29.1-530.1 - Blaze orange clothing required at certain times.

§ 29.1-530.1. Blaze orange clothing required at certain times.

During any firearms deer season, except during the special season for huntingdeer with a muzzle-loading rifle only, in counties and cities designated bythe Board, every hunter, or any person accompanying a hunter, shall wear ablaze orange hat, except that the bill or brim of the hat may be a color ordesign other than solid blaze orange, or blaze orange upper body clothingthat is visible from 360 degrees or display at least 100 square inches ofsolid blaze orange material at shoulder level within body reach visible from360 degrees.

Any person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction,pay a fine of $25.

Violations of this section shall not be admissible in any civil action forpersonal injury or death as evidence of negligence, contributory negligenceor assumption of the risk.

This section shall not apply when (i) hunting waterfowl from stationary orfloating blinds, (ii) hunting waterfowl over decoys, (iii) hunting waterfowlin wetlands as defined in § 28.2-1300, (iv) hunting waterfowl from a boat orother floating conveyance, (v) hunting doves, (vi) participating in huntingdog field trials permitted by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, (vii)on horseback while hunting foxes with hounds but without firearms, or (viii)hunting with a bow and arrow in areas where the discharge of firearms isprohibited by state law or local ordinance.

(1987, c. 319, § 29-147.2; 1988, cc. 474, 715; 2002, c. 39; 2005, c. 167;2009, c. 11.)