Do you guys use a headlamp

[luberhill]

Or a handheld flashlight going into your stand in the dark or coming out in the dark ?

Ive always used just a regular flashlight but see some saying use a headlamp with green or red light ? 

[mowin]

Rarely use a light in the dark.  

[luberhill]

14 minutes ago, mowin said:

Rarely use a light in the dark.  

If you see where I walk thru you would, unless you have night vision like a raccoon 

Also don’t want to get shot

[Versatile_Hunter]

12 minutes ago, luberhill said:

If you see where I walk thru you would, unless you have night vision like a raccoon 

Also don’t want to get shot

Other hunters is why I use a headlamp rather than let my eyes dark adapt.

[Dinsdale]

I use red more then white.You retain night vision.

Blue helps with blood, makes it stand out. 

Petzl with a usb rechargable is a current favorite; but a bit low on lumens. Black Diamond with 4 aaaa's has a really good run time on standard batteries, good output,and  pretty good on rechargable Energizers, 2nd favorite.

Have a couple box stores in the tool box, but they lack for decent features, but cheap.

[luberhill]

20 minutes ago, Dinsdale said:

I use red more then white.You retain night vision.

Blue helps with blood, makes it stand out. 

Petzl with a usb rechargable is a current favorite; but a bit low on lumens. Black Diamond with 4 aaaa's has a really good run time on standard batteries, good output,and  pretty good on rechargable Energizers, 2nd favorite.

Have a couple box stores in the tool box, but they lack for decent features, but cheap.

Thx I’ll check BPS 

[Kmartinson]

Not often, in new places light pointed straight down if I need it.

[Skillet]

I use a very small flashlight when I need it, with a few layers of red saran wrap between the bulb and lense. I'll hold my finger over most of the lense, to let just enough light out.

I'd rather use the moon and let my eyes adjust.

I don't really know if it matters though.

I think any deer close enough to see a small light focused right on the ground would most likely spook when you walked by anyways.

[chrisw]

Always use a white headlamp, you aren't sneaking past deer because you have a different color headlamp. If white light was so off putting to a deer then why do they get ran over by the thousands in traffic? Ever spotlight deer? Do they run at the sight of light? No. Deer aren't spooking because of your light, they spook because your noise, your smell, your cadence is unnatural to them.
Anyone who says they don't use a light isn't going in or out in the dark, period. Dark adapt still only works with some additional light, and takes quite awhile for eyes to adjust fully.

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[wolc123]

I am going to carry a headlamp and a flashlight in my pack this year, especially when I hunt at my parents place.  Last year and on New Year’s evening, it was very dark, by the time I finished gutting the three bucks that I killed over there (two buttons and one 9-pointer).  All of them were killed within 5 minutes of sunset.  The lights don’t work on dad’s Polaris Ranger.   It was a pain gutting those, while trying to hold a flashlight.  
 

I prefer a small, hand-held flashlight for walking in in the dark.  That is especially handy for me, on opening day of gun season.  The last (4) seasons, I have hunted this small hang-on stand, near the back corner of my parents woods on that day.  It’s very thick and brushy back there, on the edge of a swamp.  That stand is very tough for me to find in the broad daylight.  I usually only hunt it, on that one day each season.  

Fortunately, it is located about 50 yards from the corner of their property.  The neighbor is one of those “posted sign every 50 ft” type of guys.  He also paints bright orange stripes around most of the trees that he posts, and even some in between the 50 ft spaced signs.  
 
A fool-proof way for me to find that stand in the dark, is to walk to the line of orange striped trees using the flashlight, then follow along to the corner post  tree.  I make sure to cover my scent tracks, with Evercalm applied to my boots, and I wear gloves to avoid leaving any scent on branches that I touch in the dark.

 I have killed a mature buck or doe from that stand on three of the last (4) times that I did that.  The first one was a long (100 yard plus) shot into the swamp.  That year,  I had stumbled around aimlessly in the dark, until it started getting light, before I found the stand.  
 

The last (3) years, I found it very easy, with the flashlight/corner post method, and I killed the last (2) deer within 40 yards of the stand.  it is so much better to get up into position, well before daylight.  There is no way that I could do that there, without a flashlight.   
 

 

That is the back corner tree posted sign, to the left of the stand.  I met that neighbor.  He is very nice to me and my parents (probably because any deer he shoots on his overgrown field will likely expire in my parents woods or swamp, which border it on two sides).  
 

We don’t post facing his way, and I even called him on my cell phone after dropping that first big buck about 50 yards to the right and 50 behind that corner post.  It was a lot easier dragging out across his corner, than floating it thru the deep water.  He had asked me to call him first if I ever needed to track a wounded deer into his property.  I assumed the same would apply for the “dry” drag shortcut, across his corner.  
 

I think the colored lenses are best left for varmit hunters.  All they do, is steal useful light, from the deer hunter.  

Edited October 8, 2022 by wolc123

[Lawdwaz]

33 minutes ago, chrisw said:

Always use a white headlamp, you aren't sneaking past deer because you have a different color headlamp. If white light was so off putting to a deer then why do they get ran over by the thousands in traffic? Ever spotlight deer? Do they run at the sight of light? No. Deer aren't spooking because of your light, they spook because your noise, your smell, your cadence is unnatural to them.
Anyone who says they don't use a light isn't going in or out in the dark, period. Dark adapt still only works with some additional light, and takes quite awhile for eyes to adjust fully.

Sent from my moto g fast using Tapatalk
 

Lol, lots of truth to that response.  Like  skillet said, I hold my hand over the lens of my handheld light to limit the light when I need/want to.  Headlamps are great for certain needs but rarely do I use one when going in or out of the woods.   If I’m gutting or dragging, of course I’d rather use a headlamp but usury it’s just a handheld.   

[Larry]

I use a headlamp and bring extra batteries. One time when my kids were younger they needed batteries for there game boy and replaced my batteries with there's.my light ran out and left me in the dark.

 

[knehrke]

I only use a red headlamp, and only on completely moonless nights when I might get turned around. I have trails cut to stands, so it's a bit of a cheat. If I were hunting somewhere that I hadn't been before, then I sure would. Hunt OnX helps, but looking at my phone ruins my night vision for too long...old eyes, long refractory period. 

[Hock3y24]

I use a red headlamp, full moon in bow season ill turn it off sometimes since i can see better without. During gun I don't shut it of just in case some idiot is trespassing and shooting at movement. 

[Nomad]

I have both a headlamp and a very bright hand light with me . Seldom use them walking in or out in bow ,there are no other hunters . Most of my walks are along field edges or mowed paths .

The times I go through the woods, it’s on a four foot wide dirt path I made ,occasionally I’ll shine it to,light up the tacks on a few tricky spots where there’s undergrowth obscuring the path .

im bring my rake today to clean the path up a bit after my sit ,if I’m not ofter wise dragging a buck out . Later after leaf drop , I’ll weed whack  it and go over it with my backpack leaf blower .

[mowin]

6 hours ago, luberhill said:

If you see where I walk thru you would, unless you have night vision like a raccoon 

Also don’t want to get shot

I hunt in some nasty stuff.  Never needed a light.  Not worried about getting shot.  I don't hunt public and most of the adjacent properties to the land I hunt and off limits to hunting and unless one trespass across multiple properties, crosses a large creek or the mass Pike, I know I'm the only one there. 

[Daveboone]

I carry a small 2 aa light, white. I know where I am going, and there will not be any other hunters in the area.I very seldom need it in the a.m., I have it more for if I shoot something at last light. 

[Jeremy K]

I use lights on my way if it's pitch black . If I can see the ground then no reason to use a light.  

[Team Hoyt]

Headlamp then I'm hands free

[The_Real_TCIII]

I sure do


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[Dinsdale]

Fwiw, a red light has nothing to do with trying to fool a deer. Its easier on your eyes and allows your pupils to stay adjusted to the dark. You retain more night vision across your field of view.

On an led, it also extends battery life as red and blue require less then full spectrum white. 

 

[BizCT]

I flick a red light on every 15-20 yards. Rather be safe than sorry and don’t want to get shot.


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[Kmartinson]

I think I missed something? Who shoots at light in the dark? I hang and bang and often don't exactly know where I am but don't feel any certain way about how the deer see the flashlight. Also if I don't use bright light my eyes will stay adjusted to the dark. Exit access is key for sure, but when your a few hundred yards in your not getting to the vehicle after closing time with much natural light.

[airedale]

I have become quite fond of the small clip on cap brim led lights, a good quality model works great for all sorts of situations that can pop up where a light is needed. I like being prepared.

Al

[skully]

I do not go in woods till after first light anymore.  No reason to in my spots