(Illinois News Network) — Nestled among the nearly 250 news laws that Illinois will see in the new year is a change in the wardrobe for hunting.
Illinois hunters are required to wear at least a blaze orange cap. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources suggests a whole blaze orange top, but a cap is required.
Starting after Jan. 1, that requirement changes to blaze orange or blaze pink.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says the pink is just as viable as the orange, and some folks like it better.
“You can see it from a long way off,” the governor said. “This can increase the safety of hunters. So we’re giving hunters the option to wear blaze pink, instead of blaze orange.”
The governor said pink may be easier to see in the fall.
“We want to be able to see fellow hunters, and see them easily,” Rauner said. “But the reality is in the fall, when we’re hunting in trees and in some fields, there are orange leaves. There is orange in the background, so it’s not always easy to see orange. So we’re adding blaze pink to be one of the colors.”
But it has to be solid pink. The new law does not allow hunters to wear blaze pink and camouflage combinations.
The new law takes effect in the new year.
