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Headlight or No Headlight

H

Hellir

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2020
Messages
237
This may be a dumb question but I’ve been wondering this for a while now. Do y’all use a headlight when walking to your tree and then all the way until you are settled in your final tether position? If so are y’all going straight white light or using a colored light? Never hunted up a tree before (except a ladder stand and didn’t really need one). Excited to start saddle hunting.


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If at all possible, I walk in the dark but if I need light, I'll use a red light. Only time I've ever used white light is blood trailing. Having said that though, I've had deer 100y away from me watching while I gut their buddy.
 
Depends, if I hunt a bedding area where deer will be I’m gonna be there and in a tree at least 2 hours before daylight. I use a light because I’m quieter and safer, but I use a headlight that can be dimmed so I only have as much light as I need. If I hunt an area that’s like a field edge or travel corridor or pinch or saddle where I just think a deer will be going through, I don’t set up before gray light at least. My thought is this, if I sneak to my tree quietly and deer are already there, I’m more likely to spot them and be able to avoid detection in gray light. If they aren’t there I can be quieter in the light and avoid a headlight
 
I use sun light, I’m not a morning person so the sun is my friend on the way in lol, I haven’t hunted mornings in quite a few years, I hunt after sunrise to dark, usually my walk in and out can be up to 2-3 hours at times in the big woods and there is no way I can be in there for a morning hunt I would never sleep, that said I use a zebra light head lamp and it’s white and crazy bright, walking for that long late at night to my truck I see a pile of game and generally deer just freeze and I keep on walking, in no way am I saying white light won’t spook deer and I believe it’s generally accepted red is the color choice for sneaking in.
 
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Dim white headlamp for me.

I'm kidding myself if I think the deer don't see me with or without the light. I'm definitely quieter with it.
 
It's surprising how little light you need when it's dark to see where your going. I use a headlight when I get to the tree to set up but I prefer a small handheld for watching the ground as I walk as your less likely to flash it across the woods than with a headlight.
 
Went all last year using a red nite ize Micro light, had a white flashing ball from night ize for an emergency locator light in case I got in trouble. Light weight, small, and all the light I needed sneaking in and out.

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I use a BD headlight that's dimmable about as low as it will go using the green light most of the time.
 
I use a headlamp with white light most of the time. It helps to avoid stepping on sticks or whatever is in my path to stay quiet. I have tried numerous times without a light and I always end up taking a branch in the eye. If there is a trail and sufficient moonlight I will go without until I reach my tree. I have walked rite past several deer at 5 yards in the dark without spooking them.

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Headlamp in and out of the woods to avoid making too much noise.

Hand held light for trailing the red drops because it is way brighter.

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Whenever possible I go without a light but around a new moon phase when it's blacker than ink and can't make out my own hands in front of me I use a red headlamp.

I found the trick to walking in the dark without a light on is after having any form of illumination, whether from the dashboard of your vehicle from driving to your hunting spot or a light on while getting dressed, is to just stand there in the darkness once all forms of light are off for a few minutes to give your eyes time to adjust. You'll be amazed at how well you can see with just moonlight.
 
I found the trick to walking in the dark without a light on is after having any form of illumination said:
This is what I did prior to retiring from the Marine Corps - it works. Like you, I pull down the red lens filter and use it for the walk in. Walking out is a white light affair though in case I bump into a skunkape, chupacabra, or muckluck...
Hahaha

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I guess I editted out the comment of standing in the dark and letting your eyes acclimate...

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I have a Black Diamond Icon that has white and red lights. It's nice but this year I'm going to try a Nitecore Thumb on certain setups (also white and red lights). I use white up until I'm near the tree, then it's red light only until I'm setup and ready to hunt.
 
On public land I always try to use the headlamp for safety reasons. I mostly use the white light. No deer is worth getting shot by some idiot that decides to shoot at a moving object in the dark because he thinks it's a deer. On private I still like to use it for the same reason (you can never be positive someone isn't out there who shouldn't be) but will occasionally go without it depending on the land and how dark it is. Most times I try to use the red light on my headlamp, I realize I'm kidding myself because the red light on my headlamp kinda sucks. Often times, by the time I get to the tree I want to hunt out of, it's already gray light, so I put the headlamp away, otherwise I use it all the way up the tree until I get to a point in my setup where I can do it with my eyes closed basically.
 
I ALWAYS wear my red head light during the rifle season in and out. There's too many "two weekend a year" hunters out during that season with high powered rifles who, quite honestly, just scare me. This is one reason I take a lot of the rifle season off anymore . . .too many really scary encounters.

Bow season . . . not so much. I typically only use it in the early season while things are still really leafed out and green just because the light can't carry very far and its really dark under the canopy. Once the leaves drop I hardly ever use it. I can generally see well enough in the ambient light after leaf off without it and I really don't want to advertise my presence to either deer or other hunters if I don't have to.
 
Hellir said:
This may be a dumb question but I’ve been wondering this for a while now. Do y’all use a headlight when walking to your tree and then all the way until you are settled in your final tether position? If so are y’all going straight white light or using a colored light? Never hunted up a tree before (except a ladder stand and didn’t really need one). Excited to start saddle hunting.


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Yes… I my opinion, the lights won’t spook deer ,if they did, you’d never see a deer by the interstate… usually when you see them, they stare at the light and freeze, take some deep sniffs. If they don’t smell you they take a few casual steps and go right back to grazing. I was able to actually walk into the same group of doe 3 different times on the same morning on my walk in once. Light helps you see where you’re walking. Helps you while you climb. Helps keep you from stepping on that diamondback or copper head! Helps you spot that ideal tree. I personally will never understand not using a head lamp.
 
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I’ve used this model for years and it covers all the bases you may need. Just put it around your neck and leave it there until you need it.

As others have stated, deer aren’t worth a ditch, a barbed wire fence that’s forty years old, a stick to the eye (because we know we aren’t wearing safety glasses), or anything else. Plus you may spot the Predator up there in them trees.


Amazon.com : PETZL, TACTIKKA+ RGB Headlamp, 250 Lumens, Red-Green-Blue Lighting, Desert : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : PETZL, TACTIKKA+ RGB Headlamp, 250 Lumens, Red-Green-Blue Lighting, Desert : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com
 
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