# Do any hunters still wear that old-fashioned red flannel check coat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534 "2011-07-19T02:02:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/1 "2011-07-19T02:02:47Z")
I was browsing on Cabela’s and found [this.](http://www.cabelas.com/product/Clothing/Mens-Hunting-Clothing/Mens-Hunting-Cold-Weather-Camo-Clothing/Mens-Cold-Weather-Camo-Coats-Parkas%7C/pc/104797080/c/104748480/sc/104274180/i/104049180/Woolrich174-Wool-Hunting-Coat/753834.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fclothing-mens-hunting-clothing-mens-hunting-cold-weather-camo-clothing-mens-cold-weather-camo-coats-parkas%2F_%2FN-1100961%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104049180%3FWTz_l%3DSBC%253BMMcat104797080%253Bcat104274180) Man, that is _old_ school. It seems to me that the vast majority of hunters nowadays wear camo. But whenever you see drawings or cartoons of old fashioned hunters, it seems like the big cliche was those red and black checked flannel coats. Do hunters still wear those? ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/2 "2011-07-19T02:07:25Z")
I know hunters who wear them, but not out hunting. In some hunting areas in PA it is illegal not to wear bright yellow or orange. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/3 "2011-07-19T02:25:10Z")
My grampap had lined-flannel hunting shirts, but his were all more subdued colors. I have one of them, and it’s a brown plaid. Most nowadays seem to go with hunter orange in a camo pattern (which works since deer have much worse color vision than humans), though you’ll sometimes also see military-surplus fatigues with an orange vest over it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/4 "2011-07-19T02:35:29Z")
Well, those of them who hunt with rifles - which, where you are, is probably a big number. Around here (Indiana) it’s extremely rare. Bow is the name of the game here. ---
**Author:** ![pilzner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pilzner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pilzner)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/5 "2011-07-19T04:32:34Z")
Eyewitness sighting here! This was on a backpacking trip coming down from a mountain pass in the cascades. Weather was rapidly going south, wind picking up, and clouds/snow spilling over a mountain wall protecting us from the worst of it. We saw a large canvas tent in the middle of a meadow, roughly the size of a living room, with a chimney coming out the top. Absolute killer setup, so we decided to take a few pictures. This old gnarled man came out wearing nearly exactly that jacket (I’ve always called it “the Paul Bunyan”). He said hi and mentioned something about how his “barometer had dropped 25 in the last hour”. Would have loved to stay and talk, but we had to hightail it back to camp. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/6 "2011-07-19T12:37:55Z")
I see those as more general outerwear than an actual hunting coat. As others have mentioned, the bright orange is more common up here, and may be legally required (I’m not sure). On the other hand, red plaid like that is pretty common winter garb. I actually have a coat very much like that, and I’ve never hunted in my life. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/7 "2011-07-19T13:14:18Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > I see those as more general outerwear than an actual hunting coat. As others have mentioned, the bright orange is more common up here, and may be legally required (I’m not sure). It’s legally required almost everywhere, and where it is not I think it is safe to say hunters aren’t wearing red and black plaid in place of orange. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/8 "2011-07-19T13:46:39Z")
> [@srzss05](#): > > It’s legally required almost everywhere, and where it is not I think it is safe to say hunters aren’t wearing red and black plaid in place of orange. Yeah, red plaid was pretty much made illegal. Also, red plaid does not stand out at all during dusk and dawn. Red plaid blends in like camo when its not very light outside. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/9 "2011-07-19T16:15:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Red plaid blends in like camo when its not very light outside. Especially to color-blind animals. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/10 "2011-07-19T16:27:19Z")
Growing up, my dad was a hunter, and he only ever left the house in camo on hunting trips. He may have had an orange vest or something that he put on, although I doubt it. I don’t believe Indiana had those regs on the books that long ago. The only coat he ever wore, that I recall, was an ugly dark brown thing. He was blue-collar and didn’t need anything fancier than that. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/11 "2011-07-19T16:48:04Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Yeah, red plaid was pretty much made illegal. Not anywhere I’ve ever been. In Virginia, for example, the minimum requirement is that hunters (during firearms seasons only, and with some exceptions) have _one_ of: a blaze orange hat; or blaze orange upper body clothing, visible from all sides; or a blaze orange flag carried or close at hand. A number of hunters wear actual full camo and just a blaze orange cap, so obviously anyone attached to their red plaid jacket could manage to comply as well. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/12 "2011-07-19T16:56:59Z")
For that matter, the exceptions include duck hunters, deer hunters during muzzleloader season, and field trials of hunting dogs, so I expect there’s some red plaid jackets being worn in those pursuits, with not a shred of orange about. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/13 "2011-07-19T18:59:23Z")
In Wisconsin blaze orange is required during gun deer season. It is not required during bow deer season and is not required for any bird or small game hunting. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/14 "2011-07-19T19:09:30Z")
Edited: In Wisconsin blaze orange is required during gun deer season for the simple fact that there are half a million yahoos running around shooting at anything that moves. They are the only hunters I’ve ever seen wearing blaze orange. It is not required during bow deer season and is not required for any bird or small game hunting. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/15 "2011-07-19T20:06:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Especially to color-blind animals. If you dont move, a deer can walk right by you 20 feet away and not know what you are, even if you are just sitting on a log. I had this done lots of times. Deer can not figure out what you are no matter what you are wearing(red, orange, blue, pink) if they can not smell, not hear, or not see you move. I have also very slowly walked up to within 20 feet of deer as long as I silently take my steps when the deer is head down(the deer can not remember that you were 3 feet farther the previous time he looked at you). On the other hand, I can’t fool ducks at all, even if I dont move ducks know I am a human. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/16 "2011-07-19T23:12:32Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Yeah, red plaid was pretty much made illegal. Also, red plaid does not stand out at all during dusk and dawn. Red plaid blends in like camo when its not very light outside. [Purkinje effect!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purkinje_effect) Have to check the regs here, but I’m pretty sure orange is only required for bigger game as I’ve never worn it for birds. Ideally with blaze orange, you’d want something that breaks up the pattern, as deer can’t discriminate orange too well but they can see uniformity. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/17 "2011-07-19T23:22:27Z")
I have seen turkey hunters wearing full camo including face masks and camoed guns. I’ve heard turkys have exceptional vison and are fairly intelligent, at least wild ones. No personal hunting experience here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2011, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/18 "2011-07-20T01:17:12Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [Purkinje effect!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purkinje_effect) > > Have to check the regs here, but I’m pretty sure orange is only required for bigger game as I’ve never worn it for birds. Ideally with blaze orange, you’d want something that breaks up the pattern, as deer can’t discriminate orange too well but they can see uniformity. Here in Texas, the blaze orange is only required when hunting on public land. If you’re on private land, you can wear a ghillie suit, if you so desire. Most everyone I know who hunts wears regular old sporting-goods store camo- that tree-bark looking garbage. (it looks good, but I suspect that it’s not as good as more conventional patterns like the digital ones, Multi-cam or even Woodland at breaking up your silhouette, which is ultimately what counts if you’re staying still.) ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/19 "2011-07-25T08:15:06Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Yeah, red plaid was pretty much made illegal. Also, red plaid does not stand out at all during dusk and dawn. Red plaid blends in like camo when its not very light outside. Just a slight :nitpick: “red plaid was pretty much made illegal” WTF? :dubious: You really should check your facts, before you just “blurt” things out. :rolleyes: I can not find _ **any** _ regulation in the current Texas Parks and Wildlife handbook, that states that “red plaid”, is _ **illegal** _. Only that a minimum number of square inches, of “hunters orange” must be worn while hunting on “public lands”. On private land, you can wear whatever you damn well, feel like. 😃 Just sayin’… ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2011, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534/20 "2011-07-25T09:48:41Z")
last time i think was that bill paxon movie (‘a simple plan’ or something similar) wherein he, his wife, and his dimwitted brother came by a lot of stolen dollars. his dummy brother liked to wear a similar jacket. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-any-hunters-still-wear-that-old-fashioned-red-flannel-check-coat/589534.md?page=2)