This weekend's alternative firearms season marks an important milestone in Arkansas: 50 years since hunter orange became mandatory for firearm hunters in the state. Widely recognized as a symbol of deer hunting, the blaze orange vest and hat are legally required to cover at least 400 square inches, ensuring visibility in the woods.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) made blaze orange mandatory in 1976, a decade before Hunter Education became a state-wide requirement in 1985. Initially applied to deer firearm seasons, the law has since expanded to bear and elk hunting as those species recovered to huntable populations. Some safety-conscious hunters had already been wearing bright, contrasting colors voluntarily, but the mandate ensured consistent use across hunters.
Matt Gideon, who coordinates Hunter and Boater Education for AGFC, explained the safety measure's role in reducing accidents without negatively impacting hunting success. “Deer don’t see colors the same way humans do,” Gideon said. “They have dichromatic vision, meaning they see blues, purples, and greens well, but colors like blaze orange appear more muted to them. Movement is far more noticeable to deer than a single out-of-place color.” He added that hunters concerned about visibility to deer could use legal alternatives like blaze camouflage, which incorporates black patterns to break up the solid orange while remaining highly visible to people.
Arkansas was not the first state to mandate hunter orange. Massachusetts pioneered the requirement in 1961. Today, some states still do not require the garish color, but safety officials widely encourage its use to reduce the risk of hunting accidents. According to Gideon, ensuring visibility is crucial not only to avoid being mistaken for game but also to signal your presence to others in the area.
A study in New York conducted between 1989 and 1995 emphasized the importance of wearing visible colors. Of 343 incidents involving two hunters and a firearm, 76% of shooting victims were not wearing hunter orange. That statistic prompted further adoption of visibility laws, and the findings highlight a key reason why Arkansas hunters celebrate 50 years of this lifesaving regulation.
As the alternative firearms season begins this weekend, thousands of Arkansas residents will don their hunter orange, carrying forward a decades-long tradition of safety and shared respect among the hunting community.