Green or White Light For Hunting

Green or White Light For Hunting

So you are looking for a new hunting lamp.
You keep seeing long-range green lights and you are not sure what that is all about.
If you are not into coyote or boar hunting then maybe you have no idea why somebody would want a green light.
In coyote, boar, and many predator-hunting groups green flashlights are pretty popular.
The Acebeam L19 covers both the tactical and hunting side of small long-range flashlights. Let’s break this down and show you why the Acebeam L19 would be a great option in green or white as a flashlight for hunting.

Why would you pick one over the other?
Eyes have rods and cones, rods recognize the amount of light and the differences but they do not recognize color changes. Cones are able to recognize colors in daylight (white light). Even we humans have a harder time seeing color at night. But, mammals in general have far fewer cones than humans do
For deer, it is believed that they see red, green, and orange colors as grey.
Both are for distance if you want the best option for night vision and camouflage then read is the best choice but the beam distance is considerably lower with red since the human eye is not as sensitive to red. What makes red good for night vision is what makes it not as good for distance.

Pros Of White Light
1, Great Illumination And Color Of Light
Probably the biggest positive to using white light is that this is the color that we are used to seeing things in. This means that you will be able to make faster decisions when you see something far away. If you are using a green or blue light your whole brain has to switch and consider what you saw depending on what the new color of the thing is.
2, Better To Judge The Range Of Target
Kinda related to the previous point is that your distances are also something that looks familiar. You are used to seeing objects with a white-colored light on them and you are used to seeing the shadows of those items as black. There will be less contrast between green and the shadows, blue and shadows, and red and shadows.

Cons Of White Light
1, Can Spook Game Easier Than Other Colors
The flip side of the previous positives is that the animals are also used to seeing things with white light so they can get spooked easier since all of their surroundings are being illuminated the way that they would normally see them in the day.
2, Destroys Night Vision
With the increase in contrast that you get with the white light, you will also hurt your night vision. It will take your eyes more time to go from full illumination back to a hiding spot where you can see. You will get a little night blindness and see some spots for a little after you go to full brightness.

Pros of Green Light
1, Higher Contrast Than Red Light On Dark Skinned Animals
If you know that you want to use a light aside from white then most people go green or red. If the animals that you are hunting are particularly dark-skinned or furred then a green light will give better contrast than red. This will allow you to make faster decisions.
2, Green Light Has More Range Than Red
It is not that the green light actually shines farther than the red it has to do with how human eyes work. Our eyes are more sensitive to green so we see it brighter which in turn makes green light have more range for us.
3, Many Animals Are Color Blind To Green Light
Since many animals are color-blind to green light when you spread that tint all over they will not see a difference in their surroundings. They will probably still see a general illumination but they will not see it as white light that will show the colors just like day. Because of this many animals do not get spooked when they are illuminated with green light.

Cons of Green Light
1, Can Fatigue Eyes Faster Than Red
The higher contrast of green to red light will cause faster eye fatigue. You will also need more time to adjust your night vision with green over red. This is also because of the second positive of green listed above, that our eyes are more sensitive to green light.
2, Harder To Tell Range With Green Light
Now with green, we can see farther than red but we can not expect that distance to be the same as with white light. Since we are tinting everything green it messes with our ability to tell distances. This also happens with other colored lights so you will still have more range than red light.

What We Like to Do
It does not make sense to have all of the different colors of light with you at the same time. But you should have a white light.
For us, we like to plan ahead what we are hunting and plan accordingly. We will always have a white light on us. Maybe it is just a small EDC but we need something with a good moonlight mode for reading maps and other things that need low light.
Another option would be to have a small headlamp with a good moonlight mode.
For a colored light, it depends on what we are hunting and what ranges we are expected to see. If it is a wide-open space we will usually go for a green light but in close spaces or with lots of trees we go with red.
Hunting Hogs or Coyote we really like green lights and these animals are often spotted in wide-open spaces where distance is critical.
Whether you go with green or white light a great hunting light is the Acebeam L19. The range is spectacular for the size and the 21700 battery will keep you going for a long time.
Writer: Garrett from BestTacticalFlashlights.net

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