Blue LED's and blood tracking

I keep reading where blue LED's are so good for blood trailing. I just don't see how. I've tracked dozens of deer blood trails in my life using halogen lights. I have tried in the last few years to use blue LED lights. I even used my E2E with a blue filter. In my opinion it made it more difficult to see the blood because it made it look black. Black liquid against a dark background like dead leaves or dirt isn't easy to see. At least with a halogen or even a white LED light source the blood looks red and contrasts with the leaves, etc. The blue light makes it blend in. Am I missing something or is my eyes not seeing something that everyone else is seeing? I've heard several people talking up the greatness of using a blue light for tracking until I pressed them for details and then I found that they actually hadn't tried it themselves but thats what "they heard". I think a lot of the hype about blue light and blood trailing does not come from personal experience.

Well, for me black on brown stands out much better then red on brown, but I'm partially color blind.

I haven't used a blue light to track blood, but I'm just pointing out the color vision rule, but I immagine that it would work better in non-hunting situations. (I.E. indoors.)

I have found that one of the best things for trailing deer is one of the oldest, the Coleman Lantern. Not sure why, but blood almost glows in it, it shows blackish, but very bright and shiny. Perhaps it is because that is what I grew up using having started helping trail deer about age 6 or so, but it works best for me

ConstableScott -

I'm not a hunter so I don't know. I don't think it would work for my eyes based on tests I've done with bloody steaks as well as human blood.

Why Blue Led

xenopus's blood tracker makes more sense to me.

Blue works for me. I don't know why but it makes it look very dark... I guess I can see what ur saying in a dark background area..

...and this may be a stellar example of how each human processes light and color uniquely due to dynamically different input devices (eyes) and photo labs (brains). Though it doesn't work for one person doesn't mean it doesn't work for another person.

I'm going to keep touting an idea until someone builds it. Slow flashing of alternating red and blue. The problem with my great idea is that it could be used for wrong doing and not well received by game and fish officers.

gerber carnavore has red and blue both. look on led_museum for details.

Hey, cy. Yes, I know that light is available. I don't think it alternates red and blue even manually. I think a military group could get a Chroma in red and blue that would manually alternate. I'm talking circuit controlled automatic, maybe variable speed and sustain.

And before anyone thinks I'm claiming I.P. that idea didn't come to me until after I saw xeno's demo gif but it was before I heard about the carnivore and the Kroma. Seems like a natural progression of thought to me.

Icebreak said:

...and this may be a stellar example of how each human processes light and color uniquely due to dynamically different input devices (eyes) and photo labs (brains). Though it doesn't work for one person doesn't mean it doesn't work for another person.

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Black on a dark mottled background (i.e. leaves in woods mixed with rocks and dirt) seems to be difficult to pick out no matter how good your eyes are. Human vision works best with high contrast between shades or colors. Black on dark brown is NOT a high contrast situation.

Blood absorbs blue light, so the better the objects AROUND it reflect blue light, the easier it is to see the blood. Of course none of the "blue helps find blood" statements on here have ever qualified it with what wavelength was used, what the background was, or how fresh the blood was...

There's a least one company out there using host maglites for a red/white blood tracker light...which seems to provide a higher contrast than black on brown would: http://www.theledlight.com/blood_tracker.html

I understand how it is supposed to work and I understand contrast. I'm just allowing for the possibility that it may work better for some than it does for others.

That link to a light looks very familiar.

Lee1959 said:

I have found that one of the best things for trailing deer is one of the oldest, the Coleman Lantern. Not sure why, but blood almost glows in it, it shows blackish, but very bright and shiny. Perhaps it is because that is what I grew up using having started helping trail deer about age 6 or so, but it works best for me

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Thats what my father always used for tracking deer.

Hello CS;
I don't believe that on its own (blue light) is helpful since blood does appear black (I've tried) and when you're trying to find some VERY small drops at times the starkness of fresh red works better for me, particularily in the light of a good flashlight. I think the blue idea comes from cop shows where they spray the area first with a chemical agent which causes the blood to flouresce (don't shoot me for the spelling).

I've used coleman lanterns only because I didn't have anything better (then) but they do serve a dual purpose when you find the animal and the work starts.

I guess I should check my bats since the season is almost upon us.

good luck

Karl

just lost a deer when I was not able to find at night ... so is a Coleman gas light still the best light for finding a blood trail?

I never had luck with a blue light. A combo of a good wide beam headlamp and a hand held thrower works best for me. I always carry a spay bottle of peroxide with me. If I find a spot or a drop I am not sure of a quick spay will tell all.

I cannot speak to the effectiveness of blue lenses, but cannot see where making the blood appear black would help. I'm an old school Coleman lantern (white gas) fan , but got the my first chance this year trailing one with a lantern in one hand and a mid-range $$, neutral white LED in the other and the LED put it to shame. Even a Neanderthal can evolve!

olddogrib said:

I cannot speak to the effectiveness of blue lenses, but cannot see where making the blood appear black would help. I'm an old school Coleman lantern (white gas) fan , but got the my first chance this year trailing one with a lantern in one hand and a mid-range $$, neutral white LED in the other and the LED put it to shame. Even a Neanderthal can evolve!

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It does depend on the back ground you need to see it against, and your night vision when doing all of this...and that's one of the reasons so many swear by XYZ and other say XYZ sucks, etc.

A lantern gives a large pool of light, so, if your only other option is a maglight, etc, with a small tight circle of light, sure, a flood kicks the tight beam's butt for tracking every time.

Now that floody LED lights are available, they can supplant the lantern's functions.

Teej,
I probably should have been clearer. The LED I was using was not a lantern, it was an early model LED Surefire 6P. I now have an ET D25C2 clicky, but I didn't get a chance to trail with it.

olddogrib said:

Teej,
I probably should have been clearer. The LED I was using was not a lantern, it was an early model LED Surefire 6P. I now have an ET D25C2 clicky, but I didn't get a chance to trail with it.

Click to expand...

If the LED SF gave enough light to see with, then it could work great. A more powerful floody beam works even better. The idea is that when tracking, you are not just looking for blood, you are looking for tracks, bent grass or twigs, turned leaves, etc.


If you pretend you are a wounded deer, and you are crashing through the undergrowth or whatever in a desperate attempt to flee your pursuers, you look for the route they would be most likely to take, and, signs that they took it, or, didn't.

If you can see a deep, wide area at one time, you can more naturally weigh the alternatives and "pick the line" your prey would most likely have gone for.

If you have a small tight beam, its like trying to see where it went while looking through a paper towel tube...and, its a LOT harder to "stitch together" the tube views and notice patterns. Seeing it all at once makes patterns jump out at you.