DEM: Wear Hunter Orange During Deer Season

PROVIDENCE — RI DEM requires outdoor enthusiasts wear 500 square inches of hunter orange while out and about in the state’s management areas, important for avoiding hunting mishaps and $100 fines during deer season, which opened this weekend.

Depending on the size of your head, and according to hunter-ed.com, a hat only contains about 100–150 square inches of material, so a hat and vest will likely get you to the required amount of solid day-glow fluorescent orange in the coming weeks. Fluorescent hunter orange must be worn above the waist and be visible in all directions, the DEM announced.

Deer hunters must get written permission annually for all deer hunting on private lands. DEM’s Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) has developed a courtesy card, available on the DEM website, for hunters and landowners to sign that gives the dates for permissions and contains A Hunter’s Pledge regarding principles of conduct. DEM encourages private landowners to allow hunters to hunt deer on their property, where feasible, during deer hunting seasons as this is a sound management technique that benefits deer habitats and regulates population growth.

Check stations allow biologists and volunteers to collect samples and take data that provide insight into the overall health of Rhode Island’s deer herd. Outside of check stations, hunters are required to report their deer harvest online within 24 hours of harvest. Deer must be tagged in the field, with a valid deer tag for the appropriate season, immediately upon taking. Those who do not have internet service or cellular data access may call DFW at 401-789-0281 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday to report their harvest.

RI Hunter Education

Hunter education is offered as part of DFW Hunter Education Program. Safety training is required by law in Rhode Island for beginning hunters. To date, more than 40,000 people have completed a hunter safety course, helping to reduce hunting-related accidents in the state and elsewhere. A complete schedule of hunter educational offerings is available here. For more information on seasons, bag limits, zones, and regulations, review the 2022- review the Rhode Island Hunting and Trapping 2023-2024 Regulation Guide.

RI Hunting Licenses

A hunting license can be purchased online on DEM’S Rhode Island Outdoors (RIO) portal. DEM’s website, www.dem.ri.gov/huntfish also acts as a portal to help plan adventures that make the most of Rhode Island’s great outdoors. It links to information on hunting and fishing opportunities, trails, and natural areas through a variety of maps, as well as certification information for hunter safety and boating safety.

 

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