Night hunting?

[deathhare]

Seems a lot of you night hunt.
I have a few places Ive been thinking of hitting at night but wondering what sort of lights you guys use? Red lights maybe?
I have a Petzl headlamp that is super bright but has no red.
I'd hate to get jumped so I cant hit some of my regular spots. Theyre sketchy enough in the day time and at night would be bad to be at I think.

Any other tips?

 

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[HuntNdig]

If the site is weary during the day, i would recommend definitely not hunting it at night. If i ever hunted at night, it would be a secure piece of land with at least one other person within normal voice level. I don't think going out alone at night on a hunt is a great idea not for the fact of "wierdos" but other safety concerns as well.( personal injury, getting lost, etc) Things look a lot different at night.

 

[mlayers]

Different places means different detecting styles. If it is bad place in the day time do not even try it at night by yourself. I sure there is some places in Nashvillle where you would feel safe at night. But still have a buddy with you. Just use a head light and turn it on only if you have to. If you want the red put a piece of red plastic over the light and this will help.....Matt

 

[gleaner1]

The coil has 20/20 vision even at night. No light needed if you are good at pinpointing and digging a good plug. If you cannot pinpoint well and dig and accurate plug, you are not allowed to hunt at night, simply because you will be making a big mess, flashlight not withstanding.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Do not use any lights when hunting at night (not even if your screen is illuminated, if so, turn your back-light off).

The reason not to use any lights of any source, is that your eyes will become adjusted to *just* that beam of light, and pretty soon, you'll be blind to everything else around you. Instead, just let your eyes adjust to the moonlight. It'll be good enough to swing the coil, see bushes in your way, etc... And you can always carry a penlight with you to pull out to look at the dates on your gold coins, as needed. 8)

 

[mydejavooo]

I have to agree with the previous comment about NOT hunting at night if the area is questionable. If you are freaked out during the day....then you are seriously asking for trouble being out there at night! Think about it....you have your headphones on, and you can't hear OR see some creepy dude coming up on you in the dark! I think you'd be asking for trouble. If you are bound and determined to throw caution to the wind....then I would suggest getting one of those Army flashlights that have the interchangeable lenses. They have all different colors, but the only downside is that they are NOT led lights. Another thought is that you can buy sheets of colored gel that they use for stage lighting, and you could cut a piece of red gel that would fit over the Petzel light.

One other thing to consider about night hunting.....you may end up drawing attention from law enforcement, since a lot of people are a little freaked out by someone wandering around in the dark, digging things up! Sort of leads people to think the worst of you, and you may spend just as much time answering questions than you would be digging. Just a thought. Cheers, and HH!

DeJa

 

[deathhare]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Great insight for sure.
I think if i hit some of these areas Ill definitely do it when the moon is good for light and just carry a red light for looking into holes and IDing the finds. Otherwise, keep all lights off.
Dont know any other local detecting folks yet so Ill be solo till then.

 

[mydejavooo]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Great insight for sure.
I think if i hit some of these areas Ill definitely do it when the moon is good for light and just carry a red light for looking into holes and IDing the finds. Otherwise, keep all lights off.
Dont know any other local detecting folks yet so Ill be solo till then.

Oh....and DON'T dress like your avatar while hunting at night....or you will DEFINITELY be answering questions for the men in blue! LOL!!

DeJa

 

[deathhare]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Great insight for sure.
I think if i hit some of these areas Ill definitely do it when the moon is good for light and just carry a red light for looking into holes and IDing the finds. Otherwise, keep all lights off.
Dont know any other local detecting folks yet so Ill be solo till then.

Oh....and DON'T dress like your avatar while hunting at night....or you will DEFINITELY be answering questions for the men in blue! LOL!!

DeJa

No, of course not.






I'll wear my black ninja suit.

 

[pennyfarmer]

Me and a friend used to hunt well after dark in a park in town. Yes the area was creepy at times but the street lights were always bright. There were several times that we would hunt untill 11:30 or even midnight.

Partners are a must and it is also a good idea to remove one ear muff so that you have a chance of hearing someone coming.

 

[cooperriver]

Hi deathhare,
Instead of using a red light I would suggest that you use a green light.
The green light will help your eyes adjust better than the red.
Good Luck and be careful.

Cooperriver

 

[Sandman]

Do not use any lights when hunting at night (not even if your screen is illuminated, if so, turn your back-light off).

The reason not to use any lights of any source, is that your eyes will become adjusted to *just* that beam of light, and pretty soon, you'll be blind to everything else around you. Instead, just let your eyes adjust to the moonlight. It'll be good enough to swing the coil, see bushes in your way, etc... And you can always carry a penlight with you to pull out to look at the dates on your gold coins, as needed. 8)

I'd follow Tom's suggestion with the addition to get a CCW permit and pack Iron or have a buddy watch your back.

 

[SeaninNH]

I detect at night regularly and I live in the ghetto.

I don't use a light for hunting as to not attract attention, but if I'm having trouble finding my target in the hole I'll use a small flashlight to find it.

Your eyes will adjust pretty quickly and you won't need the light often, but there are times where I just have to say screw it and pull it out.

Most people see you out there at night and think you are the crazy guy metal detecting in the park at night. I'll talk to myself out loud when people walk by if I suspect they may stop or come talk to me.

I also use a 30" shovel. I've had a few times where some questionable people were eyeing me, but I've never had a problem. I assume they see the shovel and hear me talking to myself and rethink starting problems.

I have a CC permit and I live in an open carry state, but I've never felt the need to bring my 9 with me. I find talking to myself out loud is a deterrent for anyone that is considering talking to me or harassing me. Especially when I answer myself and have a 2 way conversation with no one.

Just pay attention to your surroundings, only use 1 ear on your headphones and I would think you would be fine.

 

[Sandman]

SeaninNH, I like the talking to oneself thing and answering yourself. Brilliant. Not many would want to mess with a crazy person.

 

[cladHatter]

I tried that once. Well dusk hunting. Too hard to find everything.

 

[gleaner1]

I don't try to find everything at night but I find everything good at night.

 

[Keppy]

I never hunted at night never wanted to............

 

[iCandy]

I dare you to watch the first paranormal activity movie....THEN go night hunting by yourself..in the woods!?!?

 

[gleaner1]

As a small boy my mother would force me to do the chore of bringing the dirty laundry into the dark basement and I was so skeered of the dark and the scary monsters that lurked there, I almost died of fear. It is one of my life's great triumphs that I have actually overcome my fear of the basement and the dark, and night hunting. I am proud. I have conquered the beasts.

 

[underarock]

I love night hunting. If you really want to hit a place without being bothered even in the "ghetto" try going between 4-6am. It's not really night hunting but its your best time to go if its a sketchy neighborhood and your worried about getting robbed or worse.
You will be the only soul in sight. Especially if its cold out like it is now. This is more for the extreme detectorist though and I would not recommend this for everyone. If it stops being fun then why bother doing it really. I'm the craziest person i've found so far so I'm not usually too worried.
I had a headlamp with a red light that I kept on my head sometimes but only really used it if I was really having trouble finding something. The really good stuff usually shines just as bright with the moon hitting it as it would with sunlight as far as your eyes are concerned once you've adjusted to the dark that is.
Be safe out there hope this helped.