GREEN LIGHT WONT SCARE GAME?...

[VINNY]

I heard that from some folks, and read it in a couple of adds. If I understand correctly,you can stalk at night with a green light and the game wont spook.

Anybody heard of this, or tried it?

I used to collect flashlights [until I found airguns],so I bought a nice Streamlight led. High / low green- high / low white light settings.

I haven't tried it yet.

 

[JimH]

My understanding is that the color of light doesn't matter and that when you see guys hunting with red or colored lights it's because it's better for the shooters night vision as opposed to a harsh bright white.   

[shadow]

I don't use the green light's but from what I've read they work well. Critters are used to light's that are on in a area most of the time but get real skittish with light's that pop on when the arrive. Ed

[oldpink]

I had been told that red lights don't spook game, and I have heard of coyote hunters using red filters to illuminate them right up until the moment of firing, then the filter is whipped off by a buddy, and the shot goes.
Not sure about red not spooking them, though.

[only1harry]

Red and green will not spook the game as long as they are not too strong or intensified.  I use a soft blue flashlight on 2 of my Condors.  They are good to 25yds.  I turn it on in the darkness to see what is at the bait site and have never had a critter run off except a fox after a couple of seconds.  She was the only one that looked straight at me and the light, but I am pretty sure she heard the faint sound of taking off the safety from 22yds.  They have amazing hearing.  I got her a couple of nighs later though when I had everything turned on and the safety off before I got to the window.  Raccoons and possums just continue feeding like nothing happened.  This is from complete darkness to the blue light and they never get spooked.  I will be turning off the flood lights in the back when furbearer season starts because more critters come in.  I will rely solely on my blue gun light which has worked out very well for me.  Fox never came in when I had the flood lights on every night in the backyard.  They only started coming when I turned them off.  Critters feel much more comfortable in the dark and will hang around longer.  They are more relaxed.  When a strong white light is on them, they start getting very weary and uncomfortable, they stay less time and are ready to bolt at any milisecond.

[ccjr]

In the early 70's we shot rats at night, with headlights and .22 pistols, in an open dump.
I used red filters. The rats seemed not to notice the light and I was able to get too close.  When I opened fire on one, a closer one I had overlooked spooked and ran toward me instead of away.  We figured he was going to try to hide in my pants leg.  A strong, backwards, spraddle-legged leap and a reflex shot ended that encounter, but it was a while before my pulse got back to normal.

I still have to laugh out loud when I think about it...

[Erskine]

Red light is used by the military at night because it does not ruin your night vision.  Green or for that matter any other color will.  It takes about 20 minutes for our night vision to fully recover from exposure to light other than deep red.

Good discussion at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_vision

[oldpink]

Very true about the red light use in the military.
While I was in the Navy, during the night, we always switched on red lights on in the passageways and down in berthing.
They also use red light exclusively in Combat Information Central.
And, yes, it's true that the red light in the passageways made it possible to go straight outside and not have my night vision compromised.
A very clever trick.