Many sportsmen look forward to this time of year and start getting out their hunting gear. While many anglers are still chasing those great walleyes in the waters of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River, others are getting their bows out and sighting in their guns for the deer season.

Hunting season safety precautions should not be taken lightly and should most definitely be followed. Adhering to the standards of safety hunting is of utmost importance and could actually be your ticket to a great and successful hunting experience. Wearing the hunters orange is a safety law in most hunting areas and there are a multitude of reasons why you should never neglect this law. This is also important for grouse hunters walking the woods.

Bow season is now in session for whitetail deer and orange apparel is a necessity. Wearing the blaze orange or hunter’s orange is for your safety as a hunter and in addition, having clothing that has a bright hue can help rescuers find you easily in case you get lost .

Deer hunting with a bow is a great way to enjoy autumn. Whether you use a compound bow, crossbow, recurve bow or traditional long bow, you are in for a special experience.

Archery season opens more than a month before the statewide firearms season and continues long after the firearms season has closed, giving you plenty of time to hunt when pressure is low.

Archery deer hunting can be quite inexpensive. All that is truly needed are bow, arrows and a knife for dressing the deer.

The most common form of deer hunting in Minnesota is to simply sit in an elevated stand or ground blind and wait for a deer to come to you. Yes, some hunters “still hunt,” which means they walk slowly, quietly and rhythmically and stop often in hopes of seeing a deer.

Similarly, some hunters hunt in groups that conduct “deer drives.” Deer drives typically involve splitting into groups: those who have the job of driving deer out of heavy cover and those who have the job of trying to shoot them as they elude the drivers. Deer drives work best in landscapes and habitats where escape routes are fairly predictable, such as a wooded draw between two open farm fields.

Since deer hunting is largely about sitting quietly, especially during prime deer movement times near dawn and dusk, there are some things you should be looking for when selecting a hunting site.

During the rifle hunting season laws require to wear gear that has at least 20 inches of hunters orange in it. The main point of it is to be seen in the woods and fields by others and prevent other hunters mistaking you for a deer or shooting at your direction altogether.

The deer can’t tell!  Deer can’t exactly see things like we humans do. They are only able to see colors with smaller wavelengths like dark green, dark blue and even ultraviolet light! And more importantly, deer may be color blind but they are able to differentiate the environment from humans through shapes so the more blaze orange there is on your clothes, the more noticeable you are likely to become for the deer. The deeper you are in the woods, the harder it is to see you even if you’re wearing a full blaze orange jacket.

All in all, a deer’s eyesight isn’t the same as humans. They are able to see shorter wavelengths down to the ultraviolet light, but not bright red and orange. This is the reason why hunters wear blaze orange for safety purposes when hunting. It appears brown or gray to the deer but is very bright and clear to the human eye. Not only does blaze orange help other hunters distinguish game from humans, but it can also be helpful when being rescued. Safety first is always the motto for a safe hunting season at Lake of the Woods.

For information on hunting lands, guides or lodging, see our website at www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com or www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/lodging

Visit the MN DNR site at: Hunting deer with a bow and arrow | Minnesota DNR (state.mn.us)

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