By Chic Burge
Fall is an amazing season for hiking on state and national forest backcountry trails, but it’s also a time of year that hikers and mountain bikers share the woods with hunters.
While hunting accidents that involve hikers are relatively rare, it’s smart to play it safe by wearing bright colored clothing and backpacks or even a hunters’ orange vest, jacket, and hat, especially during modern rifle seasons (check the state department of wildlife sites for hunting season info). Talking loudly or making human sounding noises, especially if you’re hiking on brushy trails or cross-country, can help keep you from being mistaken for a wild animal.
With wolf hunting and trapping now allowed in many places in Idaho, hiking with dogs also poses potential risks for you and your pet.
Originally published as “Play It Safe When Hiking During Hunting Season” in the October 2014 print issue of “Out There.”
Chic Burge‘s uncle taught him how to downhill ski when he was five and XC ski when he was 9, and he’s been addicted to the outdoors ever since (his uncle also gave him his first camera on that XC ski trip). He started climbing in the 60s, and in 1984 he joined the Spokane Mountaineers to learn new climbing techniques (he is currently the club’s Historian). Chic lives to ski, but also fills his time biking, kayaking, taking beautiful photos and hiking between ski seasons.
Read about other safety and hiking tips in the OTO archives.
