When you consider night hunting, you need to think about the light you need to use for your hunting flashlight. Does the color matter? The color of your hunting spotlight matters depending on different factors. Most hunters prefer red because it provides stealthy operation and is not as intense as other colors. This piece explains why the color is essential considerations that should help you select the color.
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Science Behind Night Hunting Lights
Color blindness in human beings results from photopigment defects. There are three types of cones responsive to red, green and blue light. Humans have trichromatic vision, so they have three pigments that blend colors together.
Animals like varmints, pigs, hogs and other predators have dichromatic vision. This means they only have two pigments cones to blend colors together. Other animals, though not mammals, have one pigment cone, which means they see in black and white.
Most predators can detect low wavelengths like blue light. If you increase the wavelength, they can have trouble processing the light visually. A wavelength between 520nm-540nm can make dichromatic vision mammals go blind.
Why Is the Color Important?
Does the color of your night hunting light matter? I know you may be asking yourself this question. What you should know is that shining any light whether red or blue, alerts the animal. However, animals do not colored lights the way humans do. Therefore, they might not see colored light the way they see white light.
Colored lights are not intense to animals. This gives hunters the chance to use the light and see their target perfectly while keeping the light intensity low to the target. The main reason why hunters need light is to see their target. Another reason is for camouflage purposes.
The majority of the animals you want to hunt at night see well in the dark. If you shine the light towards them, they see the light and not the hunter.
Best Color for Night Hunting
Between green and red, which is the best color for night hunting? Red is the most recommended color for night hunting. On the contrary, many people buy green light because they associate it with night vision. However, the two are not the same. Green light casts a visible shadow; hence animals can detect it than red light.
If you are into hog hunting, the best hunting spotlight is red. Hogs have dichromate vision, and they are less observant. That is why green light works too. Unlike hogs, coyotes are observant of their surroundings. It can be hard to trick them. Using red light can trick them because it keeps you in the shadow and illuminates your predator.
Red is also the best color for hunting varmints. Like the hogs, they also have dichromate vision and are more vulnerable to red light.
Other Considerations
As discussed above, red is the best hunting light when it comes to stealth. However, in other cases where you would like to see a farther animal, you need a high-intensity light that shines further. A red light can impose some limitations when it comes to this functionality.
Because of the stealth feature, red light is best when hunting predators like coyotes because they see pretty well. In cases where you want to hunt hogs, the stealth feature might not be important because hogs have poor eyesight and are less nervous than other predators.
Using a green light can identify dark-colored hogs because of how the human eye sees green light. Green light also enables hunters to see farther while still maintaining stealth compared to white light.
Lastly, it is essential to consider that animals also learn from experience, just like human beings. Therefore, if they are used to a particular type of light, it would be better to use a different light than they are used to.
For instance, even though red light is not intense, this means predators like coyotes should not experience anxiety when they see the light. However, if coyotes are exposed to the light associated with danger, they will be more alert than when they see green night hunting lights.
How to Use a Hunting Light
Understanding how to use a predator hunting light is crucial. You can get valuable use if you use the light correctly. If you are a beginner, these tips should help you use the night hunting light to maintain camouflage and identify your prey easily.
When choosing a hunting light, there are three main features you should consider. They include the adjustable intensity, long-range beam and the optimal color wavelength. Always scan the light intensity to avoid shining the light to your target’s eyes. The speed and the frequency at which you scan the light depends on the terrain.
After identifying your target, maintain camouflage. Most of the predators see well in the dark, and if you don’t remove the light from their eyes, it dilates their eyes hence hard for the target to see you. after keeping your target in range, the next thing is to aim and shoot. Most of the hunting shots you will make on the target will be on the move.
Get a light that allows you to increase the intensity of the stubborn coyote. This makes them stand for a while. Don’t allow the light’s beam to reach the target unless you are almost pulling the trigger. This confirms that you are making accurate shots.
Conclusion
Understanding the color of hunting torch light is essential before you buy. The type of night hunting light color you choose depends of several factors. Red is the best hunting flashlight color to choose for most predator hunting. The color is less intense, and it keeps the predators calm. But sometimes you need to make long-range shots, and red light poses some problems because it can’t reach far. While white light can reach far, it alerts your targets fast. That is where the green light comes in, especially if you are hunting hogs.
