain group of folks up there shooting at everything that moves, it seems.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: bobcat on June 26, 2009, 08:48:21 AM: Quote from: Dave Workman on June 26, 2009, 04:34:01 AM
Okay swell, A ball cap isn't 400 sq. in.
We got that.
:P
:chuckle:

Well, shoot em dead said it's 350 square inches. I'm saying it would be about 100 square inches. I haven't seen anybody confirm or deny that. I was hoping shoot em dead would post and say how he figures it would be 350 ???

He sounded pretty sure of himself. I'm wondering if he knows something I don't. All I can think of is he's counting the outside of the hat AND the inside? :) Seriously maybe I'm figuring it wrong. I don't know. If a hat were 350 square inches you'd just about meet the requirement with just a hat.

With the hat and a vest like the one I have for bird hunting, that has just a patch of orange on each shoulder, I would meet the 400 inch requirement. But I don't think I'm legal with that. So far I haven't had a game warden say anything so I don't know. But that's the vest I have so I'll continue to wear it plus a hat.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Curly on June 26, 2009, 11:37:43 AM: Maybe Shoot-em-dead just has a really big head. :dunno: :chuckle: :chuckle:

I figure that a cap would have about 75 sq. in.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: BigGoonTuna on June 26, 2009, 02:52:10 PM: alright, now to hijack my own thread, who makes a good vest? i'm feeling like a little kid here, fished steelhead for 18 years but never hunted before. thanks!
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: huntingfool7 on June 26, 2009, 06:15:03 PM: I have several vests. Of those I always wear one of two Mother's.
They fit well and don't shift around, especially when chucker hunting.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: shoot-em-dead on June 26, 2009, 11:54:14 PM: I've been out and about today and just got on. Bobcat I see what your saying and your right. Guess I had a brain fart and posted without thinking about how small a ball cap really is.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: chukarchaser on July 08, 2009, 11:07:03 PM: I also have Mothers vest, but you might also go to quilomene.com and check out there vests. I think my next may come from them.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: walt on July 08, 2009, 11:13:51 PM: I have one from gamehide and can't complain.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: uncoolperson on July 08, 2009, 11:31:29 PM: a boonie cap would probably be 400 inches

(4*12*pi + 10*10*pi [the top plus the rim is one big circle])

a baseball cap, probably not
4*pi*6*6*.5+rim
(the sphere surface area equation is 4*pi*radius ^2)

add a piece of cloth to the back (like those caps with the sun shade piece of cloth on the back), and you might hit 400.
(get some blaze orange fabric from a fabric store and sew it on)

Although, is it 400 sq inches visible from any one point, or cumulative?

though I'm still all for vests, smoke signals, flashers, flags and everything else, almost got nailed last year, and my hunting buddies dad got a nice welt from someone not seeing him beyond a pheasant.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Curly on July 09, 2009, 08:32:06 AM: Quote from: uncoolperson on July 08, 2009, 11:31:29 PM
a boonie cap would probably be 400 inches

(4*12*pi + 10*10*pi [the top plus the rim is one big circle])

a baseball cap, probably not
4*pi*6*6*.5+rim
(the sphere surface area equation is 4*pi*radius ^2)

add a piece of cloth to the back (like those caps with the sun shade piece of cloth on the back), and you might hit 400.
(get some blaze orange fabric from a fabric store and sew it on)

Although, is it 400 sq inches visible from any one point, or cumulative?

though I'm still all for vests, smoke signals, flashers, flags and everything else, almost got nailed last year, and my hunting buddies dad got a nice welt from someone not seeing him beyond a pheasant.

I'm not following your math there uncool........

The area of a circle is the diameter squared times pi then divide by 4. I figured a baseball cap style to have about 75 sq in.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: uncoolperson on July 09, 2009, 09:11:37 AM: a baseball hat is more a sphere than a circle

and for the boonie cap styled hat I was using pi * radius square as my area equation.

the area of the rim would be the area of a circle with the same diameter minus the cutout in the middle, which would be later added because the cutout in the middle is the size of the piece on the top, then add in the walls of the hat.

For all my rough calcs I was using 6 as radius for the part over the head, and for the rim on the boonie cap 10 inches and 4 inches high, looking at it now those were bad numbers to put in. But at 11:30 it seemed like a good est.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Buckmark on July 09, 2009, 09:37:05 AM: Get something like the cabelas upland mesh vest, orange all the way around and a bright orange cap. get the vest 1 size bigger than you need, pin it to make it fit better with a t-shirt for early season then you can un pin it for over a jacket in the late season. It is always a good idea to make sure you can be seen by everyone in your party, never understood just meeting the minimum requirement as being very safe.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: bobcat on July 09, 2009, 03:34:50 PM: I feel safe with just an orange hat, since that is up as high as possible where it can be seen best over brush/grass. But, of course, just a hat won't make the 400 square inch minimum. My vest only has orange on the shoulders, so even with that and the hat I'm not sure if I'm legal. But it's a good vest and I'm not going to spend any money on another one that has more orange when I don't feel it's needed. Never have had any game warden say anything to me about not enough orange, but then I also don't hunt in areas that are very popular and therefore don't often see any law enforcement.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Pat/Rick on July 10, 2009, 10:36:05 AM: I wear as little as possible, i.e. the minimum. 400 sq. inches is what, 10x40. Thats what I base it on. It doesn't take much to be legal. I would just as soon not wear it, but if you hunt the "wind up pheasant" sites its best to wear it. Mandatory or not.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: madmack76 on July 22, 2009, 07:44:29 PM: whats it matter the critters cant see it any ways just a uv clothes wash and everythings fine better safe than sorry scents more important than sight just stay out of the wind and wear the brightest clothes possible wont matter :dunno:
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: chrisb on July 31, 2009, 01:41:07 PM: sportsmansguide.com has 2 solid orange upland vests on sale for $20... for both...I know I know you get what you pay for but for a first timer this may be the way to go.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Armadillo on August 03, 2009, 04:32:26 PM: Do you need orange for doves? probably a silly question but my dad and uncle said you dont and the regs are not loading on my computer
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Buckmark on August 03, 2009, 04:46:32 PM: No you do not, they are considered a migratory bird and not upland..
ps: dont wear a white t-shrt either (had a guy do that)
ps: dont wear mirrored sun glasses, or colored (on the outside lense) sun glasses either. they can see that and flair away..
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Armadillo on August 03, 2009, 04:52:24 PM: Thanks for the tip on the sunglasses, I figured any white colored shirt would be a dead giveaway the first time I hunted doves, I mainly have stuck to desert BDU's and they haven't seemed to make me stick out a whole lot
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: arintime on August 04, 2009, 11:33:43 PM: Doves, no you don't have to wear orange. I don't believe until until big game season do you have to wear any. When I asked my buddy if I had to wear hunters orange to hunt dove, he said "If you do, I am hunting so far away I won't be able to see you if I had binoculars!" I think it is only during rifle season you need orange.
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: arifleman on August 12, 2009, 07:19:44 PM: ["I wear orange on opening day of grouse season while hunting up on S. Cle Elum Ridge primarily because for the past 3-4 years, maybe longer, there has been a certain group of folks up there shooting at everything that moves, it seems."]

Dave, no kidding! I have seen the same lousy bunch over behind Peoh Point on Osborne loop - they stay in radio contact, spaced apart, constantly driving the road. I counted 14 vehicles once when they all pulled in together to pow wow. Sure has changed the complexion of that forest (dead)! I give up. I can't (and will not) compete with that.

You will know when they move into your hunting grounds folks!
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Armadillo on August 12, 2009, 07:22:32 PM: :o wow, gives us all a bad rubber stamp on our foreheads
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: arifleman on August 12, 2009, 07:37:47 PM: I stand by my comment. If you need two way radios and 14 other trucks to beat up on some wild chickens, I'm out!
Title: Re: How much orange?
Post by: Armadillo on August 13, 2009, 07:21:28 AM: :yeah:

Way overkill