Contributors to this thread:
You would think someone would make a really good powerful red light headlamp but I'm having trouble finding one. I have a black diamond with one in but dang its weak. Anyone have one that actually throws decent light?
I've never used red before, why are you set on that color?
ElkNut1
I like red because it doesn't wreck my night vision, and, supposedly, deer don't react to it...or so "they" say.
Coast from Home Depot. The one I have has both red and white switches. under $20
I'm with Paul on this. I go spot lighting here in Pa and hit them with like a 2000000 candle power light and they don't pay any attention. They just keep feeding. Who, where did red light don't scared deer come from??? Love to see the research paper of that. I've hunted fox with a call and then flipped on a white light. They still keep on coming. I'm not 100% sure red keeps from spooking game. I think that red keeping ur night vision when you turn the light off. First I see much better with my white light,, 2nd when I turn my light off I'm done with it. Yes I see poorly for 15 or 20 seconds after turning off.. But I see ten times better with my white light than with red. So I'll take the poor vision for 20 seconds after turn it off.
Ed
This one is kind of heavy, but it is bright.
http://www.sniperhawglights.com/40KAP-Headlamp-p/40kap.htm
Red lights are always weaker than white or even green for that matter. I have two gun lights that I used to use for hog hunting at night, and the green one easily outperformed the red one. Saw many deer at night while hog hunting and neither the red nor the green caused very much concern for deer. The hogs however, had to be " finessed " or they would run when hit suddenly with either color.
Walking into a spot at night I feel you spook less game. Plus I fish at night a lot and find a red light draws in less bugs and the lake I fish always has some sort of bug hatch.
I have in the past and yes red is spooks less. That said 95% of the time I do not think it matters. I generally use it when I expect to be really close to elk (like when I am close to where I will hunt or going through thick cover).
I think at longer range (300 yards or more) it makes no difference.
This is from Elusive Wildlife technology. I use their 100 and 250 handheld for my night time pig hunting.
Extreme versatility with hands free use is what you get with the Kill Light® Hands Free Head Light. A single high power LED in your choice of color ( green, red or white ) provides a bright flood beam of light to illuminate your path. Simple push button control gives you three different brightness levels ( low, medium or high ) allowing you to customize the intensity to your environment. Want long range viewing, simply turn the light body to zoom an intensify the beam into a 150 yard spotlight. Built into a quality constructed headband system, your hands are free to use allowing for greater functionality. Battery pack holds two 18650 rechargeable batteries but can be used with only one. This complete package includes the Kill Light® Hands Free Head Lamp in your choice of color (green, red or white), universal dual station battery charger with AC and DC adapters and a 2 pack of 18650 lithium rechargeable batteries. The perfect headlamp for scanning for predator eye shine. * Batteries included
I'm not sure it makes a difference either. That being said, get some red cellophane and rubber band it over your normal light. No need to spend extra money.
Only reason to use the red is it doesn't wreck your night vision, but if you don't wear glasses, I suggest using the brighter light so you don't get a stick in the eye. I don't believe there is any such thing as a (lightweight) bright red light unless it's a fricking laser beam! That being said, I accidentally bought us two Princeton Tec Remix that has decent red light and a bright 125 lumen white spot light. Probably the best red lights I've seen personally but don't look for them do don't know what's out there, might\probably is better ones. Only time I'm likely to use the red is if I'm already at where I want to be at legal shooting time and want to look at something and don't want to mess up my eyes with the bright light!
Be careful with the Road Hunter input fella's.
I think this thread is about the bow elk hunter that goes in early with the darkness of night----
That said, I use Green and Clear view, not against Red but I like a little definition as I bush wack into my hunting area, I blow in the dark most every day....Red just doesn't give us/me the definition of the lay of the land ~~
Good luck, Robb
Tom, the lights dm was talking about are the same brand I use. Don't know anything about their headlights, but the hand held is a quality light.
Elusivewildlifetechnoligies.com
We used to get a red or blue magic marker(depending on what job we performed) and color in our flashlight lens in the Navy working on the flightdeck at night. We weren't allowed to use white!
"Be careful with the Road Hunter input fella's."
Not sure about what that statement is about. But I'm the only one taking about spot lighting. Which is 100% legal in my state of Pa.
Ed
If you want to talk flashlights -
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php
Just that there is a big difference in "like a 2000000 candle power light" and a Head lamp--Ed ! haha
Good luck, Robb
Bulelk1 true. My points was, hit them with 2000000 and they don't run, hitting them with 200 and I don't think they will run either..
One more point.. I hike a ski resort by my house, with work and heat many of times I hike it right before dark. Going up I see deer out feeding and when I get 150 to 100 yds away they run into the woods. Coming down the mountain I have my head light on with the high white light as it's dark. I can get many of time 30/40 yds from the deer before they run. I don't use red as I can only see 10 to 15 feet away at best. With the white easy 50 60 yds clearly. For me I only loose my night vision for 20 second after turning off my white light.
Ed
I use the green light on my hat. It is LED an throws a good deal of light. Big plus, is it does not bother the deer. I have walked by deer in the field an not have them spook.
I took a piece of transparent tail light repair tape and stuck it to my Petzl Tikka when picking nightcrawlers this spring and the red light didn't seem to spook the nightcrawlers as much as the white light.
You can buy the red transparent tail light repair tape in the automotive section at Walmart and probably a lot of other stores.
I've had deer under my stand after dark, waiting for them to leave so as not to spook them. Turned on the mini-mag I used in those days to see what they were, and they were unfazed by the light, even from fifteen feet above.
We have all had deer stand there when a light is shined on them, but how many big mule deer bucks in the back country will tolerate a light shined on them or just seeing a light come up and shined around.. I have had a couple different trail cameras out, some with regular flash, some with infrared and now a new one with the black flash. About 1 pic with regular flash and where I live the bigger whitetail bucks don't come back. I will get them on the other cameras but not the regular flash ones. Just trying to put the odds in my favor when walking in
SniperHogLights new 40KAP headlamp has different color LED Modules and is interchangeable with 3 different colors or IR one. Really nice. I can get em for a very good price, if anybody is interested!
Tom: good point about not spooking deer.
I prefer to use a red light because I share the same opinion for hiking in the dark before daylight. Of course I use the white if I have to but try to use the red because I think it spooks them a lot less.
The nighttime fox hunters that I know all agree that red lights spook them a lot less if at all. They say that hitting them with white light stops them. Hitting them with the red light won't stop them and they keep on coming in to the call.
There was an article on Bowsite a year or two ago about a deer's eyesight and what they could/could not see. It was pretty interesting. I tried to find it, so I could attach the link....but haven't located it yet. In that article, the research to date showed that deer can see blue and yellow colors....but not red and green. I wonder if those findings were factored into the colors that are sometimes used for headlamps...as I have both red light and green light headlamps....but have never seen headlamps with blue or yellow lenses. I also wondered if other animals (especially predators) also have the same sensitivity to blue and yellow, but not red and green?
I stated red for maintaining night vision and some disagreed...no prob. But, there's a reason the control room in WWII submarines used red light at night...most night attacks were finalized with a surface approach launch. Red DID allow night vision to be unfazed when climbing out for a night visual.
I use red, but seldom while walking...only in pitch darkness or moving through thick brush...I've had too many eye pokes...ouch :^)
Mainly, I use red for setting up my climber.
To each their own...eh?
And the instrument panel lighting on my airplane is red so it doesn't affect night vision.
Tom Miranda used a red light on his show Sunday.
I have Princeton Tec Remix. I like the fact it has a low and high settings on red.
I use the remix too, and there has been extensive research on red light and Elk and deer's inability to see it. Thought that was fairly common knowledge...
