Thread: Spotlight of choice for night hunting?

Hi Guy's,
Trying to sort out my shit for next years trip down to Waimate for some wallaby busting. Last trip saw us using very inadequate lighting at night from vehicle so would like to quiz everybody what would be their spotlight of choice for Night shooting from a vehicle. I see torches are coming very popular....are these making hand held spotlights obsolete or do they still have their place? Is halogen or HID preferred? Does a red filter actually help? Any information or advise is greatly appreciated to ensure next time round the Roo's get a hiding.

Big is best for spotlighting...just make sure you have applied for and received permit to allow shooting from vehicle.

The biggest lightforce is what i use from a vehicle, Can't imagine needing more light.
Hid good for battery life but doesn't really give much more reach and running of vehicle battery life is not a concern.

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Get one of the Maxtoch torches, they are awesome.

Get a lightforce if it's just for spotlighting from a vehicle.
Great throw beam wise and weight/battery life aren't an issue from the truck.
If I'm walking I have a lithium battery pack for my lightforce, but really like my nightmaster, which is basically the same as a Maxtoch and can be clipped onto the scope very easily and is great out to about 300m.

For spotlighting off a quad or vehicle I have rarely used anything but a Lightforce. Either the 170 or 240 models. If I have to get off and walk, then I'll use my maxtoch torches.

The new torches are not bad, but if you are spending hours at a time spotlighting a properly designed spotlight like a lightforce is what you need. Their light is better suited for spotting animals, and they are much more ergonomic for holding for a long time.

Sticking with regular Halogen or HID worth the extra?

Halogen.

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Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Halogen

+1

I've got a HID and I love it. Red filter blocks a lot of light so I don't tend to use it. I use the lithium battery for my 'Handipiece' lasts for ages.

Originally Posted by JoshC

For spotlighting off a quad or vehicle I have rarely used anything but a Lightforce. Either the 170 or 240 models. If I have to get off and walk, then I'll use my maxtoch torches.

+1

Halogen for me.

Prefer maxtoch LEDs. Had found HIDs don't show up the roos eyes but LEDs do every time. Sure you lose a bit of width and general brightness but you gain a lot more certainty.

A little bit of advice.
If you lend your Nightforce to your brother (or anyone) to use on his quad, take off the scope mounting bracket cos he sure as fuck will lose one of the small screws

Something else to consider, for me the LED lights with their very white beam don't seem to cut through mist very well and seem to give off a lot of glare in even slightly foggy conditions.
The halogen lightforces etc seem to cope a little better under these conditions and sometimes mean the difference between being able to carry on shooting or having to go home.
Does anybody else find that this is the case?