Good Dog Hunting Safety Vest in Blaze Orange?

[mbc1963]

Howdy,

 

Hunting season is coming up. Anyone got recommendations for a good blaze orange dog vest? Don't want to spend tons of money... just want to avoid getting Buddy shot in a STATE PARK while we're walking out there and I hear guns going off all around. (The state park is surrounded by privately owned woods... and I think the hunters don't always know the boundaries.)

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Mary

[Alaska]

Go somewhere else until hunting season is over. That's my recommendation.

 

Seriously, why take a chance...if you think there is a chance of stray bullets?

[mbc1963]

Well... pretty much any open area around here is open to hunting. It's just a fact of life that people cope with. Humans here wear blaze orange walking along country roads this time of year. I've got my own orange vest, but my dog's wore out. Hence, my request for a recommendation.

 

Mary

[Lewie'sMom]

Mary, I understand your concern. I used to live in the woods on 15 acres, surrounded by more privately owned land. The "boys" and I would go out for our walk every afternoon when I got home from work. Hunting wasn't a huge concern as none of the property owners allowed hunting but there was state land nearby. I priced orange vests for the dogs but thought they were too expensive. If you have a sewing machine and can stitch two pieces of fabric together you could make your own. Believe me, I'm no seamstress but I made a vest for each of the boys using a lightweight fabric and wide Velcro. They weren't fancy but they did the trick and only cost a fraction of store-bought vests.

 

We all wore orange during rifle deer season, always.

[Maralynn]

I got ones made by RuffWear that retail for about $30. They are well made and I've been very happy with them.

[in2adventure]

I would just avoid the area all together. Why risk it. I wnet to visit the folks last year and took Lucia hiking on an old railroad bed that's a local favorite. Both sides of the bed are private land. Didn't give hunting a thought until I saw some guy DRIVING down the trail (illigal, by the way) to get to his deer stand. He gave me a lecture that involved the threat of my dog getting accidentally shot. Even though it's illigal to shoot across city property, I wouldn't have put it past him to "accidentally" shoot into the other field while we were walking by.

 

I'm an avid hunter and have no problems with it. I'm also a federal law enforcement officer that has done elk hunting boundry patrol. All I have to say is, it's absolutely amazing what people will do to kill an animals and keep it Don't risk your dogs, it's only for a month or two.

[RuthBelle]

****************Even though it's illegal to shoot across city property, I wouldn't have put it past him to "accidentally" shoot into the other field while we were walking by. *************

 

I haven't heard of any deer season "accidental" animal shootings lately here in central Wisconsin, but in the 70's, early 80's I remember quite a few. Somewhere in northwestern Wisconsin, I remember some little gal's chestnut horse shot out from under her, also a few local horses and cattle dropped in the fields they were grazing in. I kept my sorrel horse in a paddock close to the barn, and braided red bandanas into her mane and tail for extra measure.

 

I'm wondering if the absence of "accidental" animal shootings reflects better safety measures taken by the animal owners themselves, better hunter safety training courses, or the fact that more people are posting their land for "No hunting, no treaspassing."

 

While our local 40 acre dog park isn't heavily forested, and you'd have to be blind to not see it's people and their dogs out there, the county closes the park during deer hunting season. The wooded acerage surrounding the park is open to deer hunting. Personally, I'd be somewhat afraid to be in the dog park during that time due to the possiblity of stray bullets coming out of the hunting area. Bob and I still go walking with Belle during the hunt, but stick pretty close to town where no hunting is allowed.

[RuthBelle]

Just got back from looking through Ebay and Amazon's listings for "Dog hunting vests", "dog safety vests", etc. There's quite a lot of different styles and price ranges to choose from!!!

[in2adventure]

In NY it is legal to shoot and kill any dog that is caught chasing deer. This guy was basically theatening me to remove the dog because he was worried she would scare his deer away. This strip of city land has been a thorn to the farmers that own the surrounding fields and they try and scare away any walkers on the trail that get in their way. His defence would definately have been "but I saw the dog chasing the deer" or "I missed the deer and got the dog because it was too close to my property line". And I have no doubt it would have been a purposeful shooting just to make a point.

 

I have heard of accidental shooting in horse and cow pastures. Not sure how true it is because I heard the story when I was a kid, but a NY state trooper pulled a guy over once because he had a black and white holstien strapped to his car. The CITY dweller was pretty excited to show off his first deer to the cop

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

I think my mom had one similar to this for her jrt

 

http://www.gundogsupply.com/men-canine-field-jacket-.html

 

We lived in the country in an area where there was a lot of crown land, even if we went for a walk down the road we wore orange during hunting season. Sometimes you can't just avoid those areas.

[bcnewe2]

I just heard about a neighbor who was shot in his own backyard last week. At first the word was it was due to maritial issues, then they found out it was other neighbors target practicing.

 

Scary. We have almost 40 acres surrounded by other private land. No one around here allows hunting but I hear gunshots going off all the time. I keep the dogs in my own front yard which is about the middle of my property.

 

You would think an orange vest would be ok but I sure wouldn't risk it. Some pretty stupid or blind hunters out there.

[BustopherJones]

Have you considered a floursecent orange life jacket/vest (the type made specifically for dogs)? You can get some of them relatively inexpensively, and you would have a dual-purpose item if you ever decide to go boating.

[Kyna]

Hi,

 

If you are in Canada, Wholesale Sports has vests starting at CAN$21.00. In the U.S. Cabellas has vests starting at US$14.99.

 

I always get nervous with the dogs during hunting season - my family hunts (not me) but the stories of how stupid people can be are amazing - we feel for the Conservation Officers because of all that they have to deal with. Obviously often what attracts hunters is the movement, not the color - that is why a hunter is suposed to carry binoculars, that way you get the entire picture with bino's before you resort to your scope. In our area of Alberta, where I used to live, there was no hunting on Sundays. This year they introduced hunting on Sundays. I did go for a hike there this fall but I was pretty nervous and I am not sure if I would go again, just because it wasn't fun. That said I do have a vest from Wholesale for Isla. Where we live now in BC we are lucky as there are quite a few municipal trails.

 

Anyway, Wholesale sports and/or Cabellas.

[KrisK]

Quite frankly, I don't even walk down my rural road OR walk in my OWN dam* fields at this time of year without blaze orange! The problem is not the hunters who know what they are doing {for the most part at least} ...but the idiot 'weekend' warrior type hunters who come from somewhere else and think "hey, we're not in town so...if it moves...shoot at it!" BLAH!! I HATE hunting season!

[nancy in AZ]

If you're looking for something truly inexpensive, I used to wear a blaze orange safety vest with velcro tabs when I rode my horse during hunting season. You could probably find a way to fit one to Buddy pretty easily with some minor adjustments.

 

http://industrialsavings.com/Merchant2/mer...e=vests-economy

[3dogslater]

http://www.rcpets.com/product.php?cid=26

 

[KathyF]

I just saw this web site with different vests on it.

 

http://www.gundogsupply.com/dogvestparka.h...lish=1225148736

 

Kathy

[mbc1963]

Howdy,

 

Thanks for the websites - I was hoping someone had a really good vest that they would recommend - not bugging the dog, easy to use, etc.. I guess I'll just dive in and buy one.

 

Here, it's like other people say - gunshots all over towns, anywhere there's a small patch of woods that's not marked "No Hunting." It's a strange mix of old-timers from the days when everyone hunted for sustenance and new housing right near the old hunting grounds. I was walking by a wooded housing cluster once, and there was a swingset in a yard, and someone driving by pulled over and told me I should be in blaze orange. I thought, "I hope one of those kids doesn't move suddenly and get shot."

 

So, there's no way to avoid the sounds of gunshots in the walking areas around here; blaze orange just (knock on wood) makes life safer. No one's been accidentally shot in a 100-mile radius, as far as I know, but one never can tell!

 

Mary

[MaggieDog]

I've used Remington's dog vest - pretty cheap, available at Tractor Supply around here and it does the job. Maggie usually hates "clothing" but she adjusted to it quickly as it only attached to her regular collar and around her middle. It does slip a bit, but nothing major over the course of a regular walk/hike.