With the hunting season upon, it is essential that you make a habit of wearing blaze orange if you are heading anywhere near the woods. While you might be a hiker, a dog walker, or someone who lives near a woodland, and not a hunter in any way, wearing blaze orange is one of the surest ways of maintaining your safety and our pet’s safety.

Blaze Orange is a unique hue of the color orange that ensures you are never mistaken for an animal of any kind. Hunters wear it to stand out from the background of the forest or woods, and it enables them to remain out of view from the animals they hunt, but in plain sight of others with hunting weapons.

What many hunters and non-hunters may not know is that wearing blaze orange does not make them any more or less obvious to the deer or many other animals. In a study done at the University of Georgia it was determined that the non-forward facing vision of animals of prey (such as deer) prevents those wearing blaze orange from being any more discernible from the surrounding setting.

When an animal has forward gazing eyes (such as humans or other predators) they can readily see the strong hues, but when deer look at a person wearing blaze orange, they may not see them as all that distinct or pronounced.

Should Our Pets Wear It?

The need to stand out from the background is important when hunting season arrives – this is why much more than a reflective collar is required. Not all hunters will make a point of taking a direct aim or be able to differentiate something like a large dog from a deer in the far distance.

Rather than risking the safety of any animal, we suggest the following resources. Whether used when out walking at dusk throughout the year, during hunting season, or just to keep an eye on dogs or people when hiking, the following gear is very useful:

• Ruffwear Track Jacket Safety Vest for Dogs (we believe this is the “top of the line” product);
• Canine Friendly High Visibility Dog Vest by RC Pet Products Limited (the light weight model is recommended);
• Vibram K9 Tech Jacket with LED Lighted Collar for Dogs (this is ideal for any dog owners looking for an added layer of protective warmth for their pet); and
• Elimitick Dog Vest by Gamehide (this actually cuts down on the numbers of ticks that can cling to your dog, but it is a design that “runs small” and ordering one size up is recommended).

Because you cannot always be nearby to protect your dog from immediate harm or danger, these resources are a tremendous help. They can ensure that your dog is not mistaken for a game animal during hunting season, they can make certain that drivers see you and your pet as you take early evening walks, and they can just give an added measure of safety when you and your dog are out on hikes in the woods at any time of year.

Blaze orange may not be the most appealing and attractive color, but it is one that catches the human eye. It eliminates threats to hunters and people in the woods, but you can also find a long list of products that feature this color in order to guarantee that pets remain as safe as possible all year long.