Had an unfortunate situation this past weekend. I shot a buck with about 20 minutes of legal shooting light left on Friday night. The shot was a little forward. Penetration was not great and neither was the blood trail, but I found the arrow 20 yards from where I shot him and it looked promising. My buddy and I trailed as far as we could, but eventually just could not pick up the trail anymore. Went back first thing Saturday morning and found the buck lying 40 yards from where we stopped looking. Unfortunately, the hind end had been eaten out of it by something. When I started processing, the meat had a very off smell to it - almost rancid. Even the backstraps which had not been touched by whatever got to it smelled bad. What a horrible feeling to have taken an animal's life for naught. Even more sickening to think that I was 40 yards away from recovering it in the first place.
I'm convinced that with something brighter than my mini-mag, I would have recovered that deer on Friday evening. So, does anyone have any recommendations as far as bright flashlights for tracking?
I wish I could say I haven't been there, but I have.
As far as a light goes, anything bright enough to allow good sight on the night leaves and vegetation. Also, a bright light that can pick up the glow of their eyes at a distance is good too.
And maybe get to know someone who owns a tracking dog.
I'm sorry it happened to you.
the protein was not wasted, those 'yotes won the lottery.
Wal-mart is selling some very bright lights these days. 150 200 lumes and even more.
Look at felix also known as main beam, sold by the wensel's at brothers of the bow. Super bright and small.
Nothing is wasted in the wild.
Thats why it is called hunting.
Not 'getting' or 'killing'
Your best is all you can do and maybe, get a better light.
Go with a high end headlamp.
Petzl, Black diamond or Mammut. You would be shocked how bright they can be.
Hard to beat a good old propane lantern. Spreads a diffuse light that for me makes it easier to pick out the blood. I am spoiled with a good tracking dog, so mostly I don't even try to track at night anymore.
I just brought up a thread called aa or aaa flashlight......check it out.
The fenix Is the best light i have ever owned,
several settings and very compact,
Wensel brothers sells it and they call it the Mainbeam.
Larry
Fenix here
HL 30 on my head
LD 22 in my hand
I like AA's. Eneloops and a good charger plus you can buy AA's anywhere.
I highly recommend the Fenix PD-30.
Or Brothers of the Bow "Mainbeam" (similar)
http://www.brothersofthebow.com/html/merchandise.html
You just can't believe how good these lights are until you have used them. Four intensity settings and great battery life.
You just can't believe how good these lights are until you have used them. Four intensity settings and great battery life.
X2,I have the Fenix PD-32 and it's the best light I have ever had.
I carry a mini mag to and from the stand, but keep a full size mag light and a 1,000,000 candle power spotlight charged in the truck at all times during the season. Been there too many times, it has found our deer too many times to count. You can never have too much light, everyone involved should be packing some serious lumens.
Fenix PD30 - Worth every dime! Available from Brothers of the Bow (Wensels) as well as other sites, but they're not making any money off of them.
sure fire single led,1.5 volt....i love it and the batteries last forever
I found a blood tracking light the last time I was out hog hunting. I never really thought about buying one of these. Well just so happens I hit a hog that evening it got dark in the middle of the trailing and I was having trouble seeing the blood so I pulled out the light I found a d was amazed at how it lit up the blood it maid the tracking g so much easer it was a gerber blood tracking light. It will be in my pack from now on.
Well this is the way I look at it. It could have been way worse you could have pushed him and never found him. Sometimes a brighter light is not the answer for you it was. If I am not a 100% confident that the shot was dead on the money I do not even look for them til the next morning. Nothing will make you sicker than jumping a bedded buck and never finding him. When in doubt back out. You did the right thing.
Streamlight Stinger DS LED is the best light ive used . Primos ph-6 flashlightIs also an excellent light last foreverand really bright
Fenix PD30 great lil light
Oh yea and it ain't for naught critters gotta have somthing to eat they will clean it up quick. That said it really is tough to loose one.
gas lantern
Glad this came up as I am also looking for a good light. Thanks for all the suggestions.
I've been happy with a little Eveready head lamp I got at Walmart. Red and white lens and AA powered. Surprisingly bright for the money...under $20
A Coleman gas lantern with some tinfoil on the back side to keep the light out of your eyes is the best recovery light I've ever found. Done a bunch of blood trailing in the swamps and palmettos with one and that's my go-to.
Very unfortuneate but most of us have been there who've been at this challenging passion for awhile. But nothing in nature is wasted, just recycled.
I just picked up a Coleman head lamp at Wally World that advertised 108 lumens (Coleman MAX). for the past 3 years I'd been using the eveready head lamps and thought they funtioned when but I have to say this Coleman is much better. first its got both red and blue lights for night vision. the selector dial turns forward and back (back for red or blue, forward for high med low white light). its much brighter than the everready.
but I also keep a single mantle propane lantern and a 1 pound propane bottle in the truck just in case.
I always use a lantern, it really is Brite! When I use a flashlight, I use a black ice by browning . I heard a ton of good stuff about Felix, it's on my list to try
Fenix light is the best flashlight I've ever used. Get one at www.brothersofthebow.com. (http://www.brothersofthebow.com.)
Amen for the Fenix PD-32, best light for our use ever made bar none!!!
Don't over look the Fenix headlamp either.
I prefer a hands free approach myself. The fenix headlamps are incredible!
Jason
Stream Light Pro Tac HL 600 lumens, can't beat it. $65 at amazon.
Watch for spiders when trailing at night they will be on the blood.
The Fenix is a great light. Also consider a Coleman Lantern.
FENIX PD-30 Any of their lights will change your world. for way less than a surefire or other brand.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions guys.
EHK, PM sent. I work in Criminal Justice. Aside from a flashlight you need "starlight bloodhound" its real cheap and we use it to solve murders even though it was designed for hunting purposes.
Good ole Coleman lantern. Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it around the back half of the globe to reflect light away from your eyes and towards the ground.
For a flashlight, Fenix is very hard to beat, but for blood trailing the old coleman lantern is pretty awesome!
Best light I have found is a Coleman lantern as a few already mentioned. Makes blood drops shine.
Fenix PD32. You won't reget.
Go buy a 2-D cell Mag-lite with LED bulb. Very brite! You will not be disappointed. Any hardware or Wallyworld should have them.
First been there and feel your pain. Best light for tracking, Coleman Lantern, next best light, like other said the one sold by the Wensels.
Wensel Bros Main Beams have become my "go-to" blood trailing light. I have some of these million candle power jobs - other flashlights and it just isn't needed anymore - the main beam is plenty bright enough and because it is small I think it helps me stay on sign keeps me from wandering - batteries too using only 2 I carry a back up battery pack but these things are very economical to run.
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Streamlight Stinger DS....and it's rechargable.
The latest PD30 goes even brighter now. It has a lot of adjustability from 15 lumens on up, not to mention the SOS and strobe features. I use mine every day at work as well. I call it my magic flashlight because I can find anything with it.
There's also a light for half the money that's available from Ron LaClair and The Nocking Point to name two. It is not quite as adjustable as the PD30 but you can adjust from spot to flood It also has an orange ring that glows when the batteries get low. It uses regular batteries.
The latest PD30 goes even brighter now. It has a lot of adjustability from 15 lumens on up, not to mention the SOS and strobe features. I use mine every day at work as well. I call it my magic flashlight because I can find anything with it. It's tough as nails too. If I could change anything, I'd make the body bright orange.
There's also a light for half the money that's available from Ron LaClair and The Nocking Point to name two. It is not quite as adjustable as the PD30 but you can adjust from spot to flood. It also has an orange ring that glows when the batteries get low. It uses regular batteries.
I've been there as well. One of the best lights in my opinion is a type of mag light, (not exactly sure who makes it as my family has had them for a long time) They are extremely bright and rechargable.
Back to Bud B's post.
Check out http://www.unitedbloodtrackers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=6
The guys I know who are in UBT don't charge for tracking, or sometimes just gas milage. It's amazing what a tracking dog can follow.
Of course, in your case, he bled out not far from where you lost him and a better light might have done the trick.
in MA tracking dogs aren't legal so we have to rely on our eyes. I also have a bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a sprayer nozzle handle too. if you're unsure its bodily fluid under the artificial light, a quick spray will tell you.
I can understand the rational that they don't want dogs running deer. Most states that allow dog tracking require that the dog be kept on a leash. Michigan finally came around (only recently). Perhaps MA will eventually see the logic of recovering the animal instead of wasting it. Meantime, I guess the coyotes have to eat.
Ask the experts at http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php
I cary a solarforce with a rechargeable 18650 battery, instead of two CR-123 batteries. about half the price of the great Fenix lights.
I like, http://www.lighthound.com/ if you don't want to order from directly from China
Rayovac makes a light called the indestructable. It is so ar superior to the mag lights for brightness and battery life it isn't evena contest. The light has a low and high setting and it is simply unbelieveable. The battery life on the small one is something lie 6 hours on high and 9 hours on low. On low it is even incredible. We put it side by side to a $150 streamlight and all I can say is some people paid way to much for their flashlight. God BLess