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Tracking light #8162056 02/09/21 05:08 PM
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I might have already mentioned this, but...

A while back, a neighbor shot a big buck and apparently did a poor job of it. He asked me to help track the deer, and it was well after dark. I thought I should try out the Milwaukee M12 hand held light I have in the house, so I grabbed it and an extra lithium battery and went over there. We never found the deer (just a flesh wound, I think), but tracked small blood spots for at least 2 hours. That light is amazing. It puts out a lot of LED light, and the beam is consistently bright in all spots. Absolutely the best light I have ever used for tracking. Never needed the second battery.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162097 02/09/21 05:34 PM
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George S Offline
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That's a nifty bit of gear.

I used a small UV light to check for bark scorpions when I lived in Las Vegas (they will fluoresce under UV light). They're also handy for checking bed linens for bodily fluids.


Oderint dum metuant - Lucius Accius
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162271 02/09/21 07:59 PM
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Coleman Lantern is what we always used.


"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas".
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162350 02/09/21 09:04 PM
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I'm on my second Petzl (no fault of the company) LED headlamp and will never track with a handheld lamp again if I can avoid it. Also, the small $1.99 LED handhelds from Harbor Freight put out a ton of light and weigh almost nothing; they're handy in packs and glove compartments.


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Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162451 02/09/21 10:20 PM
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Well, I hear you guys, but this light is far and away better than anything I’ve tried in 60 years of deer hunting. It wasn’t just the great beam and brightness, but the fact that the battery lasted for hours without dimming. I’ve had good lights in the past, but they never lasted that long or worked this well.

I have an old Ryobi hand held light that I use in the workshop or when looking in dark places on tractors and such. Had it for years. Not a great light, but I decided I needed another one. Well, they don’t make it any more, so I wandered around Home Depot, and all I could find was the Milwaukee M12 light. I already had batteries for my drill driver, so all I needed was the light. Took it home, plugged in a battery, and Holy Mackerel. So, buy one or not. I just wanted you guys to benefit from my experience. If the light had not been that outstanding, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: George S] #8162497 02/09/21 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by George S
They're also handy for checking bed linens for bodily fluids.


Man, I hope you're a law enforcement detective and don't need this on a daily, personal basis. eek2


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162525 02/09/21 10:52 PM
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I thought this was gonna be about tracking during the day. I was going to say to find the sign it is best that while the sun is low on the horizon to track /cutsign going into the sun. Later as the sun gets higher and brighter you may need to circle until you find the best light.

Re: Tracking light [Re: snake oil] #8162526 02/09/21 10:54 PM
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Originally Posted by snake oil
Coleman Lantern is what we always used.


Yes, the one carrying the lantern is often the first one to find the deer missed earlier with the spot beams. IMO, the eyes and mind are far less likely to miss the smallest details when an area is flooded with light.

Last edited by Texas Dan; 02/09/21 10:57 PM.

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Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162602 02/09/21 11:33 PM
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You guys are a tough sell. This light throws a very wide beam and is way better than a Coleman lantern. But, Ok, stick with what ya got.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8162614 02/09/21 11:38 PM
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Originally Posted by 603Country
You guys are a tough sell. This light throws a very wide beam and is way better than a Coleman lantern. But, Ok, stick with what ya got.


You can lead a horse to water, but you can't lead a horticulture.

'Bought my wife a Coast flashlight at Home Depot (1400 lumens) yesterday, so she could see and call the dogs up better outa the back yard when I'm gone. Some folks just will not embrace technology. bang


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8163006 02/10/21 03:55 AM
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Originally Posted by 603Country
You guys are a tough sell. This light throws a very wide beam and is way better than a Coleman lantern. But, Ok, stick with what ya got.

up


Combat Infantryman, the ultimate hunter where the prey shoots back.
_____________"Illegitimus non carborundum est"_______________

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Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8163376 02/10/21 02:30 PM
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Which light are we talking about?

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Re: Tracking light [Re: Creekrunner] #8163409 02/10/21 02:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by George S
They're also handy for checking bed linens for bodily fluids.


Man, I hope you're a law enforcement detective and don't need this on a daily, personal basis. eek2

I was thinking this also ... but could be a traveling man checking bed linens of hotels on the road.


"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."

~PMK~
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8163902 02/10/21 07:29 PM
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The hands down best tracking light is a shoulder shot. Find them every time... up




LETS GO BRANDON
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8164758 02/11/21 11:54 AM
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Unfortunately, this year a grandson made a bad shot on a buck, and hit it too far back. frown

Wish we'd had a better light for tracking, but we didn't.

I put my son in front following the scant blood trail... I was following behind him with my thermal scanner. Tracking through thick growth with 5' high gordo grass. Trailed it about 350 yards through that crap, and son lost trail and when I caught up, he was looking on the line we'd followed, and I scanned 360* and saw the buck with the thermal about 15 yards off the line we'd followed.

Never would have found that buck that night without the thermal. Could have brought my dog out the next day, but that doesn't make for great eating.

I'll have a better light next season. And hope I don't need it. wink

Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8164997 02/11/21 03:26 PM
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Kdkane asked a good question. I had never said which light I have. It’s the M12 light, number 49-24-0146. There are plenty battery options, but I have the ones that are the M12 6 amp hour batteries with the wide base, which lets me stand it up when I need to.

It isn’t a big bulky light, which is part of why I like it. I bought the first one for the travel trailer, not knowing how good it was. Then, when I realized that this small light puts out amazing light, I got another one for the house. And, because of the brightness and wide beam, I grabbed it to help track that deer. Because I didn’t know how it would work for tracking, I put all my other useable lights in the ATV basket - just in case. When I got to where he said the deer had been standing, I found that the light it put out was excellent for finding blood drops. And thank goodness the light lasted for a couple of hours, because when we finally gave up, I had no clue where we were in relation to my ATV. If the light had gone out, we’d have been in a pickle. It was not a moon lit night. I had an extra battery, but don’t remember if I had it on me.

I’ve tracked with many different lights over the years - lanterns, big flashlights, little super bright flashlights - and this is hands down the best. This isn’t any sort of commercial. I just wanted to tell you guys about the light that surprised me so much.

If one of you guys buys this light and really doesn’t like it or thinks it doesn’t measure up (which would actually shock me), I could use one more, so send it to me and I’ll buy it. I could use one for the workshop. The Ryobi light works Ok, but can’t measure up to this light.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8165087 02/11/21 04:12 PM
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Thank you, sir. I have many of the battery powered Milwaukee tools so a good light will be a nice addition to the set.

Re: Tracking light [Re: Creekrunner] #8165139 02/11/21 04:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Creekrunner
Originally Posted by George S
They're also handy for checking bed linens for bodily fluids.


Man, I hope you're a law enforcement detective and don't need this on a daily, personal basis. eek2


No, but if you stay in hotels, you want to know how clean the place is before you lie down. sick


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Re: Tracking light [Re: George S] #8165151 02/11/21 04:45 PM
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I second the Milwaukee lights Bosch makes some good ones too

Re: Tracking light [Re: TXHOGSLAYER] #8165723 02/11/21 11:11 PM
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Originally Posted by TXHOGSLAYER
The hands down best tracking light is a shoulder shot. Find them every time... up


Could not agree more! Well that and my 7 mag.


'It's Only Treason if You Lose."
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8165922 02/12/21 01:30 AM
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Very true regarding shot placement. And forgive me if I brag a bit, but all the time I’ve had the light, I have never needed it for tracking anything I shot. I think the neighbor had a touch of the dreaded buck fever. I haven’t kidded him about it.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8166153 02/12/21 04:22 AM
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For those who are red/green and blue/green color blind, a Coleman lantern offers the best light.

Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8168960 02/14/21 05:09 AM
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Sold me to give it a test, just not sure how much cost an extra battery will be, or what batteries it comes with

Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8170224 02/15/21 01:07 AM
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Update: we were without power for 3 days. Had the Generac till I was out of butane. Then it got dark at night. Thank heavens for that Milwaukee M12 light. I had one and the wife had the other, and we gave them a workout outside and inside in some bitter weather. Note that the head of the light swivels from 90 degrees to straight up. You can light up a room with that light if you point it up. As much as I liked it before, it’s way better than I had imagined.

Get the 6 amp hour battery, so you can stand it on its base. No, it’s not cheap.


Not my monkeys, not my circus...
Re: Tracking light [Re: 603Country] #8170415 02/15/21 03:28 AM
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I use a match.

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