Most experienced bowhunters know to get up early and take advantage of the cover of darkness. There’s just one problem. The deer might not be able to see as well, but neither can you.
A good deer hunting flashlight can increase your chances of success by helping you move at night and more easily track blood. The five below have a range of features that can do just that.
Our Top Picks
- Nitecore SRT7GT Smartring Tactical Flashlight – A powerful flashlight with just about every color and brightness setting you could need on the hunt
- Streamlight ProTac HL-X Dual Fuel High Lumen Tactical Flashlight – A great choice for wilderness hunters who need a bright light
- Polytac ProTac 1L-1AA Extra-Bright Dual Fuel Tactical Flashlight – It made the list for its compact size and anti-roll head
- iPROTEC Inspector Light Pro Flashlight – It earned a spot thanks to its ease of use and camo finish
- Odepro KL52Plus Zoomable Hunting Flashlight – A full kit with multiple color modules that will see you all the way through rifle season
Note: Our individual reviews are below, but you can also click any of the links above to check current prices on Amazon and other retailers
Table of Contents
Can You Hunt With a Flashlight?
Although a lot of hunters worry that a flashlight will give them away to every animal around, there’s actually no reason you can’t hunt with a flashlight if you do it correctly. In fact, it can have a lot of benefits in certain aspects of the hunt.
Movement
Since deer are primarily active at dusk and dawn, smart bowhunters know how to take advantage of the dark of night to get in position and prepare for the hunt. If you’re walking out to your tree stand in the middle of the night, you may not want to shine a light around, but consider this. Deer can hear a lot better than they can see. Would you rather use a flashlight or risk rustling every bush you walk past?
Still, this doesn’t mean you should take a spotlight to the woods with you. Use settings that keep the beam close and only illuminate as far in front of you as you need to move quietly.
Adjusting Gear
You might still need light once you get to your tree stand. This is especially true for bowhunters who may need to adjust their bow, quiver or other accessories. Small flashlights are great for this as they have short beams that don’t give too much away.
Blood Tracking
The most important time you need a flashlight is when you’re tracking the blood trail of a quarry you’ve just wounded. Even in full daylight, blood can be hard to see because the red color blends in with the brown colors of hunting season. If it’s still night or twilight, it will be even harder. Luckily, blood also reflects light, so it will easily catch your eye when you shine a light on it.
What Is the Best Color Flashlight for Deer Hunting?
The best color flashlight for deer hunting depends on the application. That said, pure white light is rarely a good idea as it’s the most easily seen by deer.
For movement and adjusting your gear, red and green lights are a good choice. That’s because the light doesn’t travel very far, so a distant animal is unlikely to see it. Red light tends to be the favorite because it also doesn’t ruin your night vision so you can still see when you turn off the light.
Blood tracking, however, is a lot different. The best blood tracking light is blue because it will create the biggest contrast between the blood and the surface it’s on.
While many hunters think UV light is a good idea here, you actually need to spray a separate chemical called Luminol to make blood light up under UV like it does on a TV. Therefore, it’s a better idea to stick with blue or even white light.
Features to Consider in a Deer Hunting Flashlight
Brightness and Color Settings
Because different colors and levels of brightness are important for different hunting applications, the best flashlight for deer hunting has multiple settings. Brightness settings will help you limit how far the beam goes, keeping you hidden. Meanwhile, color settings let you use the best color for movement, blood tracking, etc.
There is one thing to be aware of when choosing color settings. Some flashlights have modules or filters that you have to change in and out while others just have settings you can change with a button. The latter is, of course, much more convenient.
Waterproofing
A waterproof flashlight is much more durable and will last longer even when exposed to extreme hunting conditions. Most flashlights list their level of waterproofing with an IP rating that you may see in this format: IPX7.
The higher the last number, the more resistant the device is to water. Any rating above IPX3 should be enough to handle rain, but if you think you’ll be walking through swamps or dealing with a lot of splashes, you might want a number as high as IPX7, which can handle submersion.
Lumens
Lumens are the unit of measurement reflecting the brightness of a light. We won’t go into the physics of it, but all you need to know is that more Lumens means a brighter light. For reference, a 75-Watt incandescent lightbulb emits around 1,000 Lumens.
In-Depth Product Reviews
Nitecore SRT7GT Smartring Tactical Flashlight
I had to put the Nitecore SRT7GT because it excels in just about every aspect. It’s intensely powerful, giving off 1,000 Lumens of light reaching 450 meters, or about 1,500 feet. Despite this power, the rechargeable battery lasts around 240 hours, potentially enough for a full season of hunting.
That said, my favorite thing about the SRT7GT is the versatility. It has tons of settings. For starters, there are four colors in addition to white: blue, green, red and ultraviolet. The blue and ultraviolet colors are hard to find on flashlights but really important for hunters because they help you follow blood trails. You also get several extra settings as well, including police warning, turbo and strobe. Moving through the settings is easy thanks to a simple selector ring.
Finally, let’s talk about durability. This flashlight is constructed of aerospace-grade aluminum and is very resistant to falls and drops, important if you hunt from a tree stand. Plus, it has an IPX8 waterproof rating meaning it’s submersible up to two meters and can handle rainstorms, swamps and other extreme conditions you might encounter.
What we liked:
- 1,000 Lumens
- Beams reach 1,500 meters
- 5 light settings: white, red, blue, green and ultraviolet
- Extra beam settings
- Tough aluminum construction
- IPX8 waterproof rating
What we didn’t:
- High price range
Streamlight ProTac HL-X Dual Fuel High Lumen Tactical Flashlight
If you need a bright flashlight for the pitchblack cloudy nights of a multi-day hunting trip, you should consider the Streamlight ProTac. For one thing, the 1,000-Lumen LED is one of the brightest you’ll find. Plus, it’s IPX7-rated waterproof, which means it can be submerged in water up to a meter deep. A rainstorm definitely won’t be a problem.
Overall, the ProTac is just a very durable flashlight that can handle the wear and tear of extreme hunting. It’s made from 6,000 series machined aircraft aluminum and comes with a lifetime warranty.
Lastly, the versatility of this model also makes it ideal for serious hunters. For example, you can replace the included CR123A batteries with a Streamlight rechargeable battery, though it’s unfortunately not included. Additionally, it has a number of different brightness settings including strobe. This way you have light when you need it but can stay hidden when you’re going for stealth.
What we liked:
- 1,000 Lumens
- IPX7 waterproof rating
- Machined aircraft aluminum
- Lifetime warranty
- Several brightness settings
- Pocket holster included
What we didn’t:
- Rechargeable battery not included
- Flipping between settings difficult
Polytac ProTac 1L-1AA Extra-Bright Dual Fuel Tactical Flashlight
The Polytac ProTac makes a great addition to your gear because it’s compact and lightweight and more importantly because it gets good life out of a single AA battery. That makes it a dependable piece of equipment that can keep you prepared for dire situations. You can even carry backup batteries without taking up much extra space in your pack.
Keep in mind that the ProTac isn’t super bright, but its 350 Lumens are still enough to serve you well in the tree stand and help you work your way around your gear. If you need, there’s even a lower setting for keeping yourself hidden as well as a strobe mode.
One unique but really cool feature I have to mention is the anti-roll head. This might not seem like a big deal, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped my flashlight—and other gear—in my tree stand. With the anti-roll head, you’re less likely to have to climb back down your stand to pick up a flashlight that rolled off, potentially making hunt-ruining noise.
What we liked:
- Compact and lightweight
- One AA battery
- Easy setting programming
- Anti-roll head
- Lifetime warranty
What we didn’t:
- Not rechargeable
- Button is hard to push
iPROTEC Inspector Light Pro Flashlight
If you need a simple flashlight for your kit and you’re on a budget, check out the iPROTEC Inspector. Not only does it fall into a great price range, it’s small and compact and even has a camo finish so it blends in with the rest of your gear.
It’s just 180 Lumens, which probably isn’t enough to fully illuminate your path, but it’s a good way to get around your tree stand without signaling your presence to every animal around. Unfortunately, the life of the 2 AAA batteries isn’t great at two hours for the high setting, but it should be enough for a hunt. Plus, you get six hours on the low setting.
My favorite feature is probably the 3x adjustable zoom. This allows you to focus the beam as you need it. For example, keep it close and tight in the tree stand so that you aren’t seen by any game.
What we liked:
- Budget price range
- Small and compact
- Camo finish
- 3x adjustable zoom
- Included pocket clip
What we didn’t:
- Low Lumens
- Low battery life
- Not rechargeable
Odepro KL52Plus Zoomable Hunting Flashlight
The Odepro KL52Plus is a whole kit that has a wide range of great features for hunting. It’s a good choice if you also take advantage of rifle season because it even comes with mounting and a tail cap switch and remote switch for operating it while it’s attached to a gun.
I highly recommend this kit for bowhunting as well, though, because of the 4 LED modules. In addition to white, you get red and green which are less likely to give away your position to game. Plus, you even get an infrared module you could pair with infrared goggles to keep you hidden.
I do wish it were a bit higher with the modules all rated at 100 Lumens. However, the beams still penetrate pretty far: over a thousand feet on the brightest setting. Plus, the rechargeable batteries have a decent life with over four hours for the green module.
What we liked:
- Accessories for firearms
- 4 colors: white, green, red and infrared
- Long beams
- Rechargeable batteries
- Long battery life
- IPX6 waterproof rating
What we didn’t:
- Low Lumens