Trail Running During Hunting Season: Blaze Orange and Safety
Quick answer: During hunting season, wear fluorescent blaze orange on your head and upper body so it can be seen from every side, including over your pack. Avoid running at dawn and dusk, when hunting activity rises. Make noise, stay on established trails, keep your dog leashed and in orange, and check the hunting seasons and any orange rules where you run. Pennsylvania, for example, requires non-hunters on state game lands to wear fluorescent orange for much of the year.
Be seen early, heard first
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy's advice is to make sure you are heard before you are seen. Everything below is about being seen early and heard first.
Wear blaze orange where it can be seen
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recommends a fluorescent or "blaze" orange hat and vest, or hooded outerwear, when hiking in fall, winter or spring, and a pack cover for backpackers. New Hampshire Fish and Game says an orange hat, handkerchief, vest or shirt is a must at this time of year.
Runners have one extra problem: a running vest sits over your shirt and covers much of your back and shoulders, so an orange shirt underneath can disappear from behind. The same reason is why backpackers are told to add a pack cover. Put blaze orange on your head, and make sure some of it shows above and around your pack from behind.
A coloured pack helps, but it is not the same thing. Our ROOT5 in Maple Orange has orange front panels, which add colour from the front. Maple Orange is not a fluorescent blaze orange, and the same goes for our running hat in Signal Orange. Treat either as extra colour on top of the blaze orange the agencies ask for, not as a replacement.
Avoid dawn and dusk
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy notes that hunting activity may increase at dawn and dusk, when animals are feeding, and suggests avoiding those times or wearing reflective gear and a light. In New Hampshire, legal hunting times for most game run from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, and Fish and Game suggests midday outings and weekdays rather than weekends. If your only window is early or late, see our guide to night trail running safety and visibility.
Be heard before you are seen
Both the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and New Hampshire Fish and Game recommend talking, singing or whistling so people know you are there. Running alone, a whistle is the easiest way to do that without shouting.
Stay on established trails
New Hampshire Fish and Game advises sticking to established hiking trails in the fall, because hunters generally avoid heavily used paths. Autumn is a poor time for off-trail shortcuts or new routes through unfamiliar woods.
If you run with a dog
Keep your dog on a leash and put orange on it that shows from all sides. New Hampshire Fish and Game also suggests a bell on the collar.
Know the season and the local rules
Seasons and rules differ by state and change from year to year, so check before you go. The Appalachian Trail Conservancy asks hikers to learn the regulations and hunting seasons for the areas where they will be, and New Hampshire publishes its dates in the NH Hunting and Trapping Digest.
Some states make orange a legal requirement for everyone. In Pennsylvania, non-hunters on state game lands must wear fluorescent orange, with a minimum that has been 250 square inches on the head, chest and back combined, visible from all sides. According to Outdoor News, in April 2026 the Game Commission adopted requirement periods of October 1 to January 31 and April 20 to May 31, including Sundays. Read the Game Commission's current rules before you run there.
Hunting season checklist
- Blaze orange hat
- Orange showing around your pack
- No dawn or dusk runs
- A whistle, and noise
- Established, busy trails
- Dog leashed, in orange
- Local rules checked first
Sources: Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Hunting Safety; New Hampshire Fish and Game, Share the Forest (September 11, 2026); Outdoor News, Pennsylvania adjusts game lands regulations (April 16, 2026); LancasterOnline, outdoor safety during hunting seasons in Pennsylvania.