Unlike many sports, hunting is one that can be done both during the day and night depending on the target.
The most popular times to hunt are either early in the morning or during the nighttime because prey is typically more active at night. A large part of hunters success is the quality of their equipment as it could be the key to your survival.
Whilst many hunters switch it up and tailor the equipment they carry to the specific situation they’ll be in for that night, a flashlight is non negotiable.
You typically realize the necessity of having a flashlight handy when you need one and happen not to have one – perhaps you need one to search for your misplaced keys, or maybe you find yourself needing a tactical flashlight for self defense.
Whatever the reason you find yourself without a flashlight, many hunters find it’s the last time they don’t carry this piece of invaluable equipment.
In a hurry? This is our Winner!
Orion H40-W LED Tactical Flashlight
- Equipped With the Cree Xm-l2 U4 1000 Lumens Led
- Comes With a Constant on Button Switch
- Compact, Recoil-proof and Water-resistant
In a flash our favorite flashlight for hunting is here – and it’s the Orion H40-W 500 Lumen LED Tactical Flashlight.
It was a close one as all of the models below are great contenders to be the best for hunting, but here are a few of the reasons we chose Orion’s model:
- It offers 500 lumens offers an incredibly bright light which is perfect for night time and early morning lighting, but it’s not too bright that it puts off the animal you’re hunting.
- Comes ready to be mounted onto any weapon.
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Our Favorite Hunting Flashlights in 2022
| Image | Product | Technical Details | Price |
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Top Pick
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Orion H40-W LED Tactical Flashlight with Pressure Switch and Rifle Mount |
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Check Price On Amazon |
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GearLight High-Powered Led Flashlight S2000 |
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Check Price On Amazon |
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Deer Hunting Blood Tracking Lights UV Red Blue Blacklight Green Flashlight |
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Check Price On Amazon |
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Anker Super Bright Tactical Flashlight, Rechargeable (18650 Battery Included) |
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Check Price On Amazon |
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J5 Tactical V1-Pro Flashlight The Original 300 Lumen Ultra Bright |
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Check Price On Amazon |
Our Top Reviews for Hunting Flashlights
1. Our Top Pick: Orion H40-W 500 Lumen LED Tactical Flashlight
The Orion H40-W LED Tactical Flashlight is another great option for hunting in poor light conditions. It’s most noteworthy feature is that you can mount it on any weapon, freeing your hands up and making it a great piece of hunting gear.
The flashlight comes with a remote switch and has a total runtime of 75 minutes which is useful for getting small bursts of light, preventing you from night blindness in the long run.
The Orion flashlight package comes with a standard Picatinny/ Weaver rail mount ready to be installed right out of the box, making it easier to be used on any weapon. Additionally, this model is waterproof with a rating of IPX 7 standard.
It’s lightweight and compact so it can be kept in your backpack and forgotten about until you need it. If all of this wasn’t enough, the one year warranty can put your mind at ease if you encounter any problems or defects.
2. GearLight High-Powered LED Flashlight S2000
Budget and brightness go hand in hand with this one, as the GearLight High-Powered LED Flashlight S2000 is considered one of the brightest hunting flashlights on the market whilst managing to stay under the 20 dollar mark.
This model features 1200 lumens, which is the brightest by far on our list. The beam is also super wide and can illuminate entire rooms or cover a decent amount of territory when you’re hunting outdoors.
This LED option includes five modes: high, medium, low, strobe and SOS which means it is adaptable to a lot of varying situations, as well as having the potential to be helpful if in danger. The versatility of this product and its incredible light output make it perfect not only for hunting situations but also for when lack of lighting is a concern.
The body is made out of aluminium with anti-slip design for a better grip and can withstand rain, snow and even a ten-foot drop (GearLight claims this, don’t blame us if you damage your flashlight throwing it out a top-storey window), making it the perfect outdoor and survival driven product.
3. J5 Tactical V1-Pro Flashlight
Look no further than the J5 Tactical V1-Pro Flashlight when looking for the best value LED flashlight for hunting. The beam can light up an area of around two football fields, or about 600 feet.
It produces a maximum lighting of 300 lumens with strong brightness even though it only uses a single AA battery, proving its incredible energy efficiency. The body is made of aircraft aluminium which weighs 1.6 ounces with a threaded finish to increase its toughness and slip-free grip.
Furthermore, this compact flashlight can withstand a 10-foot fall and a quick dip in water.
This flashlight comes with three useful settings including high, low and strobe lighting with an adjustable beam to tailor it for specific situations, and it can last on the highest setting for about an hour to aid you in your stakeout.
This flashlight comes with an adjustable focus and zoom which can provide either an intense beam or a broader light. This model is compact at only four inches long and weighing a measly 3.2 ounces, so it can be carried on every hunting trip you embark on.
The spiked front is a nice touch to make this flashlight a great last defense tool should a dangerous situation arise.
4. VASTFIRE Hunting Flashlight
This is a great flashlight for taking on your hunting trips. It’s perfect for tracking wounded game.
What we love about it is just how versatile it is. There’s a UV light to show blood drops for tracking, which is kind of like a black light. This UV light will stretch as far as about 30 yards, which is good. You don’t want to stretch it out too far to let you prey know you’re coming.
There’s also a red light for coyote hunting, and a green light for hunting hogs, pigs and varmints. These lights reach a little further to about the 50 yard mark.
Changing the color of the light is soundless, so the noise of the flashlight definitely won’t alert your prey to your presence.
It’s very easily powered – it just takes 2 AA batteries. But better yet, it actually comes with 2 rechargeable AA batteries. And it even comes with a wall charger ready to plug in and charge as soon as the box arrives.
The rechargeable batteries will last for up to 4 hours on a full charge, which isn’t too bad, but it would be best not to use them until you really need them. And this is viable to change according to which color light you put it on. Although taking spare batteries shouldn’t be a problem.
5. Anker LC90 LED Flashlight
The Anker LC90 LED Flashlight boasts of a 900 lumen Cree LED that sweeps over a length of 1000 feet so you will never be searching in the dark.
This is extremely important when hunting due to the unusual hours that prey is usually most active. Along with this hunting flashlight you’ll also receive a 3350mAh rechargeable battery, a micro USB cable and an optional 1A adapter as chargers.
It’s equipped with an overcharge prevention circuit and that helps to prevent heat and therefore prolong the battery’s life. It can also function in the rain.
Anker have included five adaptable settings of high, medium, low, strobe and SOS, meaning this flashlight will be useful in a whole range of situations. The LED can run for 50,000 hours with a smart circuit that ensures consistent and trusty lighting.
The body is made from hard-anodized aluminium which is resistant to scratches and chipping, and it has a pocket friendly design.
Choosing a Hunting Flashlight
Beam Type
There are three options for the beam type of a flashlight: fixed or flood type, which is a single beam width and is good for activities such as walking or camping; focused or spot type, which is a single beam condensed as a spotlight that can penetrate long distances, perfect for fast-paced applications such as route finding; adjustable type, which has a range of widths varying from wide to focused and any point between the two, or versatility in use.
The reflector around the lens will determine its beam type and quality. The beam distance gives how far your eye can see through the light, which will depend on the lighting mode. Adjustable beam-types allow hunters to vary focus and floodlighting to serve in the situation, so it’s best to find a flashlight with an adjustable zooming feature.
Lumen Output
Hunting flashlights should be bright enough for the darkest of nights, which means it’ll need to have a decent lumen output. The typical flashlight will have an output of between 20 and 3500 lumens, the latter being the brightest. As you’ll be using it in poor lighting conditions, you should choose a flashlight with a higher output and additionally you should read reviews about it as some adverts can be misleading and the lights turn out dimmer than you expect.
Modes
Flashlights for general applications won’t need more than one setting, however good hunting models will often come with two or more such as low, medium and high. This enables you to switch between lighting strengths when needed.
Other models may include an SOS mode which could prove very beneficial on hunting trips. The amount of settings you need are dependant on your needs and the prey you are hunting.
Battery Type and Runtime
The cycle of the battery after each complete charge is given by its runtime, measuring how fast the battery output drops to 10% of its maximum rating. This is very important as it determines the performance of the flashlight and determines how soon you’ll need to replace or recharge the battery.
If you’re looking to hunt for a prolonged time, it’d be in your best interest to get a flashlight with a longer runtime to prevent you being stranded in the dark.
Runtime also depends on which type of battery the flashlight takes, whether it be rechargeable, disposable or renewable. Rechargeable battery-operated models are often recharged by a USB port connected to a computer, solar panel or another power outlet. Initially they are more expensive, however you won’t have to keep replacing them like disposable alternatives, so it will work out cheaper in the end.
Disposable options include AA, AAA and CR123A types. The latter is the most expensive with a high voltage, and therefore a brighter light and longer runtime, however they are also rarer than the former two. AA and AAA batteries tend to have a shorter runtime and you may need to carry spares with you.
Renewable batteries are built into the flashlights which you charge via a cranking turbine from solar or wind and most commonly used in emergency lighting. Rechargeable and renewable batteries will work out cheaper in the long run but they tend to be heavier and require multiple hours of charging time.
Decide on which battery sounds the most beneficial to you and find a flashlight accordingly.
Material and Resistance
Unlike typical flashlights, hunting models are often designed for outdoor purposes in rough conditions. Therefore, it’s essential to check out the material these flashlights are made from and how tough they are.
Aluminium flashlights are thicker and therefore impact on their durability and are often considered to be scratch resistant, whereas the stainless steel ones are better for impact resistance. However, the more durable the flashlight, the more likely it is to be heavier and more difficult to carry around.
Impact resistance is usually calculated by dropping the flashlight from a high place to check how sturdy it is. Having a good impact resistance will result in no issues to the product after a high drop, which is important if you’re hunting in places with uneven ground or you’re prone to dropping things.
Water resistance depends on the IPX rating of the flashlight. IPX 4 means the flashlight can work in the rain but not underwater. IPX 7 and IPX 8 can work underwater with the former working for half an hour and the latter for up to four hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lumens do you need for hunting?
Short answer: over 600 lumens would be most beneficial for hunting. Anything less than this would compromise the distance you’d be able to see in front of you, and especially as hunting generally takes place in very poor lighting conditions, you’re going to need all the help you can get.
This will also impact the range of what is illuminated which will help the hunter be able to keep track of a fast moving animal. For reference, 1,000 lumens will be able to produce a beam range of 150 to 200 meters, so it all depends on your hunting style and needs.
Do you need to use different colored lights when hunting?
White light is the best for illumination at night, however it might spook and scare away the game animals being hunted. Colored lights are not as harsh as white lights and affect the animals in different ways.
Green lights are popular when hunting for hogs as it illuminates their darker body better than red lights, and red lights are better for other game animals such as deer, as they are blind to the color of red so they often don’t realise that they’ve been spotted. Infrared lights will extend your visual range significantly whilst using night vision equipment will enable you to scan for prey while casting no detectable visible spectrum light.
Do your research on what animal you’re hunting beforehand to determine what color light will be most suitable.
Orion H40-W LED Tactical Flashlight
- Equipped With the Cree Xm-l2 U4 1000 Lumens Led
- Comes With a Constant on Button Switch
- Compact, Recoil-proof and Water-resistant
