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Green light headlamp

GCTerpfan

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Aug 11, 2017
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Garrett County, MD
I was thinking about trying out a green headlamp this year for my hikes in and climbing down out of the tree after dark. Does anybody have any suggestions on lights that they use/like/dislike?
 
I have one made by petzl. Sorry i forget the model but i searcched their website. Then bought it off amazon. It came with 3 interchangeable filters. A red, green, and blue. I would only use red or green for hunting. The filters can be just pushed down and you will have the white standard light if you need it. So far it has been my best one to date and provides good low light visibility and is small and compact unlike alot of the hunting lights on the market.
 
The difference i should add is its one light no pushing buttons to get your color. Simply install the filter, push it up and you get your color choice, push it down and you get white light.
 
I have one made by petzl. Sorry i forget the model but i searcched their website. Then bought it off amazon. It came with 3 interchangeable filters. A red, green, and blue. I would only use red or green for hunting. The filters can be just pushed down and you will have the white standard light if you need it. So far it has been my best one to date and provides good low light visibility and is small and compact unlike alot of the hunting lights on the market.

Is this the one?: https://www.rei.com/product/737855/petzl-tactikka-xp-adapt-led-headlamp

It doesn't appear that they make it anymore.

Just some dude: I like the first one you linked. Is it bright enough in green mode to walk in with?

Also, is there a reason you are sticking with red? Have you had good luck with deer not spooking as easy?
 
X2

Also, Do you guys like red better than green? I have never tried red but have been told it's harder to see with red.

It works great with my merino gloves that have the cell phone touch tone thread on them(sitka). Otherwise I haven't tried with regular gloves, I can't check tonight if it's pressure sensitive. You can also bend your wrist which will expose skin on your wrist bone when wearing gloves and swipe it on that way I've tried that as well.

Yes, you swipe towards the bulb for red, and away from the bulb for white. It's genius, and fully dimmable, plenty bright on red for getting setup in the tree at its brightest setting in my opinion.

In regards to which color to go with, some people prefer Green and others Red. Both are said to be undetectable by an ungulates vision because of their lack in ability to see both those color spectrums.

Check out this video before you buy it.




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Justsomedude: Do you have to cycle through the white light to get to red on the Princeton light you linked?
No, it comes on in low Red mode. Another push puts it in high Red and the red is pretty bright 3 LED good for hiking

To go into white mode, you have to hold the button down. Can't do it accidentally which is a huge plus

Some reviews mentioned switches going bad or led dying. Mine has been great. And I always have backup flashlights on hand
 
You have to wonder about green. Since green is made up of yellow and blue, two colors deer see well. Could a color green dip into more of the yellow or blue spectrum?

Also if a deer can't see a color they see it in a shade of black and white. If a deer can't see my red light, do they still see a light in the darkness, just white/greyish or whatever?
If it's straight up invisible, mabye we need some red led suits
 
You have to wonder about green. Since green is made up of yellow and blue, two colors deer see well. Could a color green dip into more of the yellow or blue spectrum?

Also if a deer can't see a color they see it in a shade of black and white. If a deer can't see my red light, do they still see a light in the darkness, just white/greyish or whatever?
If it's straight up invisible, mabye we need some red led suits

Interesting idea, but I don't think it works like that as far as the mixup of yellow and blue to make green..then again I'm not a deer lol

I've had deer literally 10 steps from me on the walk in with the red light that jump once or twice and then just stand there and eventually walk off without ever busting multiple times. You'll hear other people confirm that the biggest and most important thing of all is going in in complete darkness. If there is any hint of grey light from the suns first appearance that will 100% give the deer the edge and chance to see you. It's been proven that their visual acuity is actually at its peak during those "grey light" times when the sun still hasn't risen and the same for after the sun has set in the evenings.

I think we've all been busted bad a time or two when we were running late by a few minutes to the stand in the morning, I know I have!




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Since our goals have changed a bit and we are now chasing more mature bucks on the property we hunt (age 5+) I promised myself that if I'm late for a morning hunt I'm either going to cancel or sit it out in the truck until I know for sure the majority of the deer are back to their beds.


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Green and red lights have both been proven to not spook game. They have been highly used for years in the predator hunting industry and i read a study about it being effective on deer as well. Red light wont allow you to see far but is supposedly to allow your eyes a better adjustment back to darkness better than the white light. I have seen no issue with readjusting back to darkness with both red and green.
 
As shy as deer are I really don't think a red, green, blue light ect matters. I would worry more about casting too much light and movement of said light (i.e. Climbing up a tree with a headlight on). Deer have more rods than cones and see exceptionally better than humans in lower light. Much like ambient light through night vision vs naked eye. The red vs green debate is more subjective to human sight and the military. When I went through sniper school and combat tracker a push for blue light was pushed by several instructors and students if light was needed. Bottom line is don't cast more light than you need and slow down and be a little quieter. People have a tendency to sound like herd elephants walking around once the lights are on. Stealth goes out the window.

As for lights that work I like basic petzl tactikka and cyclops titan. Fenix hl is a good mid price range. Zebralight is the best light imo if money's not an issue ($90). surefire is awesome but the money is better spent elsewhere. The black diamonds I used had a tendency to turn on in pouches accidentally due to the big sensitive push button on top. Bit of joy kill to find zapped batteries when you're at the truck pulling your gear out for the walk in. I have 3 baseline items a light has to have for
Me:
1. Adjustable dimmer where I can have a speck of light all the way up to headlight bright.
2. Not easily turned on (pouch issue)
3. Have no issues in the rain or snow

Just my 2 cents
 
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