To the game hunters that are also birders...please understand, that some of what follows is not a representation of all hunters...just the ones you have to be wary of. As I am there every day it seems, :-D. Here is the best way to handle Big Island and Killdeer Plains..and really any other wildlife area that is open to hunting in Ohio during hunting season. First wear orange...not red...some hunters seem to like to shoot at red...dunno why. Second, if there is a car in the lot, look around, if no one is on the dikes, and it's not me floating around in a kayak, then expect that hunters are in the area. During waterfowl hunting seasons, Waterfowl hunters set up with the wind at their backs, so look for them along the dikes or ponds in that way. And don't think that there won't be duck hunters near the protected area at Killdeer Plains. I saw one duck hunter last year that was one foot off the dike shooting at anything that flew through...he was clearly still in the reserve area...you wonder why they have to remind everyone to stay out. Deer hunters are a special breed...There are not many accidental bow hunting stories out there...but being anywhere near a wildlife area during Deer-Gun season is asking for it. Stay home or visit areas closed to hunting during that special few weeks...but still wear orange. At Killdeer plains, treat Pheasant Hunters the same way you do Deer Hunters...there are some even stupider Pheasant Hunters out there...They will shoot across roads, and into protected areas. I'm gonna get a dash camera one day. The rest of the game hunting that goes on in Ohio, Wearing orange will suffice...there aren't any Orange Rabbits or Squirrels out there. :-D Big Island is open to everything all the time. Killdeer Plains and others have areas that are: closed to everything, closed to everything but hunting/fishing/trapping, and open to all...so read the signs in the parking areas. Basically go with your gut. If it feels unsafe, then stay on observation platforms, or stay in your car. But most of the time you will be okay. The duck hunters around here know the difference between a duck and a human. The deer-gun deer hunters....dunno, I stay home. Happy Birding and God Bless. Steve J ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]