What is your favorite hunting/deer tracking light?

What is your "go to" flashlight for tracking deer? Just wondering what you all use, there has got to be some hunters on this forum.

Im going to use a SF E1L this season.

My hunting light for tracking and going to my stand changes from year to year. It is usually an EDC size. This year will be my Sunway V10A. I will carry last years light, my Quark 123'2 as a backup. I usually put cloth tape around them so they wont make noise in my pocket.

I current favorite is my Mag 2D Aspherical PT54 600LM (est) Red running DD @ 8a+. Lights coyotes at 500m+. Am working on a Green PT120 4000LM. I would like to make a tracking two led flood style. Saw some 660nm Deep-Red 1-Up EndorStar based on the Luxeon Rebel that would be good for red spectrum and Cree XR-E blue. My thought would be to combine the two into a three mode light that would allow each independently and both on at the same time.

The past few years I've used a Jetbeam Jet III M with warm tint. I think a blood trail shows up better under a warm tint.

For tracking blood trails, the Coleman gas lit lantern is the best, followed by good incandescent lights, followed by warm tint high-color rendition LED lights.

My current favorite is the Surefire Saint. The beam pattern is perfectly matched to the human sight radius, and the 3-100 infinitely adjustable is excellent for not spooking game on the way in, and for finding miniscule drips of blood in the dark.

I have been using a Quark 2xAA but this year I'll be using a Zebraligt H51Fc and a Fenix LD40, I had some difficulty with the cool tints picking up the red colors accuratly. Going to try the High CRI ZL and the neurtal LD40 this year and see if that helps. I also have a Quark turbo AA that will get some use, but the runtimes for the LD40 may make up for the added weight.

I've never used anything special for deer hunting except one of those blood tracer (red&blue) lights I got as a gift - wich works so-so tracking deer. I'll agree with Pacecar a white gas lantern was always our choice for blood tracking, although I dont have one myself so havent had the chance to use one since I lived at home and hunted with dad.

For walking into the woods in the morning I have a small 3xAAA led light dont even remember brand but its less bright than my ZL H51w on low1 with a slightly smaller hotspot and NO SPILL at all. Its got to be about the least chance of spooking the deer other than moonlight (I mean real moonlight, no flashlight), and whenever the moon is out good I do usually just use moonlight and put the flashlight away. This year I am going to try the H51w probably... it a lot more versatile but I still like my dim light with no spill. Might have to do some comparisons between it and the ZL on low 1 or 2.

Season starts saturday! :rock:
:buddies:

Pacecar said:

For tracking blood trails, the Coleman gas lit lantern is the best,

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I agree, put the flashlight toys away, this is the right tool for the job