Flashlight beam color: white? green? red?

What is the current thinking on flashlight beam color?
Is there a color that animals(deer) can't see or is less intimidating?

I'm always careful to keep it pointed at the ground and cover it up with my hand, just so I can barely see.

Did you hear about Ole and Swen out camping? Ole said to Swen, "bet you can't climb up that light beam", as Ole shined the flashlight up into the trees. Swen says to Ole, "yeah, right, I'd get up there and you'd turn it out on me!".

Thanks,
MOBU

 

I try to use red for deer and green for turkeys. Ive just always been told that.

 

Red for sure.

 

I'm a fan of red as well.

Last year I went to a special hunt at a NWR; I got into my spot early and kicked back to relax until sun up. It looked like a Hollywood premier with all of the white flashlights that were illuminating the night from long distances away.

 

in the USMC we always use red.

 

I was taught green for deer or any other game. Red to preserve your night vision.

 

There have been studies done that show that deer don't see red very much if any and they see green and blue the best. Last year I had deer in my backyard and tested this. I could shine a red light on them and they wouldn't even pick up their heads from eating. White, green, or anything else and they were gone. I'm sticking with red from now on after that little experiment.

 

I use green, but that's only because my headlamp offers hi and low beam white or green. Green for the win.

 

i was thinking about my days in my "black and white" darkroom(oops, kind of dates me).
We use a "safe" light for working lighting, that would NOT fog the photographic paper.
The "safe" light was a dark red in color and dimmer than a night-light in a bathroom.

Good luck and thanks!
MOBU

 

Two seasons ago, I was walking to my stand and had the red lamp on. I walked right up on a pack of raccoons who were eating under my stand. I walked right up and them and they never ran until they read me step on a branch. I was 10 feet away.

 

another vote for red here, just what I have always used.

 

I use a red beam mostly, but if I need light, I need light and will use a white light when needed. Honestly, I really don't think color matters as much as the "experts" lead us to believe. I feel the noise you make and the scent you leave going to and from a stand is more impactful than a light. In other words, they'll hear you long before they see you. Use your red light, keep it pointed just in front of you, not blast light all through the woods, and sneak as quietly in and out as you can.

 

I like the thoughts here. I personally try to get too and from my stand with no light at all early mornings and at night. There is a lot of research on what type of colors deer and turkeys can see better than others - but if you think about how the eye actually works, the common factor is light. A deer and animals that see well at night have larger eyes to gather in light at night. There is a lot of science of the makeup up deer eyes, which makes it easy for them to see at night and this is great to know. BUT...the way I see it, any light source moving to and from a treestand or blind is not normal to a deer in the woods. Getting to and from my stand with as little disturbance avoiding all senses is my goal...I realize light is needed at times, but I try to avoid it entirely.
Just my thoughts - Keep it simple and Good Luck Hunting this year!

Bowhunting Season is OPEN! The leaves are changing color here in WI! Nothing Better!

 

From my understanding is that animals don't see red, green doesn't attract bugs and white is what it is and everything can see it.
I use a green head lamp because that just happened to be what I had and one morning going to the stand last season I seen a canebreak rattler coiled up right on the side of the trail i was walking on, if I hadn't seen it I would have walked with in a foot of the snake, In the green light the snake stood out like it was glowing. turned out to be 5' long. I killed it coming from the stand later that day. Enough reason for me to continue to use a green light but I keep it pointed down as much as possible.

 

A green cree I have got forced into action during a long tracking job last year. Have fun trying to follow a blood trail with the green light, you're looking for wet spots only. If you decide to carry a colored light, I'd be sure to have a white one also for tracking.

 

Great perspective on using a light to get to you stand location. I would do the same if there were predators like that out in my area. Thanks.