Fluorescent pink new hunter safety option

Fluorescent pink is now an acceptable safety color for hunters to wear in the field.

Earlier this month, the state House of Representatives passed a bill expanding orange clothing requirements for hunters to include fluorescent pink, according to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife news release. The state Senate passed the bill Feb. 20 and Gov. Jay Inslee signed it Monday.

“Orange will always be the classic safety color, but I think our state’s hunters can appreciate something new and different – and because fluorescent pink doesn’t blend in with anything else in the forest or field, it also offers the excellent visibility we need for safety,” said Sen. Lynda Wilson, R-Vancouver, a longtime hunter who was prime sponsor of the bill in a news release.

Fluorescent pink is considered equally visible to hunter orange. Nine other states have passed laws allowing hunters to wear pink clothing for safety.

The current law gives WDFW the authority to adopt rules specifying gear and other hunting equipment. Hunters must wear a minimum of 400 square inches of fluorescent hunter orange exterior clothing during specific hunting seasons.

The new law, like most created this year, will take effect in July.

For more information on hunter safety: wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/requirements.