PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) – South Dakota hunters may start seeing a new color while out in the field: pink.
Republic Rep. Jessica Bahmuller’s sponsored legislation would add fluorescent pink to the required colors for big game hunting gear. Current South Dakota law requires hunters to wear blaze orange exterior garments while hunting big game, other than turkey and mountain lions.
HB 1228 passed the House floor 68-1 Feb. 14 and moved to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee Feb. 15.
Rosebud Sioux Tribe legalized medical marijuana
“Blaze pink is not a color that appears in nature naturally,” Bahmuller said on the House floor. “Some studies have proven that blaze pink is more visible to the human eye, therefore being safer.”
Wisconsin became the first state in 2016 to include the color to their hunting gear requirements. Since then, 10 other states have added pink as well, including Minnesota, Colorado, Wyoming and Illinois.
Bahmuller told the House during her statements that she brought the bill forward after her uncle was shot during a hunting incident. She hopes the bill will improve safety for hunters.