Soo after going through several lights throughout the years for either finding my way to and from the stand in the dark or tracking i have come to the conclusion that my surefire's far exceed anything i have ever used. My only complaint is the cost of batteries for them. The 123a batteries run around $6 for 2. Good ole trusty mag lights are nice but extremely heavy and bulky. My primary is a Surefire l4 lumamax and backup is a 6p. Both of these lights are brighter than anything their size which will easily fit in the palm of your hand. This leads me to the question - what type of flashlight do you all carry and why?
To get to and from stand sites I use a headlamp that is not very bright but bright enough to keep me from getting my eye poked out. If there is enough moonlight then I don't even use that. When tracking in the dark I use a lantern and, if someone is tracking with me, they use the other lantern.
I got the Primos Bloodhound Blood Light, but found it dont help AT ALL with blood.. But LOVE the green light.. Shines very bright.. I use it when driving the golf cart into fields.. The deer stand up cause they hear the noise, but dont see the green light. I stop, and usually they bed back down.. Green light travels very far and bright for walking into woods.. You can see everything.. Like having a spot light, but does not spook game.. I even shine deer as they walk under my stand early in the morning.. The flinch when I hit the trigger, but then just keep feeding like there is no light on them.. Like having night vision, they could care less.. Fun to watch them at night with the green light.. With this info, I got several green ballcap clip-on lights that go on the brim of a baseball cap.. Again, green and can see everything. I found that green actually shines farther than the Red light..
I use a Noxx headlamp. It has a red LED vs a red filter and it's super bright and animals really don't seem to mind it. I actually bought it for scanning while coyote hunting and then after having tons of deer close and literally none of them reacting to it at all......I now use it for heading into/out of the woods as well. I can easily see 100 yards and can pick up yote eyes at about 200, it's a whole different class of light than the Primos Blood Light, have one of those too but it's been stashed in the junk drawer since I got the Noxx light. For $50 I don't think you can get a better light for walking into/out of the woods. It's not the best tracking light, but if you want to see on your way in/out without disturbing deer this is what you want.
I use Surefire flashlights with variable outputs and Petzl headlamps, no problems and always reliable. Check Ebay for Surefire cr123a batteries, a 12 pack is around 22-24 bucks and usually has free shipping.
I have a surfire. Awesome light for sure, but I only used it for one season. Battery life sucks, since its so bright. Eats those 123's like potatochips. For everyday use and light tracking I use my Browning Nitro headlamp. The red LEDs get me to & from my stand and the white light can be set on low or a very bright high. On high I still get better life than the Surefire. If I'm tracking though, I bust out my cyclops spot. Again, two settings; High & Low. This allows me to save battery life when the tracking is easy, and flip the switch when I need more light. Plus it's a ton smaller than any other spot I've used. I can stick it in my fanny pack.
Check out Batteryjunction.com. i have surefire flash light and just bought 12 of the 123a batteries at .97 a piece hope that helps
4Sevens.....http://www.4sevens.com/index.php?cPath=297 Fenix.....http://www.fenixlight.com/newping.asp
Blood trails show up better with a gas lantern. The color of the light given off and the area it lights up increases contrast so the blood is easier to see. OP - I use a Princton Tec Byte: http://www.****ssportinggoods.com/p...d=11552520&cp=4406646.4413993.4414966.4414980 Has a red LED for night vision and a very, very bright single LED with high/low for regular illumination. Waterproof and takes two AAA batteries. I buy the cheap Rayovacs so I get about 6-10 hunts before changing them (morning and evening use). And a Coast LED as a backup or for extra light: http://amzn.com/B005Z29TK0 I actually own two of these - one for hunting one for the car. Very good quality and very bright. Also affordable. 200 lumens and takes three AAA. I have lithiums in this one from last season and haven't had to change them yet. (moderate use)
I use Cree 5w lights. You can buy them off ebay lots of times for less than $5. It's hard to beat! They have the ability to focus the beam, or use it as more of a flood. I bought one 2 years ago for duck hunting and absolutely love it. Run off a couple of AAA batteries and shine for forever! http://www.ebay.com/itm/5W-CREE-Q5-...046?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2c673bdb56
i got this one for tracking....1600 lumens gets the job done for me....i don't see the reason to buy expensive flashlights when this one works 10x brighter for the size.... http://www.ebay.com/itm/18650-T6-16...s-/170856925170?forcev4exp=true&forceRpt=true for walk in, i have the cheap coleman headband one....it does the job...
For walking in, I use a basid LED headlamp. Nothing fancy and gets the job done. I used to buy into the red/green light helping me be more stealthy but the way I see it, if I'm close enough for the deer to see my light it can see me just fine. I've never had deer react any different to a white light than a green or red one, so I gave up on that. For tracking, IMO you can't beat the Cyclops Flare. This sucker has some serious output and it's pretty compact for performance. I've had the same set of batteries in mine since last year and it's still running strong. I love this light. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog-archive/post/cyclops-flare-spotlight-review.aspx
Nebo Redline. Best light I have ever owned. Period. $24. 220 lumens. Small. Spot to flood with a twist. 3 AAA batteries. 3 brightness settings + strobe mode with a magnet on the back that will easily hold it to metal in any position. The BEST deal in a small powerful flashlight. You can not beat this light for the price. HaHa. Sounds like a commercial! I swear I don't work for them! MN
I'm using a headlamp that came free with my Badlands pack I bought years ago. It is an LED, has red and white buibs and can be set to all red, both, or all white. On all red, its not super bright, but does a good job of keeping me from stabbing my eye out, falling over limbs, and staying quiet to and from the stand.
Right now I use a cheapo rayovac little clip on the bill of my hat light. Not brite by any means but is enough to see where I'm going.. I hunt 112 acres that's literally right across the street from my house so if I had to track at night id come back and get one of my spotlights or a lantern.
Green ball cap light for walking to and from stand. For tracking I typically use one of my Surefire flashlights but at times have used a lantern (they do work well).
I just use a flashlight. If it breaks I stop at the gas station and buy another one for $2 on the way to my next hunt. They usually last me a season or two. ETA: I have a mag lite that I always keep in my pack for emergencies or tracking if the other one fails. Had that thing for like 8 years now.
I use the tried and true mini maglight AA flashlight, batteries are cheap and so are the bulbs, works for me. Gersty
