Blue Tape/Markers in Montana...

[SWMontana1]

I always thought I knew what blue paint/tape/markers meant out in the wilderness but I have seen them in weird places... I have also seen random orange tape and pink tape. I guess I need a refresher. What do these colors mean? I can't find them on fwp.mt.gov

 

[SFC B]

Many hunters use random colors of tape (or Scotchlite strips) to mark trails of access points. I know in the Midwest it is common to see some type of markers showing the path to stand locations so you can get in and out in the dark.

 

[Ben Long]

I don't think there's any formal code about what different colors mean, when it comes to plastic tape or paint int the woods. When I worked for the Forest Service (long ago) we used all kinds of color when we were cruising timber, creating study plots, or whatever. Plus, as SFC B says, other folks use plastic tape liberally when blazing trail. I do, too, but try to pack-it-out, if only to avoid leading other hunters to my hunting spots!

 

[Nameless Range]

In the checkerboarded mountains east of Missoula, I know that Plum Creek used Blue on their lands, I think to represent trees not to be cut. I also noticed they used orange and red on parcel boundaries where Plum Creek met Forest Service. I specifically remember this because there were a few occasions when I was first scouting some country in the Sapphires that I ran into the red/orange painted trees, and was uncertain whether that meant I was entering someone's private land. Further research showed I was just walking from Plum Creek onto F.S.

 

[Wally Dog]

In ID & WA frequently loggers will paint a blue ring on trees to NOT cut.

 

[Bulldog0156]

I think it depends on the timber sale.