# LED headlight kits for the win, we all need these



## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

day before my birthday pete calls says hey- you up for a hunt man we got this place baited up like gangbusters. I jump up and grab my gun, camo suit, flashlight make a sandwich load the atv hitch the trailer and I'm off for homer.

When I get there it was already 6 we hung around and set up shop. They had culled a goat that was getting violent with the new babies, cut what they wanted off it and left it in the field between his farm and the neighbors property which isn't a farm I don't think but the owner said yeah, come on in I hear them every night. We slap the goat in the field and split. They had been laying dead chicks from their die off all day in strategic spots so it looked good. I needed two more to fill my quota, I'm like this is gonna be a good night- clear skies, warm enough it's on.

Pete didn't even get to the road outside when he sees one stop by the fences. He shot it from the truck BAM! there's one down. Good size too.

It turns dark and we hear them, sounds like a pack high on the property and two smaller groups at the neighbors. We decided to split up- I'll go back behind the farm and see about that group back there, you guys go up to the hill and set up on em. Started our CB's and off I ride.

I get to their badass natural blind they set up and I hunker down for a spell. I can hear them doing distressed fawn call every ten minutes or so. I hear the group I'm after getting closer. I have this atomic beam 13,000 lumen tac light and I hear them quiet down all of a sudden. I turn it on and pan it around sure enough- blue eyes. They aren't turning away they look at me and back down to the ground- they got something. YIPE YIPE YIPE! I'm like oh shit it's a trap! I wait and watch yep- one is caught in a leghold. I get adrenalized.

There's another one hesitating to leave the other so I'm left with like do I shoot it, do I go hack it in the head with a cane knife so I don't screw pete's groove across the way what am I doing? Hell. I raise the barrel of the SX3 and pop off three rounds. It's a definite hit on the trapped one. A second or two later I hear the boys open fire, I mean every round.

I went ahead and got the yote out of the trap and set it back up and go back to the blind to get my stuff. The radio hisses. "Yo man you there?"

I go over and grab the handset "yeah man got me one" he replies "we just saw like ten of em we got some."

About ten minutes later I get another call. I answer. "Hey man we can't find shit we got blood but we can't see shit there's mist all over the field. I assure I'll be right over.

I get up there and start riding around with my high beams- we can see a whole world over their old flashlights and hat bill lights. They point me at it and I start riding around. There's one. Oh there's another. What's that? OH! another one. It was a champ. It even cut through fog and ground level mist to the point where spotting them from my seat was easy. While I collected them on the front rack they started getting piled up pete goes look look look there...

We look there's several way off watching us near the treeline. beady little eyes. Apparently when I shot the one several lurking in the field picked their heads up from their goat and the boys slammed em. Pete remarked that if I wasn't there they wouldn't have found nothing till the next day. 48 bucks if you got amazon prime. He's sold. We started wondering if they can't be ordered or the lenses modified to red.

Well more good news I got my quota filled and turned in, past two trips up were skunked but we did it! I owe it to those headlights. And not only that an ATV is supposed to be a utility vehicle, that's why I own it to be a horse. I gotta say that's some utility. It has it all, 28hp, a winch, a radio, gear bags, a toolbox under the front rack and now those wildly powerful lights. Pete wants me to help him get his ATV running again and dress it up like that. It's all about those LED 3k cool white kits baby.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The right LEDs lights rock when you need light and a lot of it. But with LEDs it is about the reflectors. Cheap LEDs have poor reflectors and do not work as well as good ones.
Good LED's make a big difference on motorcycles. front and rear.
In today's market in LED if you can dream it you can have it.


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## Knotacare (Sep 21, 2016)

I put LED's in the rear of my 68 & it's a big improvement from the stock bulbs. HID's in the ftr ( looks like a 747 landing at nite).


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## CTprepper83 (May 17, 2017)

leds are definitely amazing. I love the bar in the front bumper of my truck.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

These factory LED's light up the road and make sure your are seen in day light.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

No coyote quota around here. If it drops close to where I shot it I'll drag it to the woods the next day so the combine doesn't wrap it up during harvest but I don't even bother looking for the occasional one that runs any distance.

What's the quota where you are? Around here it's get 'em all. Still got 2 packs working the area but they've learned to stay at least 300 yds from the house. I've learned that shooting subsonic suppressed allows for an extra shot before the pack scatters (but limits shots to 120 yds) so around here it's pretty much night hunting at longer distance only. The yotes have learned to stay away during daylight and 1st loud shot they scatter.

I haven't heard either pack in several weeks now but I'm sure they'll be back after some reproduction.

Something I've noticed, While I don't use a flashlight for hunting (LED or incandescent) I do shine one across the fields at night looking for deer ect. during my nightly walks. Herbivores like deer and rabbits generally shine back as bright white. Carnivores like coyotes, possums, and skunk eyes seem to have a much more yellow color to the reflection. Has anybody else seen this? I'm not sure if it's how the eyes are set in the head (or tilt of the head) reflecting the light back or if the eyes just reflect the light back differently depending on if the animal is primarily a herbivore or a carnivore.


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## azrancher (Dec 14, 2014)

John Galt said:


> Herbivores like deer and rabbits generally shine back as bright white. Carnivores like coyotes, possums, and skunk eyes seem to have a much more yellow color to the reflection. Has anybody else seen this? I'm not sure if it's how the eyes are set in the head (or tilt of the head) reflecting the light back or if the eyes just reflect the light back differently depending on if the animal is primarily a herbivore or a carnivore.


I use a Q5 or better LED headlamp, deer are greenish, rabbits are slightly pink, I would assume cats/coyotes are yellowish. Now spiders on the other hand are bright white, or bluish twinkling, and you need a headlamp to see them, a hand light won't return the reflection.

*Rancher*


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

John Galt said:


> No coyote quota around here. If it drops close to where I shot it I'll drag it to the woods the next day so the combine doesn't wrap it up during harvest but I don't even bother looking for the occasional one that runs any distance.
> 
> What's the quota where you are? Around here it's get 'em all. Still got 2 packs working the area but they've learned to stay at least 300 yds from the house. I've learned that shooting subsonic suppressed allows for an extra shot before the pack scatters (but limits shots to 120 yds) so around here it's pretty much night hunting at longer distance only. The yotes have learned to stay away during daylight and 1st loud shot they scatter.
> 
> ...


Yes definitely that's the only way really we can hunt them none of us own IR or night vision stuff so we're out in the dark like hunting hogs it's some insane hunting. Basically it's counter-intuitive to any I've done so far but you can get real creative because there's no limit, no restrictions on how or what means you use so it's a lot more like warfare. You lay low and wait them out by sound is how we're doing it. That or lights and ambush. Thing is you have to be gun in hand and you're not hitting anything in the dark even with a tac light unless you're using a shotgun. We been using semiauto high powered 12 GA with a variety of shot. Pete got two and his buddy got one over a fresh killed goat and distressed fawn hand call. shot was like 40 yards from a blind with 3-1/2 inch magnum 12ga running 7 varmint shot. I was running steel goose shot through a turkey choke good for around 75 yards but his pal hit one with a benelli running buckshot. We're wondering if we shouldn't use spreader chokes.

The eye thing, yes indeed I have seen yellow coyote eyes they always seem to be yellow or a kind of blue-green, but yellow back at you when they hunker down and look back at the light that's definitely a coyote and I have seen a deeper amber color from dog face, the possum living in my back yard. Someone feeds him and he sits like a dog, several times I hear something go outside and there he is amber eyes looking back at me. The first coyote I hunted in homer and hit yes had yellow eyes. He looked at the light, I aimed he dipped his head low to see me up on the hill and I shot. He spun like he just got bit. Flopped over. I put a second round on him and he kicked a few more and thrashed around till I got there. The last one I got had a kinda dog looking greenish blue when he looked at the light. Keep in mind too I didn't even check to see if it was a coyote dog that would not be the first one we seen there they are almost identical. My pal's dog has blue eyes like that.

In GA right now there is an explosion of coyotes and a standing raffle going with the DNR where if you turn in 5 coyotes your name gets put into a raffle in your respective areas for a 500 dollar lifetime hunting permit all inclusive. I usually buy yearly sportsman's permit which is 50 dollars and gives you ALL the goodies the WMA the duck goose and trout, specials like quota hunt, management calls I can park for free in the lots but the lifetime is the holy grail your name gets put in for special hunts and all that. Seems worth it, I have to say predator hunting is a blast even though you will usually end up skunked and caught in several pickles like that last run where it poured on us and had to ride the atv back to base. Good thing is if you fail you're still doing good by the farmers for getting them the hell off their livelihood it's a public service and I get to run around on the atv and shoot at shit can't say it's a loss either way. I love it.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

I'm not too far from Homer myself. @Leon


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## RubberDuck (May 27, 2016)

I'm looking at a light bar for my main quad and my Truck.
lighting has come a long ways I am impressed with the output that these small fixtures have.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

With some of the better LED light bars and setups you may want to look at ones you can turn down a bit. Sometimes LED's can provide way to much light.


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## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

John Galt said:


> I'm not too far from Homer myself. @*Leon*


Got a coyote problem? have gun will travel


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Around here Deer hunters really dislike Coyote's . Not sure if I agree with their reasons but you will never change their minds. The belief is that Coyote's take down healthy grow deer. I lean more towards they take the sick and wound if any at all. We really don't have a problem with them yet. Some ways I would not be upset with a few running around here . This year the rodent population has exploded.
I have no issue with thinning them out when they become a problem. I am one of the few people left that allows open hunting on my land and no restriction on what they hunt. If we have a problem with any thing it is Deer.
My son's place on the other side of the state, Coyote's are shot on sight, 24/7 and they never seem to run out of them. He has been known to take them in dark with night vision off the deck.


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## RubberDuck (May 27, 2016)

If not controlled Coyotes can get out of hand and obliterate the deer population.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Leon said:


> Got a coyote problem? have gun will travel


Appreciate the offer but I look at excess coyotes as an evening's entertainment. Most evenings I just listen to their songs and some of them carry a nice tune. Occasionally I enjoy kicking a poor singer off the show.


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