Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Red, Green, or White light

for a head lamp when hunting? Didn't want to hi-jack the head lamp thread. Any advantage to the Red/Green other than adjustment to night vision/spooking game?

White. I can’t see schitt with the red or green ones. Especially the red ones.

You can get one with both. Bright white for heading down the trail, red if you're in the tent or just sitting there and want to see what's at arms length without destroying your night vision.

Thank for the input chlinstructor and smokepole.

Critters like deer see white, but not red... so if you are walking in in dark dark conditions - red is your huckleberry to getting in undetected.

Works on earthworms too if you are out at night and getting bait

The Navy went from Red to Blue/Green for night lighting many years ago. I have an older Petzl headlamp with a blue/green filter that seems to work well not destroying your or your buddy's night vision. Not sure if the critters can see it well or not.

I did not know they had changed. I have to check on that...must be better. Is “blue/green” a blend or is it either/both colors are better than red?

Just my opinion and preference but personally, if I'm walking through the deer woods in the dark I want to be visible and for me, bright white is the huckleberry. You never know who else is out there. I just try to keep the headlamp adjusted so it's pointed at the ground in front of me, not shining through the woods like a beacon.. And when I'm moving in the dark it's pretty much getting from point A to Point B before first light, I'm not trying to get within range before shooting light, not much point in that.

Plus, I have a hard enough time sneaking up on deer in broad daylight when I can see what's underfoot, the chances of doing it by headlamp are slim and none for me anyway.

Same here.




Diff eyes, diff quality. Not all of us have the same vision or color conception.


Jerry

You need white in case you drop something, or really need to see...

Red is also a requirement IMHO because you can use it to see when you know something is could see you - like when you are in your tree stand in the dark

I use a headlamp with white red and blue lights. I use the red to walk into the stand and get settled early morning. Have walked right up on bedded deer before.

After dark I’m usually just walking in the dark. I’m on very private land though

Supposedly the blue light is for blood tracking in the dark. I struggle to see blood in broad daylight right in front of me. Have never tried the blue light nor have I had need to so can’t say if it works or helps seeing blood in the dark

White light doesn’t get used much but is real bright if I need it for something

I'm fairly convinced, as long as your light isn't on full turbo, critters really don't understand the light from a headlamp/flashlight. I seriously doubt the color matters all that much...

My experience is that unless you are shining a white light directly into the eyes of deer they do not seem to bother at all about the light. Keep it on them where you get the reflection of their eyes and especially with an LED with some power and they leave. I think it hurts their eyes just like it does with ours. Keep it out of their eyes and they do not seem to associate it with people or danger.

LEDs with some power can for sure ruin your night vision for a period though. I only use mine full power when blood trailing deer.

Correct. It's all intensity, not color...

Walking in with a white Mini Mag a deer close to my stand location blew and I figure that it shut down any early movement around me. That was the last time I used that light for hunting. My new Petzl head lamp has white, strobe, red, green and blue LED settings, but honestly my best walking in the dark light is a double A 4 LED green flashlight that I can hold at waist level. What I like about it is that it turns on and off with a twist of the of the head like a Mini Mag, so that I don't need it to have it on all the time. Never had a deer blow since I've gone to green.

It's my understanding that most mammals, except man, have traded color vsion for enhanced night vision. They see in shades of gray, white and black. So they should be able to see any moving bright light no matter what color it is.

The best hunting time is the first half hour after sunrise and the first half hour before sunset, which is worth all the rest combined. So if you want to be in the field at those times, you need to do most of your hiking in the dark.

It's rarely pitch black at night; starlight, moonight and light pollution from nearby cities all contribute to light in the night sky. When there is snow on the ground things seem pretty bright. But when it's over cast and there's no moon, it can be pretty dark.

When I hike in the dark, the first thing that I do is sit down and wait several minutes for my eyes to become acustomed to the dim light. It's fun to listen to the night sounds; so many that I don't hear in the daytime. I carry a headlamp and a hand flashlight, but I try not to use them except in an emergency. I try to hike a route in the daytime so that I know what to expect at night. I also try to use some kind of guide like a trail, old road, sand wash, or fence line, to help keep myself on the right track.

Good points one and all, thanks.

I have walked right past a blind using white light as any night vision I'd had was gone. Have used red filters when predator hunting and it did not spoke the critters. Use green lights for night hunting hogs and I am not sure what is going on but sometimes they completely ignore it and others they spook as soon as the lights come on. I assume the lights make some type of noise I am not hearing. If the walking is difficult or temperatures are warm enough for snakes I like a red or green head lamp backed with a hand held white flash light that I just use briefly to check terrain and for snakes.

Yes, and some people still think deer, elk, etc are color blind.

The U of Colorado did a study some years back and they can discern colors.


Jerry

Nobody knows what Deer see, except God.

Deer Lord!

All I can do is share my experience

I had a group of deer that were really hard to sneak in on, first I started parking 1/4 mile away... but they still left the woods as I entered, wearing my white headlamp.

THEN I changed to a red headlamp —- and boom, I was taking deer ... so that was proof enough for me.

This. If we have to use light its almost always a red one, nice and soft light for MY eyes. Carry a bright white one just in case we have the need for a bright light. Rarely use it. At least before and after dark unless trying to find a dead deer or blood or such. Or these days to help follow the dog on trails.

Were the Solunar Tables in the right quadrant?

The blue light works great for blood trailing, makes drops of blood stand out like turds in a punch bowl.

I have small blinking red lights for that.

Years ago I ran into a hunter just after sunset and he told me how he'd just been watching two deer cross the upper corn field. The two deer he was watching was me and a buddy. Had this damn fool decided to take a shot... so I don't take chances now, I blink like a damn Christmas tree.

White, I get out early.

Good one........

Sorry sir, but that is incorrect. The science of what eyes see is well known. Deer do not have the rods and cones necessary to see reds. However, they do see much more into the ultraviolet than we do. Thier eyes do not see great detail, but are very good at picking up movement. (That's why immobility can fool them). I've had deer walk all about me without detection until they get down wind of me. Thier nose is very good.
The size, shape, and placement of a deer's eyes allow for greater light gathering, for night vision, and allow for detection of movement everywhere except a small fan shaped wedge directly behind thier head, and directly above. This is why thier head keeps moving, to cover that blind spot.
Thier ears are directional, and can be used easily to detect the direction of a sound.
Any detergent that claims "brightens collors" or "prevents fading, " has ultraviolet enhancers added to the soap. This makes your camo that much easier to see to a deer. The high dollar hunting soaps are really not much different than soap for hypoallergenic skin, which means leaving out anything that might irritate your skin.
And of course, hypoallergenic soap is much cheaper.

If you had a 60mm objective on your rifle scope, you could just look through it. They gather light you know.

I’ve even thought about some night vision goggles to use walking in the dark, but too cheap to spring for them. Happy Trails

I could see the tracks where they were leaving when I came with a white headlamp, and or parking too close - semi-urban deer are educated..

Seems to me that semi-urban deer would be the least likely to spook at the sound of a car door slamming, or the sight of a light.

If they spooked every time they saw or heard the sights and sounds of semi-urvban life, they'd never stop running. Until they keeled over from exhaustion.

Lately I am shooting semi-urban deer with a crossbow. 5 acre lots. I keep cameras out 5 months of the year, and I spend 3 1/2 months where I am in my "stand" 3-4 times/week normally. I watch a lot of deer to get the specific deer I want. Some of them never do relax and will spook at the least provocation. Some of them will patiently wait for people to vacate an area the want to feed in, like under oaks or apple trees, and could care less about things like fire pits still burning or people talking and kids playing. I have had deer watch me walk in to my "stand" and they go about their business as soon as I disappear from their sight. Their reaction is very individual. The dumb ones never seem to get weeded out either.

I only road hunt at night.
Them headlamps (any color) squeeze my head and it's scary out there in the dark.

Do headlamps make your zits pop?

Nope, you're still here.

Why start so early ? that you need a light - what about breakfast ?

Using thermals for predator control over the last couple of years, I’ve noticed some things with both deer and coyotes. A white light they’re used to (cars, street lights, etc) is something they might observe warily, but it doesn’t frighten them unless the car turns at them down a drive or such. Any ‘new’ light, regardless of color, is noticed immediately, though it doesn’t seem to immediately make deer flee, though the whit3 makes them more nervous right away. I think the coyotes see the red/green some, too....they just act uncertain/indecisive about it. White light puts a coyote in high gear. So, yes, they seem to see it all. Like daytime, they’re also ‘used’ to certain things. No, a new light doesn’t always immediately spook them, but they notice it and watch it, for sure. Deer act different at night, period. They feel completely safe with about a 100-150yard buffer, as opposed to they see you they’re gone, in daytime, regardless of range. I just move around them and try not to interrupt what they do, while trying to get angles on coyotes.....which WILL see your movement up to 200, especially if you’re moon shadowed. FWIW, I carry a good, bright white headlamp that has a low power red or green LED.

Just picked up a Black Diamond Storm at there outlet for $25. It does white, red, green and blue. 350 Lumens and it water and dust proof.

I won't buy a headlamp with a red light, because I always end up turning the useless red light on accidentally.

Been using one all summer night kayaking. I love the red. If I turn on the white all I see is bugs. The red will illuminate buoys and reflective signs for quite a distance. I've been using red for hunting for decades.

I like a headlight sometimes, they get annoying after a while

However, deer also have very good hearing. If you're making extra noise because you can't see with red or green, that'll spook them more than a white light.