Wisconsin Firearms Deer Hunting-Wearing Black In Ground Blind?

I can’t find anything about legality of wearing black outside clothing while in a ground blind. Would that be legal as long as you put blaze orange on when leaving the blind? Thanks!

There is no exception for sitting in a blind. I know people that have been ticketed or warned. Its a zero tolerance law. Wearing

Highly Visible Clothing

means just that.

If your on public land, I wouldn’t chance it. If your on private land and you know the risks, make up your own mind.

“Highly Visible Clothing Requirement
•
When and where a firearm deer season (listed on page 8) is in progress, no person may
hunt any game, except waterfowl, unless at least 50% of their outer clothing above
the waist is colored blaze orange or fluorescent pink. A hat or other head covering, if
worn, must be at least 50% blaze orange or fluorescent pink. Faded or stained blaze
orange or fluorescent pink clothing is unsafe and may not meet law requirements.
Although not as visible, camo-blaze is legal if 50% of the material is blaze orange or
fluorescent pink
. The DNR recommends 100% solid blaze orange or fluorescent pink.
Note:
Highly visible clothing requirements do not apply to those hunters
participating in legal night hunting (e.g., raccoon) from ½ hour after sunset to ½
hour before sunrise.

Thanks Randy, that’s what I suspected. Deer won’t be as close as bow hunting, so it’s probably not important to be blacked out as long as I’m in the back of the blind.

I don’t hunt but I don’t think Deer can tell color. I have my doubts they can even tell if it’s daylight or night. My Deer eating off the apple tree’s behave exactly the same when it was dark before I replaced my outdoor light as now when the tree’s are all lit up.

Dutchboy wrote:

I don’t hunt but I don’t think Deer can tell color.

True. Deer see in shades of black, white, and grays. The fluorescent fabrics used in hunting clothes, though, are treated to amplify uv rays in natural light and those fabrics light right up to a white in the deer’s perception so yes the orange and pink clothes will get noticed by deer. There at one time was a “blue blocker” spray that helped block uv rays from making the fluorescent fabrics more visible, especially to deer but I haven’t seen that around of late.

White isn’t all that unusual in nature so the best thing a hunter can do is limit movement when a deer is looking your way. I’ve been still hunting and had deer come down a trail near me and while I was in full orange but standing with my back against a tree and not moving and while the deer actually looked my way they just kept on walking, not worried at all. Movement gets the hunter busted, not so much the color.

I hunt private land in WI, ground blind has orange strips of cloth pinned to it. The deer couldn’t care less.

At least if someone that shouldn’t be there or someone that should be on the land, they would see it. Deer won’t care about you with orange on the inside of a blind.

I will be hunting public in Wi this year and I plan to peel back the orange on stand. Deer absolutely can see a big bright blotch of orange. I have been busted enough times to believe it. Im not saying they see the color but they can notice the contrast. Even orange camo. Just dont walk out of the woods without the required orange on. Safety aside they will bust you. I had the DNR u-turn back to me because I had a blue hat on.

We have a Wi Warden talk and answer questions at our Sports Club meetings at during gun season you must be wearing the blaze orange or fluorescent pink requirement even if you’re in your home or cabin if you’re going to fire a weapon at deer.