Do you wear a headlamp on the way in or out of the woods to your treestand? Some guys swear by them, while others are scared at the thought of running a light on the way to their stand before the hunt. It’s a question that continues to stir up plenty of debates around camp – does your headlamp spook deer? Let’s take a closer look at why some hunters use them, and others have sworn them off.
Light vs. Noise
There’s a pretty fair argument that noise is more detrimental to your efforts of being stealthy than light. Some would say that deer spook much quicker to the sound of a hunter stumbling through the woods in the dark than a silent light quietly moving through the woods. It makes sense. I’ve had times when I swore I wouldn’t use my light on the way to the treestand, only to break every stick in the woods, stumble into holes, and trip over unforeseen obstacles. But at least I didn’t use my light!
I can honestly say that I’ve had more deer blow at the noise and commotion I’ve made in the darkness, than when I’ve used a light. I hear people say that light is not a natural encounter for deer in the woods. However, I’d say that the sound of stumbling and crashing by a large beast (hunter) is not that natural of an encounter for deer either. And outside of a buck fight, when they do hear crashing and thrashing in the woods, it typically means danger.
And to be honest, deer do encounter light much more than we realize. Whether it’s lightning, fire flies, passing cars, flood lights on houses, or the bright beams on farm equipment, deer see their fair share of lights. Most of which pose little to no threat. So what’s worse – light or noise? Just keep in mind which presents a greater threat on your approach to the stand.
Seeing the Light
The big questions is, does light really have that much of negative impact on a deer? The poacher would say, no. Think about it. How many times have you heard the stories of outlaws spotlighting deer? “Keep the light on ‘em, while I grab my gun!” they say.
Whether it’s a mesmerizing effect, or it simply holds their curiosity, a light can indeed cause a deer to stand and stare. I’ve had plenty of times I’ve walked past deer on the way in, their eyes shining in the light as I walked by. As long as I didn’t change my pace, they just stood and stared.
“I don’t think light bothers a deer as bad as some hunters think,” says Parker McDonald. “I use a headlamp all the way up the tree. Sometimes, I’ll climb with the red light, but usually not. I’ve had too many deer come by me while it was on while I was setting up or tearing down. I just don’t think they see it that well.”
What about depth perception? Can a deer decipher light from a distance versus a light up close? Again, there have been ample times when I’ve had a deer stand and watch my approaching light from a distance, allowing it to close in to a very tight range without spooking. Everett Park of NUCANOE uses his headlamp on the approach to the stand as needed. “I try to switch to green or red when I’m climbing the tree, but a lot of places I hunt aren’t that far from road traffic, and I often wonder if they’d know if it was me versus a distant car.”
Bottom line – the light alone seems to pose less threat to deer than the other variables and noises that are associated with the light.
What’s More Threatening Than Light?
Again, it can easily be debated that our noise is much more alarming to deer than our headlamp. But there are other variables that tend to send deer running in all directions, more than the light on your head.
Deer will tolerate your headlamp. What they won’t put up with is your scent. Your human odor is much more repulsive than your headlamp. “If they are spooked, it’s from me, my scent, or a sound I made,” says Adrian Wilson of TETHRD. “I use a headlamp, and I just don’t think the light itself spooks deer like many people think compared to our human scent and noise.”
Be aware of the unnatural noises being presented with your approach. While a headlamp may not blow your deer out of the area, the unnatural clanking of metal on metal will no doubt alert them to a predator on the approach. Noisy stands, sticks, or crunching water bottles tend to be deal breakers far more than the light that sits on top of your head.
