Need a good LED Light for tracking

[Turtleman]

I need a good LED Light for tracking it can be any kind as long as it is LED and I am looking for something with a minimum of 150 Lumens.

Thanks

 

[Hef]

Check out the Surefire LX2. 200 lumens on high with a 2 hr. run time.

 

[Dances with Flashlight]

Not that I can claim to have tracked Butch Cassidy over rocks or anything, but you've raised a very interesting question - what characteristics should the ideal light have for such a job?

Wide beam?
Clean beam, free of rings and artifacts?
Good color rendition?
???

 

[Turtleman]

I guess I should also include a couple othe details, I will be using this light for tracking deer I have shot, so are some lights better for blood? Also it can take a while sometimes depending on how good the blood trail is and how thick the woods are that I am tracking in so longer run time is preffered.

Thanks

 

[berry580]

tracking what?

range?
speed?
degree of accurate color rendering?
object size?

150 lumens is out-the-front or emitter lumens?

you need to talk a lot more before we can help you.

I need a good LED Light for tracking it can be any kind as long as it is LED and I am looking for something with a minimum of 150 Lumens.

Thanks

 

[Turtleman]

Tracking Deer - Blood, body fluid, tracks, hair

Speed - Walking

degree of accurate color rendering? not sure
object size? Blood droplets

150 lumens is out-the-front or emitter lumens? not sure what this means, I am new to the forum

 

[se4g4e]

I guess I should also include a couple othe details, I will be using this light for tracking deer I have shot, so are some lights better for blood? Also it can take a while sometimes depending on how good the blood trail is and how thick the woods are that I am tracking in so longer run time is preffered.

Thanks

I don't know from personal experience, but supposedly UV light makes blood glow. A quick search turned up this: http://www.blacklightsusa.com/blacklights11.html

 

[jslappa]

Take some advice from a Michigan whitetail hunter. You and I k ow you won't be tracking your deer until you have shot him. That's just how it works. You've spent all summer keeping track of the trails the doe make in the woods. You've picked your spot well, because you have seen many a doe walk by, with the bucks no too far behind. Noe that it's November 15, you have been sitting quietly for hours, just waiting to take that perfect 10 point down with one shot. You hope he drops like a rock within 50 yards, because if he doesn't, that's when the tracking starts. It's only at this point that you need a light to track your deer. It's already wounded, and may be bleading. Hopefully the blood is foamy, since that's what blood from the lungs looks like. He won't get far with a solid lung hit.

I love my Incan lights, especially for outdoors, but you really need an LED light to track blood. So you're on the right track there. Your deer might not even start to bleed out for a good 50 yards before blood starts painting the ground, so some throw is needed here to pick up the trail. Often times, once hit, a deer will fly in a straight path until it reaches dense brush, then change directions fast. Again, that light needs some throw to find the new direction fast.

My suggestion? If you can find an amber filter, that will give you the best contrast. Always hold your light at a low angle, like at your waist. The lower the angle of the light, the more the blood will reflect the light. And blood does reflect light, especially blood that is less than 90 minutes old. A blue filter will often give blood a bright reflective purple hue.

My suggestion? Get a light that will serve many purposes. Get a surefire E2Dl, and get a blue filter for it. Don't listen to people telling you about Cree rings and what not. You won't see any rings ouside in the freaking woods. Get the E2DL. It's 200 lumens minimum, with a good low too. It will run for 2 hours, which is what you'd likely need if you had totrack the deer a couple miles.

 

[Turtleman]

Thank you for the info.

 

[SFG2Lman]

as another michigan whitetail hunter i would also advise for LED, but you don't want a tight focused spotlight, the area illuminated can get washed out and too brilliant to look at and you might miss something if you don't point directly at it, I have tracked many deer for friends and fathers/grand fathers when the fat falls back over the wound so all you get is a drip or two every few feet and some rustled leaves. or when the arrow wound is high on their back and the blood pools internally instead of leaving a trail

There is no secret blue light that will make blood glow...get any flashlight that has your run time and is using either an sst-50 or an sst-90, the huge swath of light will make it much easier than trying to use a light with a spot so small that if feels like a laser pointer. i have a bored out 6p with an 18650 and an underdriven sst-90. i get 40-50 minutes of ridiculous light, and then it gradually dims for another hour or so. also a good headlamp can be invaluable when gutting deer in the dark, better than holding a bloody flashlight in your mouth while extricating internal organs...but thats my .02 cents

 

[emitdab]

A good jack of all trades is the Surefire Kroma. Has Red, White and Blue LEDs.

 

[Policetacteam]

I would have to strongly second what jslappa already mentioned! Depending on what your lighting conditions are you will need something with some serious throw. I have not had much luck with using blue filters on blood. The problem that I have run into is that it seems to really cut back on your ability to throw the beam. Unless you are right on top of the blood drops or splatter it seems to not have that "glow" that was mentioned. Typically if I shoot something late and the daylight is running out quickly I just let the deer expire and check in the morning. Those of us who are avid deer hunters know deer rarely expire instantly right on the spot. They run and will continue to run if they know you are tracking them right away. That has subsequently put some of my deer in the deepest of ravines making it a huge pain in the *** to drag out of! The blue filter is not a bad idea but I would strongly recommend a good warm LED. The warmer LED's really bring out the blood. Of course it also depends on if you are hunting when there is still some greens, browns, and other grass and leaf colors visible. Here in Iowa we are covered in anywhere from 2'-6' in snow. Different lights for different jobs. My suggestions is do your homework and take 1-3 different lights with you. Experiment and see which works best. Report back here with what you find. What helps you will eventually help us as well!

 

[Arnulf]

I need a good LED Light for tracking it can be any kind as long as it is LED and I am looking for something with a minimum of 150 Lumens.

Thanks

Check out a Fenix TA21.

 

[jslappa]

Yes, please do report back here with what ends up working for you, and what doesn't. Just because you are new here, doesn't mean you have nothing to contribute! On the contrary.....Your observations are quite welcome, and greatly appreciated.

 

[MrGman]

I would say that when you are in search mode on the ground in front of you the best light would be the Malkoff M60 MC-E Warm LED. 450 lumens of warm tinted light in a medium 20 degree flood pattern with no hot spot. You will be able to see the ground in front of you and blood spots will stand out on green leaves better than a "cool" white bluish tint LED. I would run this in the MD4 host using 2 18650 batteries for the best run time. If you get the 2 mode ring, then you can switch to low when you just need a longer run time general purpose light at about 45 lumens.

My long time friend who is a very serious and successful deer hunter has always told me to not chase a deer that you know you hit and was wounded, at all. To let him run off and realize he is not being chased where he will try to settle in rather than run over the side of a mountain or down in a steep ravine where you might loose him. His best advice is to sit down and be quiet for 30 minutes. The deer might run a mere hundred yards, stop to rest and lie down and die.

 

[taschenlampe]

Hunting is part of my work and because I do it mostly in the evening I often have
to track wild game with my flashlights.

Incans make fresh (wet) blood very shiny because their emission is strong in the
red spectrum but although they have a CRI of 100, to my eyes their colour rendition
isn't really good because they make most off the things looking yellow and brown.

Cool white LED's doesn't show red well and to my eyes they bother the stereoscopic
sight and make the environment looking "flat".

To me, the best of two worlds are neutral white LED's like CREE 5 tints (+/- 4000K)
with a spot-to-flood beam.
In the coming hunting season I will give the RC-C6/-29 a try because of their even
flood beam – my only concern is if I can get them bright enough.
(RC-C6 - which I like better - is out of stock at this time)

... My long time friend who is a very serious and successful deer hunter has always told me to not chase a deer that you know you hit and was wounded, at all. To let him run off and realize he is not being chased where he will try to settle in rather than run over the side of a mountain or down in a steep ravine where you might loose him. His best advice is to sit down and be quiet for 30 minutes. The deer might run a mere hundred yards, stop to rest and lie down and die.

A very good advice!

tl

 

[Policetacteam]

MrGMan got it right! I never even thought to suggest the Malkoff MCE warm. That is a great suggestion. I wish I would have seen this thread or thought about it before last years deer season. I would've loved to test some of these on some blood tracking to see which actually out performs the others. Everything always sounds and looks good on paper until you actually get it out in the woods and do real world testing. I tracked 4 deer this season. All four were found before it became too dark. The big buck we tracked for nearly two hours finding only the most minute amounts of blood maybe every 10-15 yards. Tracking, even with a good solid shot to the vitals, can still be extremely difficult. Every little advantage helps and also helps to harvest the deer rather than let it go to waste. Steaks in the freezer boys...its all about those backstraps!!!

 

[SFG2Lman]

Steaks in the freezer boys...its all about those backstraps!!!

mine sometimes don't make it to the freezer...sometimes we pull em out and toss right over some kingsford...very primal and awesome