Originally Posted By: JDW
Unfortunatley, the people making these laws do not know you or me. I'm sure only fatalities are recorded and that is how the state/s get their information and make these laws.

The rule of thumb in upland bird hunting, is sky between the bird before shooting.
The incident in Texas, there was no sky and I have to believe that he was not a true hunter, as he would known this. People get excited and novices do make mistakes, color has little to do when an in-experienced hunter gets rilled up when a pheasant explodes under him or a covey of quail. Hunting in thick cover for woodcock and grouse, like another poster said, if you do not know where the other person is, you don't shoot.
Flourescent orange in woodcock and grouse covers, to me is a good idea, wide open fields, no, but like I said, here in Pennsylvania, it is mandatory.


Not all bird hunting takes place on flat ground. There are a number of places I hunt in our badlands or over in the foothills of the mountains where you will not ever see sky between the bird and the ground. I agree inexperienced hunters can lead to accidents, but to me older hunters are the worst due to they get too comfortable handling a gun and get the idea that it can never happen to them. My friend and I were both shot by a couple hunters in their late 50s that had been hunting their whole life. A bird flushed in the middle of the group and they turned inward and fired out of excitement. So my point is anyone can get excited. Having the idea that you are a master gun handler is foolish IMO just because you have used guns for a long time.