Light or no light, red or white

[anderjas99]

Want some thoughts on something I, and I assume others, have rolled around with. As it pertains mostly to the whitetail woods but we will say mammal hunting in general.
What does more “harm” the use of a bright white light or the extra noise you make going in without it or setting up without it.
And of course does colored light make that much of a difference?

 

[String&stick]

Red light in my anecdotal evidence is the way to go. Let's you see and doesn't disturb animals nearly as much

 

[TheGDog]

Red or Green. Either way, you're looking at like 45 min for an area to settle back down. on white i'm often doing low setting and deer don't spook bad to low amt of light. Looked up last wknd and 5 pair of retinas looking back at me, and stayed there for quite awhie till they decided to get up and vacate.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I use a red light as much as I can, after the rattlers quit crawling anyway. Need to find one a little brighter, most of them are very weak.

 

[disciple2]

Bowhunting.com just posted this article yesterday pertaining to the same topic. I thought it had some good info if you are interested.

Does Your Headlamp Spook Deer?

It's a seemingly endless debate that takes place in hunting camp every year. Does your headlamp spook deer?

www.bowhunting.com

As for me, i've had good luck with either white or red. I've walked right into an area with about 6 sets of eyes staring back at me near my tree stand. Once I was in the tree they were still there for quite some time until they moved along.

 

[zion zig zag]

Red light for me, gives me enough to see my feet, but most importantly it doesn’t ruin your night vision.

 

[anderjas99]

I use a red light as much as I can, after the rattlers quit crawling anyway. Need to find one a little brighter, most of them are very weak.

Yikes, I would use a torch if I had to worry about that lol

 

[anderjas99]

Bowhunting.com just posted this article yesterday pertaining to the same topic. I thought it had some good info if you are interested.

Does Your Headlamp Spook Deer?

It's a seemingly endless debate that takes place in hunting camp every year. Does your headlamp spook deer?

www.bowhunting.com

As for me, i've had good luck with either white or red. I've walked right into an area with about 6 sets of eyes staring back at me near my tree stand. Once I was in the tree they were still there for quite some time until they moved along.

Perfect, thanks!

 

[KoolBreeze]

Yikes, I would use a torch if I had to worry about that lol

Yeah, friend of mine killed one this past Sunday. It was 5 feet long with 12 rattlers and a button. Biggest I've seen in a long time.

 

[jmez]

I don't think light bothers them. Ran hounds for years. Can't ever remember a deer spooking from the light. If you are quiet and they can't smell you they don't pay any attention to the light.

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[anderjas99]

Yeah, friend of mine killed one this past Sunday. It was 5 feet long with 12 rattlers and a button. Biggest I've seen in a long time.

Holy balls

 

[anderjas99]

Perfect, thanks!

The article is plucked straight out of my mind, especially the point on clanking of metal. The article didn’t mention if deer are easily offender or not but if they can hear the string of profanities I put together when I trip down the creek bank or take the wrong turn through the thick briars they would head for the hills for sure. Headlamp it is and colored light remains debatable but generally favored. I think the last point is definitely safety especially when going up/down the tree….and avoiding

 

[TheGDog]

I go Green-beam last like..500 yds to ambush point.

 

[Travis907]

My go to is a Red light and my backup is green. It gives me enough light to see my feet as I move slowly through the woods. Both color lights most importantly won’t affect your night vision. It’s also a good idea to have a white light just in case you need a little more light for some unexpected reason!

 

[Titan_Bow]

I think going in with light and being quiet is 100 times better than going in dark and making a lot more noise. I alternate white light and red lense. I usually switch to red as I get close to my setup, not because I’m worried about busting deer with white light, but more importantly so my night vision isn’t ruined.


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[def90]

I let my eyes adjust and use no light at all if possible. Bought a new petzl this year to replace my 20 year old petzl and it has a red light and that works plenty well for those dark moonless nights.

 

[Drenalin]

You need to be able to see what you're doing and where you're going. If the choice is a white light or noise, I'll turn the light on. If a red light is feasible, I prefer that. My experience is that if I look at a whitetail with a white light, they are more likely to spook than if I do the same with a red light.

 

[sodaksooner]

If i have a stand location that is well used I try and go without light until I get to the tree. If it is new or hunting an unfamiliar area, red light all the way.

 

[Fullfan]

Firm believer that a light will not bother deer. Coon hunted for years and used a bright head lamp. walked up on many deer.

 

[bowhuntrben]

One year I decided to get out of my stand in the woods a little early to see if I could see anything in the field to shoot. I didn't use my light and found myself in the branches of a downfall. I was making so much noise breaking the branches trying to get out, I thought "what the heck am I doing?" Next thing I know, a good sized buck came running from the other side of the hill to check out what was going on That was during the rut, though.

I usually use a green light. If I can get away with it (full moon), I will run without a light where possible because why use one if you don't need to? During gun season, I always use a light because I don't trust people not to shoot me in the dark. Definitely depends on time of year, but I don't worry too much about using a light. After getting in the tree, there is always at least a little bit of light usage just to get set up.