Dressing ourselves

But the agency should not mandate that they do so, under force of law.

Hunting statistics simply don’t make the case that requiring such attire — better known as “blaze orange” — is necessary to ensure that hunting remains a safer activity than, say, snowboarding and swimming, to name just two examples.

Oregon is among 10 states that don’t require hunters to wear blaze orange.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will decide whether to change that, at least for certain hunts.

The idea behind blaze orange seems logical. Why would any hunter shoot a person clad in that color, given that elk and deer and other animals are decidedly more drab in appearance?

Well, there is a myriad of reasons why a relative handful of hunters do stupid — sometimes fatally stupid — things.

Alcohol, for one.

Inexperience, for another.

Yet, among 10 western states (including Oregon) that supplied hunting accident statistics to ODFW, Oregon had a lower rate of both accidents and deaths between 2004-2009 than did the five states that require blaze orange.

The only state on the list that betters Oregon is Nevada, which also does not mandate blaze orange.

Nevada reported no hunting fatalities during that six-year period. Its accident rate was .63 per 100,000 hunting licenses sold.

Oregon’s fatality rate was .14 per 100,000 licenses, and its accident rate was 1.56. The latter figure tied Oregon with Idaho, which also does not require blaze orange.

Statistically speaking, hunting is significantly safer in Oregon now than it was 20 years ago.

During the 1990-94 period, Oregon’s rate of hunting accidents per 100,000 licenses sold was 4.11 — almost three times the 2004-09 figure — and the fatality rate was .94 — almost seven times more than the most recent period measured.

In our view, those numbers are persuasive evidence that Oregon’s emphasis on hunter safety — youth hunters, for instance, must pass a hunter education course before they can draw a tag — has been successful.

Oregon hunters agree with us.

When the Oregon Hunters Association surveyed about 1,000 of its members, more than 70 percent opposed a blaze orange requirement.