Red, green, amber or white
Hunting lights come in red, green, amber, white and infrared. Red is the common choice for coyotes, green for hogs, white for identification and recovery. The same light usually throws much farther in green or white than in red.
What it means
Most hunting lights get their color from a colored LED, either a swappable module (Sniper Hog Lights, NightSnipe), a selector ring (Kill Light HD4) or separate LEDs in one head (Fenix HT32). General flashlights sold in hunting kits (Nitecore, Acebeam, Fenix HT18R) use a white LED with a red or green filter over the lens, which cuts the output and changes the beam.
- Red: the traditional predator color. Coyotes, foxes and bobcats are thought to react less to red, and many callers start the stand with it.
- Green: the usual hog color, and popular for coyotes too. Human eyes are most sensitive to green, so a green beam looks brighter and reaches farther for the same power.
- Amber: a middle ground some coyote hunters like; few makers sell it.
- White: the clearest view for identifying the animal and what is behind it, and for recovery. The most likely to spook.
- Infrared (IR): invisible to you without night vision. See 850 nm vs 940 nm.
What it changes in the field
Color changes reach as much as the light does. On Sniper Hog Lights’ published chart, the same Hyperion 66 throws about 1,050 yards in red and 1,770 in green. How much each color spooks animals is argued among hunters, and animal pressure matters more than any rule. Many hunters carry two colors or a dimmable light and keep the beam’s edge on the animal until it commits.
What to look for
- Figures for each color, not just the white or best one.
- Real colored LEDs if you want full reach in red or green; a filter over a white LED loses much of its output.
- Whether extra colors are included or cost extra.
How we use it on this site
Every light page has a row per color with that color’s own lumens, candela and distance claim as the maker publishes them, and the FL1 throw from candela where a candela is given. Filter colors are listed, but makers publish no figures through a filter, so those rows are blank.
Check your state’s rules for artificial light and color before hunting at night. CoyoteHunting101’s state pages cover them.