From the Friends of Upton State Forest:

It is time to get your orange on! Why are we sharing this again? It is hunting season and while hunters are required to wear blaze orange, the general public is not. However, we all share the trails and common sense tells us to be prepared so common sense should remind people that wearing blaze orange is the smart thing to do.

Wearing blaze orange is a legal requirement during some hunting seasons. All hunters during shotgun deer season and deer hunters during the primitive firearms season must wear at least 500 square inches of blaze orange material on their chest, back, and head. (Exception: coastal waterfowl hunters in a blind or boat.)

Did you know that the original research for identifying the color that would show best in the woods and trails was done at Phillip’s Wildlife Lab located at the CCC Camp at Upton State Forest? One of the researchers who worked on this project was the late Joe Nava. Soldiers from Fort Devens walked the trails at Upton each wearing different colors. Fish and Game employees were stationed at various points on the trail noting distances when they first saw the soldiers and the impact of the color they were wearing.

PLEASE get some orange clothing. Friends of Upton State Forest do sell a line of orange hoodies, sweatshirts and tees. You can also find them at many local stores.

Friends of Upton State Forest support all legal uses of Upton State Forest and consider hunting like a time share. We can all share the trails safely if we use common sense and respect others.

Here is a link with the remaining hunting seasons for 2023.