Coyote / Pig hunting with a red filtered light

[Splat Shot]

OK I am a rookie but I got invited to a hunt recently and am wondering about the hand held and scope mounted spot lights I see with a red filter on them. Do these things really work/help or are they worthless?

Am thinking about a scope mounted one at Bass Pro for 50 bucks that is good out to 100 yards - an Optronics Model 100 that will fit a 1" scope tube.

Anyone use a red light to assist in the hunt or would it be a waste of $$$$

 

[Art Eatman]

I regularly use a QBeam with a red lens cover. Works fine. The main thing with any light is to not shine it directly into a coyote's eyes. They'll duck and/or turn away. Barely catch them enough to make their eyes gleam.

A deer will just stand there, staring at the light, just like a horse or cow. Dunno about hogs.

Quite often I just hold my Streamlight against the forearm, although it doesn't have a red lens cover. That puts the light in front of the scope, without any backflash.

Art

 

[Chuck Dye]

Copied and pasted from

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/means/

Artificial light of any form that casts or reflects a beam of light onto or otherwise illuminates a game animal or bird may not be used as an aid to hunt, except that battery-powered scoping devices that project a light or dot only inside the scope and pin sight lights on archery equipment are legal devices. Nonprotected nongame animals and fur-bearing animals may be hunted at night with the aid of an artificial light on private property. If hunting at night, please make a courtesy telephone call to your local game warden.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/general/

Legal Shooting Hours for all Game Animals and Nonmigratory Game Birds: from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.


A pocket flashlight to get you back to the car when shooting hours are over might even get you cited if you get a stickler of an officer. Yes you should win in court, but even winning can get expensive.

Coyotes aren't a consideration, javelina are, feral pigs don't seem to be mentioned.

 

[JohnKSa]

Nonprotected nongame animals and fur-bearing animals may be hunted at night with the aid of an artificial light on private property.

That's the key phrase.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/nongame/

Hogs & coyotes fit into the "nongame & fur-bearing" category. Deer & javelina do not.

TX Nongame animals:

Armadillos
Bobcats
Coyotes
Flying Squirrels
Frogs
Ground Squirrels
Mountain Lions
Porcupines
Prairie dogs
Rabbits
Turtles

TX Fur-bearing animals.

Badger
Beaver
Civet Cat (Common Spotted Skunk)
Fox
Mink
Muskrat
Nutria
Opossum
Otter
Raccoon
Ring-tailed Cat
Skunk

They're currently messing around with the classification of feral hogs. They used to be called a "Nongame animal" but they're now being listed under the "Exotics" category. Regardless, the 2003-2004 TX Parks & Wildlife Outdoor Annual Hunting and Fishing Regulations mention that feral hogs are a nongame animal in at least one place in the booklet

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/nongame/
(scroll down to the last page about trapping animals)

which would allow hunting them with artificial lights.

 

[454c]

You guys are lucky.The only thing we can hunt at night up here is coons,maybe armadillos.I've been wanting to put a light on my 22-250 for nighttime coyote calling.

 

[Surely]

flashlight

Here in ND we can use a 'flashlight' with a battery no larger than 6v. I know there are several types of 6v portable spotlights, I cant see that theres any way to distinguish a flashlight from a spotlight once it becomes portable is there? I have found that a good filter for a flashlight or spotlight is the colored plastic wrap you can find in grocery stores around the holidays. You can usually find some colored red, it is basically a red filter but it really doesnt cut down on your light output very much, works alot better than the special red filters you can buy for many flashlights.

 

[454c]

Wouldn't a good spotlight melt the wrap?I know a guy that burned a hole in his truck seat by leaving one on.

 

[scotjute]

That happened to me, had a 12 volt lite plugged into truck and left it on seat for about a minute. Melted small hole in vinyl seat cover.