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Light

L

lpv77

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2015
Messages
418
So what do you guys use? I always try not to use one or use it minimally usually covering it with my hand. I can set up and climb a tree with my climber blindfolded.
I'm not confident enough to set up sticks and saddle in the dark. I'd like a light that can not be seen too far; do not want people to know my location. I need just enough light to see 1' in front of me.
Any suggestions? I'm a fan of red or green light. Always used a green streamlight
 
I use the energizer headlamp they sale at about every big store. You can flip the switch one way for red and one for white light. I use white most of the time I'm on the ground and flip to red to climb. I know lights can spook deer but I have walked by them in the brush and as long as I give them some room it doesn't seem to bother them. I use to walk in the dark but felt like the added noise from unseen stick and vines was spooking more deer than the light. I do have a few spots that I can get in and out of at grey light without spooking the deer. On those I just wait until just before daybreak to walk in and setup.
 
I never use a light but I do carry a Petzl e+lite incase I drop something or am looking for an arrow. It is about as light as you will get for a headlamp and has red light directly from the off position.
 
I have both a Petzl e+lite and a Reactik+. Both have a red light option. I always use a light getting in as there are tons of burrs and stickers around here that I try to avoid.


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I always use a green light made by Browning it clips to my hat. Green lights let you keep your night vision when they are turned off so your eyes are already adjusted to the dark.
 
Headlights are convenient but if you are worried about deer seeing it you are probably going to want something handheld kept lower than the top of the brush around you. Even though they may not see red light well they can still see the light source as a glowing ball moving through the woods.
 
You can hold a Headlamp in your hand, strapped to your belt, around your neck, strapped to your chest.....Get one.
Dim red light is amazing for me.
 
EricS said:
Even though they may not see red light well they can still see the light source as a glowing ball moving through the woods.
Click to expand...

Are you sure this is true? My understanding of how wavelengths/light work is that if a deer's eye is unable to pick up that wavelength, its basically like it is not there. The only way they could see a glowing ball is if they could see that specific wavelength of light. White light they can see because it contains all wavelengths. There is evidence that deer cannot see green and red wavelengths, if this is true then there is absolutely no difference between complete darkness and green/red light to a deer.
 
I use red. Works great. I have nearly stepped on raccoons and skunks on the trail - they just stared at me as I went around them and had deer under my tree within minutes of getting up


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They look at red led on trail cams. If you shine a field with a red spotlight they will look. If you turn it off and let them start walking they will usually stop and look up if you cut it back on. Colorblind people can tell whether the top light on a stoplight or bottom light is lit up. They can't tell what color it is but can tell it's lit. We put feeder lights under our feeders one summer. The red seemed better than the green but they would get close to the feeder and bob there head up and down like they were playing peekaboo with the led under the feeder. The light cast around them doesn't seem to bother them and the source isn't that alarming but I believe they can see it.
 
EricS said:
They look at red led on trail cams. If you shine a field with a red spotlight they will look. If you turn it off and let them start walking they will usually stop and look up if you cut it back on. Colorblind people can tell whether the top light on a stoplight or bottom light is lit up. They can't tell what color it is but can tell it's lit. We put feeder lights under our feeders one summer. The red seemed better than the green but they would get close to the feeder and bob there head up and down like they were playing peekaboo with the led under the feeder. The light cast around them doesn't seem to bother them and the source isn't that alarming but I believe they can see it.
Click to expand...

Hmm...this makes some sense. I know that deer see my infrared flash on my trail cameras. I need to go back and listen to the "understanding deer vision" podcast on Midwest whitetail. They were talking about green specifically but, I believe they said that in their study (training deer to react to light) that they showed no reaction at all to green.
 
The feeder light was what got me thinking. They didn't react until they got where they could see the led directly. It shined down and you would see there legs then watch the light beam move up as they got closer. When it got to there head they would stop and check it out. It didn't stop them from getting closer but they noticed something. Eventually they quit doing that but I think they would have gotten comfortable even with white lights. A friend had a security light beside his house next to a pear tree. They wouldn't be there in the day time but were comfortable at night even though it was lit up.
Most lights emit small amount of uv light. That may be what they see.
 
It's not that deer can't see red light, but that wavelength of light doesn't travel as far as white light. The advantage of red is simply that it doesn't travel as far.

I can't remember the math, but if you can see white light from a 1/4 mile, you can only see red light for about a third of that distance.

Sent from my Galaxy S8.
 
To clarify, I have and use a few headlamps that are red or green. I usually partially coverit with my hand to be more discreet. I feel I need a light when hanging sticks in the dark but since I can't cover it because I need my hands I'm seeing what options you guys might know of. Maybe dimmable. some places I hunt someone else could be 100 yards away. I'd rather them not even know I'm there
 
I used to have a green military style hand held light. Instead of it being a straight shaft it had a 90 degree elbow in it so you could clip it on your belt or vest. It also had interchangeable red and green lenses. I haven't used a light going or coming from a stand in ten years or so but probably will now with the saddle. I actually forgot all about that light until I read this... I wonder if it could be found with a led instead of a bulb....
 
I have two head lamps and a 4 triple A small stream light flashlight. I even own a 3 led hat brim light which is what I use most of the time. I like my brim light cause I can angle it down and it also has red
 
I use a green headlamp. I'm sure more deer would be scared off by me tripping over every branch in the woods then by the light. Plus I hate walking into spider webs in the dark and seeing I took a new friend to the stand with me lol.
 
I bought a black diamond storm a couple weeks ago. It has red/green leds that are dimable. Pretty bright (350 lumens) for the main light, and a lower power mode as well. Seems to work well so far.
 
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