I hunted Monday evening with great success. The weather had them up and moving. I did not get a shot off, but saw lots of game and most of it up close. Fun stuff. I walked to within 15 yards of two does in the dark without even knowing they were there until I practically ran into them after leaving my stand. I attribute this to not using a flashlight.
My question to you is how do you go about getting to and from your stand in the dark? Do you use a flashlight? If so, is white? or is it colored? What color? have you noticed game not noticing your flashlight or is it something they pay special attention to? Or, are you like me, walking every possible step without a light?
The reason I ask is I got a new property to hunt and the vegetation is severely overgrown. I do not think I can get through it by moonlight like I normally do without taking thorns to the legs. Is using a flashlight going to mess with my odds? I would love to learn from you on what you have had success with.
(Ps I do not have many choices when it comes to routes and access points. I hunt small parcels that are usually only accessible from one direction. The other landowners will not let me come in any other way.)
Thanks,
Twostrings
I personally don't believe that the deer understand what that represents. Pretty abstract thing, light = flashlight = person = hunter. They can probably see it and it may represent something different for sure.
I have often waited till bare minimum light so i could walk in without a flash though.
ChuckC
You do more damage in the dark.. Wait until you can see to walk to your stand... Have your bow ready,,,.
JDS III
I do not use a light unless I am on public land and then I cup my hand over the bulb and just let a small amount of light out through my fingers so i am not mistaken for a critter!
I use a lite (headlamp) I really don't think it spooks deer. it sure beats making loud noises stepping on large sticks etc,But if you could get to your stand safely with out a lite that might be best.
Last year I walked to 10 feet from a deer feeding as I was walking to my stand in the dark. I saw the deers eyes as I just stood there and the deer was just eating as if I wasn't around till I said Hello There.... The deer just looked at me and walked off.
I use a red lens on my flashlight and seems to work fine and helping me see but deer aren't supposed to be able to see it.
Roger Rothaar suggests waiting until just getting light enough to see and stalking to stand as was mentioned above.
I use a small, quarter-sized green led light to walk in and out. Its just bright enough to illuminate the area directly in front of me. I would rather have a deer see a light in a distance than hear every footstep...but thats just my opinion. I have also walked in without lights, and have been busted either way. It ends up being a compromise with each method.
I dont think a headlamp hurts.And they have red lenze .Im in my stands about 45 min before daylight.I have killed most of my big bucks the first 5 min of daylight.
Interesting.
For those of you who wait until they can see in the morning: Do you leave your stand in daylight? Or do you wait until dark to leave?
When getting dark the first thing I notice is that the colors start to fade with the light. Leaves, trees, all fades to grey. When it is too dark for me to pick a spot on deer(usually so dark I cant see the color of my yellow fletches) there still is enough light that I can walk out without a light. I never get busted coming out it was always sneaking in early in the black dark... I wait until I can see just enough to "stalk" my stands.
I go without a light most of the time. But then, I mostly hunt my own property on which I have trails cleared through the woods and I know my way around it very well. Limited use of a light, especially with a colored lens, probably doesn't spook deer too much from a distance. I do like to be in my stand at daybreak, so I do go in the dark. Occasionally I do spook deer on the way in though. If I were to wait for good enough daylight to see well and then do a good job of stalking my stand it could easily be an hour after daylight before I got in my tree.
Well that's why you should walk the woods before you hunt, weeks before if you can. I just have to think that the light will spook them but you never know. If I get out there and can't see enough to walk safely, I just wait a bit until there's just a little light and then go for it. If you don't set your foot all the way down until you have it placed on the ground you can stop any noises before they start. I don't know about walking in the dark with the arrow nocked however. I'd rather miss one than fall on my broadhead. Be safe first. Be sure you can hunt again tomorrow.
Good luck
sam
I don't know what deer think or if they even do. Last weekend I put up a stand on some public land. It always seems like I make so much noise every deer in the county will be gone. This time was no exception. Anyway, I got the stand hung, had a sip of water, called my son to make sure he had his stand up okay, hung up and heard a noise at my feet. I looked down and there was a big old doe right under my stand. My bow was hanging on a limb with the arrows neatly tucked into my bow quiver. She kept walking on through. I stood up and nocked an arrow, but by the time I had a clear shot, she was too far away.
I've also had them stand and stare at me as I walked to within a few feet of them in the dark while using a green cap light. The wind was in my face. I've also busted some while walking in when it was just light enough to see without a light but too dark to shoot.
Bottom line...it doesn't make much difference. If you can be quiet and not get winded, I don't think the light hurts a thing. If you are loud and stinky, you are gonna get busted, light or no light.
After many years of playing this game, I have come to believe that light has negligible if any measurable impact on deer. I do not think that deer can reason a relationship between light and people/danger. On the other hand, light will sometimes keep you from busting deer in the dark. Light will also keep you from stumbling around in the brush. Light will keep you from knocking the contact out of your left eye on a branch and having to go crawling around trying to find it for 20 minutes before you realize you have a spare pair in your backpack.
Two weekends ago I was walking to my stand along a mowed trail. I popped the sure-fire light on for a second to confirm that the way was clear and spotted a deer right where I turned off to head to my stand. Rather than walk on up there and blow the deer out (stomping, snorting, etc.) I sat down and waited five minutes to see if the deer would leave on its own. Five minutes later I flipped on the flashlight and saw that the deer was gone, but that a coyote was standing in the trail about 40 yards from me. The coyote started trotting to me and I reached for an arrow. Unfortunately, I couldn't manage the arrow, the bow, and a push-button flashlight. The coyote kept getting closer and I decided that I would rather keep my eye on him than try to shoot him. The coyote trotted straight towards me (and the light) and only stopped when he hit my scent stream 2 yards away! Then he turned inside out and ran back the way he had come.
Last weekend I was walking my son, Reed to his stand and spotted two deer right by the blind. We were already committed to the route and I watched them as he got in the stand and zipped it shut. I made a huge production about tleaving and those two deer were still hangng around his stand at daylight. The light obviously had minimal meaning to them.
A sure-fire flashlight will flat out light up the surroundings. I have never noticed anything run from the light unless they heard or smelled me as well.
I put cat eyes at the bottom of trees so that when i walk in my red light is pointing down instead of shining through the woods. Even when i bump deer going in or out they only run off a few yards and then stop. I have walked right up on deer in the dark as long as i was being quite and moving slow. I think its a mistake waiting till it gets light before you go to your stand. Last year i killed the biggest buck ever with a bow just as it was getting light enough to see and some of the biggest deer i have killed has been at first light.
IMO the light will not spook them. In fact, I think your scent and how you react to them makes a big difference. If they get a big ol'whiff of your scent...see ya later. My experience has been, whether in daylight or moonlight, your reaction to them makes a huge difference.
If you stop and stare, they get nervous and leave. If you walk on by like you could care-a-less about them or like you don't know they are there, they will usually just stand there and watch you walk by.
I don't think a flashlight makes any difference, especially if you are real careful to keep it pointed at the ground.
Floundering through thick vegetation is just as likely to scare deer as a flashlight. My Brinkmann penlight is bright enough to illuminate even the narrowest trail. I use it sporadically walking to my hunting area.
I use a light as needed,red and green preferd.Many of my stands I may have to hike miles to get to in the dark.Alot of the trails I can use moon light and good eyes when possible.I use to only uses a light in the timber but after a few bear incounters I use a light more.One young bear I walked with in five yards in the dark as it was feeding on a kill, it didn't see me until I backed up to about 20 yards.Another friend"who didn't belive in lights"was hike out a trail we use alot and new well.Had notice that the trail seemed quit dark in front of him and when his eyes came into focus a bear was standing up and poping its gaw.The bear wasn't aggessive but wanted to still go up the trail and physicaly bushed him as It went by!I like to use a light mainly so I don't stumble as much,which I think the noise dose more damage than the light will do.
Hearing your opinions has been helpful. Do any of you only use colored flashlights? The only color I can find is green...which is strange considering red used to be a semi common color in years past.
If anything I've noticed light helps. They have the disadvantage and usually hold still.
If you hunt postage stamps like me, take a steel rake and get your trail clear into your stand, then wear flat soled sneakers.
QuoteOriginally posted by gregg dudley:
After many years of playing this game, I have come to believe that light has negligible if any measurable impact on deer. I do not think that deer can reason a relationship between light and people/danger. On the other hand, light will sometimes keep you from busting deer in the dark. Light will also keep you from stumbling around in the brush.
:thumbsup:
I use a red lens filter and they don't even react.
Mike
In my experience, deer seem to be very curious animals. In the dark they may spook, but chances are if you hear one snort, you were probably just as surprised as the deer because you were right on top of it. Unless your headed right for them and get very close, they'll just watch you walk by. In either situation, usually the deer return after daybreak to investigate what they saw. I usually try and be as silent as possible, but also get to where I'm going without messing around. I don't think the light affects them other than spark their curiousity. I've gone "spotting" before season since I was a kid. I can't recall a deer ever bolting off as soon as it saw the light, and thats one big flashlight. Seems to me they can be pretty bold in the dark ?
I walk in and out with a green headlight. I have walked right up on deer and if I stand still, they go back to feeding.
I was hunting a food plot from a ladder stand and had a couple of does right in front of me. I wanted them to leave but I did not want to climb down and spook them into the next county so I just turned on my green light, they finally looked up at me and went right back to feeding.
I would rather walk in the dark, avoiding rattlesnakes and copperheads, and get in my stand and settled well before first light, so a light is needed for me.
Use a red led! light it works!
I use a green light headlamp going to my stand. Like to get in and sitting about 1 hour before day light. On this one occasion I walk in and heard some deer moving out just a head of me as I got to my ground blind, a big triple tree. Deer did not bust out but you could hear them moving. I killed my light put down my bow and pack and grabbed my rattling antlers. Is was pitch black, no moon. I proceeded to rattle and crunch and stamp around in the leaves and brush outside my blind. I stopped and jumped inside the blind again. Within seconds you could hear the deer busting through the brush. But the deer was now coming directly toward me. I could not see a thing but this deer put the breaks on no more then 10 yards away grunting like crazy. I was huddled into the triple tree as far as I could get in. This deer walking in a circle 10 yards out, all around me grunting until he got 18o degrees down wind. Then he snorted and busted out to the next zip code. Never saw anything it was pitch black. Later that day I heard another guy got a shot at a larger 8pt in the area a few days earlier. It could have been him. He wasn't too happy other bucks were sparing on his turf.
White light didn't seem to bother the doe that walked out in front of my wife's car last night.The bumper and hood did.
I just bought a light that shines green, white and green and lazer dot. Hope the flo. green shows up blood in the dark.
I don't think lights bother them in the dark. They are much more bold after dark. I had a buddy looking for a fork he shot after dark and had a big mature buck walk in and hang around as he shined the light on the deer as he walked around.
I have never noticed a light having any detectable effect on deer. I try to get to my stand a half hour to forty-five minutes at least before it starts to get light. This gives time for the woods to "settle back down". Besides, if I get busted on the way in, I figure I probably would also have gotten busted if I waited till it got light. That's just a risk that is a part of deer hunting, or to put it figuratively - somtimes you get the bear; sometimes he gets you.
I walked in the dark for years.But for the last 5 or 6 years I wait to I can see.You can be more quit and watch rubbing against brush.But what really changed my mine was me and a friend.Walked down a fence line a good 45 min. before first light an a guy took about a 50 year shot at us.Good thing he was a bad shot.Stiil close enough that we heard the feathers go by.
I always use a light even if I can see to navigate without it. Most public ground here is pretty crowded and I've witnessed some pretty dumb stuff. Even if it does bother em a little bit. I haven't seen a buck yet worth getting shot over. There are just too many idiots out there as Roys story above describes.
Not sure if it's better to wait or to get in in the dark (think GFA advocates waiting until light - for what it's worth) but *especially* on public land, you really ought to use a light when traveling in the dark.
There probably aren't that many idiots out there (in archery season anyway) that will shoot at sound, but it really only takes one. I'd rather spook deer than get feathered by some silly, sound-shooting noob.