One really dumb thing that too many hunters do is to use their rifle and scope to observe the area around them. This means that they may be looking at someone through the scope and pointing their rifle at them. To me, this is insanity! Get a pair of binoculars and NEVER point your rifle at another person. They might decide to shoot first and ask questions later. This is just COMMON SENSE, which too many people seem to lack. And, I do think that something orange is good to wear in the woods during hunting season.
I agree. Besides being a lot safer, I think it's easier to spend a day looking through a pair of binos than a scope. Plus, isn't knowing your target one of the basic safety rules? I consider a decent pair of binos to be one of my most important pieces of equipment. You can get by with a relatively cheap rifle scope. As long as it holds zero and you can see through it you're good, but good binos are essential, because it's possible to spend eight hours a day looking through them. A rifle scope you'll look through for five minutes, on a good day.