Raccoon hunting is a fun recreational activity. But since raccoons are mostly nocturnal, hunting them at night involves a bit of challenge. You’d have to be equipped not only with a bright but also an efficient hunting light. Our best raccoon hunting light picks are both and more! Don’t believe us? See for yourself!
Quick Comparison of the Best Coon Hunting Lights
How to Choose
Rechargeable Batteries
Running out of batteries in the middle of the hunt would be a total buzzkill! Get a hunting light with batteries that can last at least 3 hours on the highest setting. Most lights last even longer when set at lower settings. All of our picks below are rated with long battery life and are rechargeable so they’re guaranteed to last throughout your hunting trip. If you’ll be hunting all night or multiple days without a chance to recharge your batteries, we suggest bringing extra rechargeable batteries as your backup.n
Color
Most hunting lights come in either green or red, sometimes white LED lights as well. Both red and green light are better than white light when it comes to hunting applications. But some hunters still prefer to use white. White light is best for law enforcement use and filming at night.
Red light offers the least amount of strain to the human eye that’s why most raccoon and coyote hunters prefer it over green light. It also provides better eyeshine for quickly locating your game than any other color, particularly at night.
Be careful not to buy a low-quality red light as those are usually closer to the color orange and usually with cheaply-made lenses and reflectors, making them hard to use at long ranges. Look for a light with deep red color as it’s one of the characteristics of a high-quality hunting light. All our picks below guarantee that plus durable lenses and reflectors for better shining distance.
Green light covers further distances than red light, especially under a riflescope. It also helps the human eye detect more detail in the dark than in red light.
Size and Weight
Whether you’re hunting small or big game, you have to consider the size and weight of your hunting gear. A lightweight, portable hunting light allows you to run and stalk your prey without being held back by your equipment. It also gives more room in your bag for other important hunting accessories.
Beam Intensity
It’s also important to decide on how bright you want your hunting light. Some hunters don’t like it when their light is too bright. To give you good options at multiple brightness levels, we’ve reviewed lights with different levels of beam intensity below.
Different Types Of Lights
An important consideration is how you’ll be using your light. Each style and mounting point has its pros and cons. Keep reading to weigh them for your own use. You may even want more than one!
Gun Lights
Gun lights are shaped like flashlights and are usually mounted onto the rails of your riflescope. Some gun lights can be installed through integrated mounts, while others come with adapter brackets on their body. Like other hunting lights, gun lights come in different colors, depending on the brand.
Pros
- They always illuminate what you’re aiming at before a shot
- One less thing to carry
Cons
- Your friends won’t want you pointing a light at them!!!
Headlamps
Some hunters get bothered by having too many accessories mounted on their rifles. If you’re one of them, you probably prefer a headlamp. Headlamps allow you to see your target properly without removing your hands from your gun.
Choose a headlamp that’s made from skin-friendly materials so you won’t get uncomfortable or itchy even when you sweat. Make sure that the headlamp’s strap and light are also easily adjustable for your convenience.
Flashlights
Hunting flashlights can either be handheld or mounted on your weapon via an adapter bracket, some brands can even be mounted on crossbows. The difference between hunting flashlights and gun lights is that you can use flashlights for other purposes such as walking your dog at night. However, hunting flashlights are usually heavier and bulkier than gun lights.
Spot Lights
What’s great about spotlights is that they’re powerful enough to locate the most slippery raccoons. They come with high-intensity beams that can travel long distances and usually have long battery life. One minor drawback of using spotlights is that they can’t be mounted on your weapon.
5 Best Raccoon Hunting Lights
Best Overall: ORION H30 Hunting Flashlight Light Kit
Our best overall pick is highly recommended for raccoon and hog hunting, as well as predator hunting. It features the Cree XP-E2 green LED that emits a focused and bright beam that goes out to 273 yards.
The Orion H30 hunting light is constructed from military-grade materials, so it can withstand all kinds of impact and external pressure. The 18650 rechargeable battery that comes with this hunting light lasts for 4 hours when set at its maximum brightness of 300 lumens and can last up to 120 hours when set at its lowest brightness setting of 4 lumens. Plus, it recharges in less than an hour!
The H30 is equipped with two types of power buttons – a normal button that turns the light on and off like usual flashlights and a remote pressure switch that only turns the light on while you’re pressing it.
This hunting kit is complete with mounts, a remote pressure switch, a rechargeable battery, and a charger. It also comes with the standard 30-day return policy plus a 10-year warranty.
Pros
- Impact proof and waterproof
- Affordable
- Long battery life
- Comes with rechargeable batteries
Cons
- The pressure pad for mounting is difficult to compress
What Customers Say
“This light works perfect. I received my light on Thursday 9/17/15. and I killed a 225lbs boar with it at 150yds and could easily see the hog. I killed the hog at 2:30am. I had the light on high power since 10:30pm. The battery still had plenty of power left. IMO you can’t go wrong with this light. I do believe that the quality of scope matters on how far you will be able to see clearly.”
Brandie
“Used this light for hog hunting for the first time. Amazing results. This little light packs a punch. The shot was about 80 yards and when I flipped this light on my target, the shot was clear. Harvested our first hog with this light! 80 yards was the target. But I’ll bet another 40-60 yards would have been no problem. Easy to mount to the top of my scope. I can’t comment on battery life since I only used it once so far.”
Michael M
Best Headlamp: BORUiT RJ-3000 LED Rechargeable Headlamp
The BORUiT RJ-3000 headlamp is not only efficient for hunting, but it’s also a great tool for all sorts of outdoor activities such as night fishing, camping, and hiking. It features a white XML-T6 LED main light and two red XP-E R2 LED sidelights.
Its brightness can be adjusted up to 5000 lumens, not that you’d be needing that much illumination when hunting raccoons. It can be charged through a micro USB port, so you can charge it on the go.
This headlamp has three lighting modes (high white light, low white light, and red light) that you can easily switch back and forth between depending on your needs. Its view angle is also adjustable for your convenience. Plus it comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty.
One downside is that it could use a little bit more padding to provide more comfort to the user.
Pros
- Rechargeable
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- IPX4 waterproof
Cons
- Short battery life
- It’s a little bulky
- Battery box has a thin rubber cover
What Customers Say
“This light is great for really bright light needs and wonderful red light for when you don’t want it really bright, it is a bit big and bulky and I think they could have put a little more padding in areas that come in contact with the skin. I really like the ability to tilt the light down, but it would also be nice if it could tilt up at least 15 degrees. This light is great as long as you arent having to wear it for long periods.”
Ron Detten
“I use this light for deer hunting. I’ve been out with it 4 times this year. I use it for my walk-out since it’s dark. I like it bright enough to see everything I need to see. It’s a bit bulky but really doesn’t weigh much on my head. I haven’t had long to really test the batteries. I walk out of the woods and plug it back in to charge when I get home. The product has met my expectations”
Travis
Best Spotlight: Streamlight 44911 Waypoint Spotlight
If you prefer a handheld pistol-grip spotlight, the Streamlight 44911 Waypoint spotlight won’t disappoint. It features shock proof C4 LED technology that can last up to 50,000-hours. The Streamlight 44911 waypoint spotlight also takes pride in its high-impact polycarbonate housing, rubberized lens ring, and cushioned-grip handle.
You can choose from two different versions of this spotlight. One is rechargeable and the other is battery or 12 V-powered. The rechargeable model emits a beam that can be as bright as 1000 lumens while the battery-powered model can only shine as much as 550 lumens. The rechargeable version has a greater throw distance and a broader pattern like a floodlight, which is perfect if you want a bright foreground. If you want a more focused beam that’s directed into your target, the battery-powered version presents a more spotlight-like pattern.
The battery-powered model can run on batteries alone and can also be used while plugged into a 12V power source. While the rechargeable model can only run after being recharged for at least four hours.
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight
- Long battery life
- Impact-resistant and IPX4 waterproof
- Comes with three lighting modes
Cons
- It’s a little heavy and bulky
- The switch has a bit of resistance when pressing
What Customers Say
“I received my light today. The photo shows that I am lighting up trees exceptionally well. I measured the large tree at the center of my beam to be 420 feet away. I’m pretty happy with that! So far, so good.”
Michael S.
“I purchased this for my husband and he’s only had it for a week and so far it’s awesome! He charged it right out of the box and it’s been 7 days and he hasn’t had to charge it yet. He works in the South TX oilfields and it’s pitch black when he’s out there. He clips the light to this belt loop and it’s lightweight and easy to grab and point. There are a lot of coyotes and dangers around him so he wanted a spotlight so he could get a look at what’s going on around him when he’s pulling oil from the wells. This light is super bright and has an excellent range. He was able to illuminate a tractor and see it clear as day 100 yards away in the middle of a pitch-black field. There is one complaint. The lens gets scratched REALLY easily and leaves annoying dark spots in the light. A more durable and scratch-resistant lens would have been better, given the price of this light but besides that, it’s an excellent work light.”
HappyMommy83
Best on a Budget: Streamlight 69227 TLR-1 Game Spotter
Our best budget pick can be mounted on guns and is perfect for long-range use. Like most Streamlight lights, it also features the latest C4 LED technology and guarantees 1.75 hours of run time. This green LED is equipped with a deep-dish parabolic reflector that serves as a hotspot aiding in identifying targets even at long distances.
The Streamlight 69227 TLR-1 Game Spotter emits a beam that’s 150 lumens bright. It also comes with an easily attachable and detachable rail clamp that’s compatible with a wide variety of weapons (Beretta, HK, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory).
This hunting light is designed for one-handed operation so the user can snap it on and tighten it without getting their hands anywhere near the muzzle.
Pros
- Impact-resistant and IPX7 waterproof
- Scratch-resistant lens
- Comes with an ambidextrous standard switch
- Easy to install
Cons
- Not great for long-distance use
- Not rechargeable
What Customers Say
“Have used this with night deer hunting and it is fabulous! Don’t let the low lumens bother you. The big parabolic lens focuses the light out to about 100-200 yds. With that, you get a great green glow from the animal’s eyes and as long as you’re zeroed properly can make the shot. I use this in conjunction with a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8×24 scope with an illuminated reticle. Works like a charm!”
Tattoo
“Amazing greenlight. Have used it on a dozen or so hog/coyote hunts. Lights up the night unbelievably well. Can see green varmint eyes up to 200 yards away easily. Puts the other hunter’s lights to shame. My friend doesn’t even bother to turn his on when I’m there, he says my Gamespoter puts off more than enough light for him as well. Can easily change from one rifle to another (or pistol) in less than 10 seconds. Good battery life. Still on my original battery (10 plus hunts and 30 or so camping trips) and still a powerful light. I have 4 other greenlights from various manufacturers and this is the one I prefer by far. Highly recommend(ed).”
Surveyor
NightSnipe NS300 Fixed Beam Hunting Light Kit
The NightSnipe NS300 is a versatile hunting light that comes with a universal scope mount that can be installed to any size scope tube and a Picatinny Quick Detach mount that’s compatible with any 1 inch or 30mm scope tube. So it can be mounted on shotguns, modern sport rifles, bolt-action hunting rifles, tactical rifles, and even crossbows for bow hunting.
This hunting light works great for hunting not only raccoons but also hogs and coyotes up to more than 300 yards. It also comes with interchangeable red and green LEDs that are good for 2 to 3 hours of continuous use.
The NightSnipe NS300 is equipped with a standard tail cap that serves as an on/off and low/high mode switch. It also comes with a coiled remote tail cap that you can mount anywhere on your weapon.
Pros
- Universal
- Easy to install
- Comes with rechargeable batteries
Cons
- It’s a little expensive
- The beam can’t be focused
What Customers Say
“Great light, recently went coyote hunting with a bunch of guys. this light outshined in both brightness and distance, as compared to everyone else’s light. I actually wish I didn’t have it at one point.they kept saying, shine it over there, now over there, or wait now back this way !!!! lol. it is a great light, and the price is more than fair, considering the quality of light, and accessories.”
David J. Pisack
“Couldn’t have bought a better product! This thing exceeds what the description says it will do, me and my buddy were out and was spotting rabbits well over 200 yards. You would easily be able to identify a coyote or fox at 300+ yards. Very satisfied with the light! My buddy liked it so well that he is ordering one tomorrow.”
Austin
FAQs
What color light is best for raccoon hunting?
Both green and red lights are great for raccoon hunting, it’s only a matter of shooter preference.
What is the brightest coon hunting light on the market?
For us, the brightest coon hunting lights that guarantee premium performance are the BORUiT RJ-3000 LED Rechargeable Headlamp and the Streamlight 69227 TLR-1 Game Spotter. Check out our detailed review above.
How many lumens is a coon light?
Most coon lights emit beams that vary from 150 lumens (short distance use) up to 1,000 lumens.
Can you use a spotlight to hunt raccoons?
A spotlight is a must-have when hunting raccoons! The perfect spotlight for hunting raccoons is the Streamlight 69227 TLR-1 Game Spotter. It’s not only reliable but also affordable!
Conclusion
There you have it, the most concise guide to finding the best raccoon hunting lights. Remember that whichever LED color you choose, it’s best to turn on your hunting light before taking aim to lower the chance of spooking your target.
Last update on 2024-04-24 / Images from Amazon Product API
