Orange Alert Facts

Facts compiled by PA Chapter NWTF and the NWTF National Turkey Hunting Safety Task Force, and sent to PGC Commissioners and Staff.
 
FACT:  Nation-wide spring turkey hunting incidents have decreased from a high of 8.1 per 100,000 participants to a low of 2.95 per 100,000 last spring without the mandated use of fluorescent orange in any state but Pennsylvania.
 
FACT:  Nation-wide there is NO ORANGE REQUIREMENT during spring turkey hunting season except for Pennsylvania, in all the other states their shooting incidents are lower than Pennsylvania.
 
FACT:  Fall 2002 incident rate for Texas was 2.7 incidents per 100,000 turkey hunters, for Wisconsin 2.7 incidents per 100,000 turkey hunters and for Pennsylvania 6.25 incidents per 100,000 turkey hunters.
 
FACT:  Nation-wide the number of reported turkey hunting incidents annually has fallen by an impressive 50 percent since 1992 even as turkey hunter numbers increased.
 
FACT:  Hunter acceptance and compliance is a major consideration.  Generally, turkey hunters resist using hunter orange clothing.
 
FACT:  Hunters must always assume full responsibility to clearly identify their target.  Even if all hunters compiled with hunter orange regulations, there would still be many people in turkey hunting areas that don't wear it. 
 
FACT: Nation-wide the turkey hunter injury incident rate has dropped, but rates tend to fluctuate within states from year to year.  Changes in turkey population levels, the amount of vegetative cover each year due to response to leaf-out, fall foliage, weather conditions, and other factors affecting hunting pressure, success rates, and incident rates. 
 
FACT:  A combination of public awareness, turkey hunting information, training, and education strategies have been implemented since the 1992 task force, leading to a nation-wide drop in the injury-incident rate by nearly half.
 
FACT:  Scientific field research shows that the use of fluorescent orange clothing reduces a hunter’s chances of harvesting a turkey by a factor of two to three times
 
FACT:  Recommendation:  Instead of increasing current orange regulations, provide an advanced turkey hunter education and safety class for older hunters that are causing the hunting incidents, as determined by PGC HRSI's.  This could be funded at least in part by a second bird tag or a turkey hunting stamp.  Logistics and additional funding methods could be recommended. 
 

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Copyright © 2003 Pennsylvania Chapter- National Wild Turkey Federation
Last modified: November 20, 2003