Backpacking Etiquette During Hunting Season

[ttretta]

I hiked section 29 Happy Jack this past weekend, and unfortunately after I started my hike, found out it was hunting season. I had no idea of this when I planned my trip. There was lots of trucks and ATV's on the forest roads, which is a huge majority of the trail, as well as fake bugling and plenty of boys in camo around, and definitely a lot of shots going off in the distance.

In the middle of a single track portion of the Trail, I was lectured by two hunters that I should be wearing a bright orange cap. I was thinking that it was bad form on their part to be shooting that near the Trail. At one point I blew my whistle and waved my arms at a truckload of guys shooting about a quarter of a mile away to let them know I was there.

So please share - what is proper etiquette for backpackers/hikers and hunters to coexist on the same land?
Should I be more aware of hunting seasons and areas?
Should I invest in a breathable orange cap with a cape?

[Al_HikesAZ]

@ssk44
. . .Where do I go for dates for seasons and regulations that may apply to non-hunters? Don't get me started about what passes for hunting out here. Blaze orange is as vital as good shoes whether it is required by regs or not.

The best source is Arizona Game & Fish Department. https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/regulations/files

There are multiple seasons for different species. Typically early archery, late archery, early rifle/shotgun, late rifle/shotgun. September through December are the prime hunting seasons in Arizona.

[Tough_Boots]

AZ Game & Fish

https://www.azgfd.com/...

[flagscott]

Just a warning: the AZGFD website is TERRIBLE for getting the information you're looking for. Hunting seasons vary by "unit" across the state. Just finding a good, high-res map of the units is difficult. On top of that, the information on the seasons is in different places--there is a very long pdf for pronghorn/elk and a different one for deer/everything else. And for each type of animal and unit there are different seasons: muzzle-loader, archery (not an issue for hikers usually), open seasons, youth-only, etc. etc. It's a mess. It will probably take you hours to extract any useful information for a lengthy stretch of the AZT.

(Maybe someone can tell me why there isn't there a single website with a clickable map where you can get all the dates by clicking on the unit? It's 2016, it should not be that difficult to get this information. Perhaps bad government service is what you get when you keep electing people who hate government to run the state...)

[chumley]

Just finding a good, high-res map of the units is difficult.

No it's not! http://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=4230

[flagscott]

Good find, chumley. If only the hunting season information was so easy to find!

[chumley]

From what I've seen, the information is actually pretty easy to find. If you're a hunter.

It's presented to an audience of hunters, not an audience of hikers.

Hunters don't say "I'm gonna be near Pigeon Spring in the middle of September -- I wonder what I can take"

They say "I wanna take deer with a rifle. When and where can I do it?" AZGFD information is actually pretty good at answering that question quickly and easily.

[flagscott]

From what I've seen, the information is actually pretty easy to find. If you're a hunter.

It's presented to an audience of hunters, not an audience of hikers.

Hunters don't say "I'm gonna be near Pigeon Spring in the middle of September -- I wonder what I can take"

They say "I wanna take deer with a rifle. When and where can I do it?" AZGFD information is actually pretty good at answering that question quickly and easily.

That's sort of true, but I've looked up this sort of information in many states now, and Arizona was BY FAR the hardest to figure out. For the heck of it, I took a looked up California's deer hunting seasons, and it was trivially easy to find them--two clicks led me to a one-page pdf with all the dates. It should be that easy for Arizona.