10 Best Predator Hunting Lights | Best for Coyote Hunting

Are you a professional hunter or an expert who like to go on night hunting trip to hunt predators or coyotes? It is one of the most extraordinary adventures, but also its really necessary to have all the equipment like the best predator hunting lights.

It's one of the best way for night hunting coyotes.

Let's get started in finding the best coyote hunting lights.

Predator hunting is a fast-growing shooting sport across the nation for three simple reasons.

1. Many states do not have a season or bag limit on varmints/predators, such as for coyote hunting.
2. Electronic calls are often allowed. This is rare. Electronic calls are not legal for most traditional game animal hunts.
3. You can hunt at night.

10 Best Predator Hunting Lights

Here are some of the best lights that you can use for predator hunting at night:

• Coyote reaper XXL
• Odepro KL52
• Orion H30
• Ulako Green Coyote Light
• Brinkmann Q-Beam Spot Flood-Light
• Nitecore New P30
• Rayovac 85 Floating Lantern
• Streamlight 44450
• Wicked A67ic
• Coast FL75

Light The Night

Night hunts are done with night and thermal vision scopes, both of which are very expensive and contain sensitive electronics. A cheaper route uses filtered lights for coyote hunting, which are incredibly cheap compared to scopes and still work extremely well.

The best predator hunting lights are either green or red. Red is usually a top choice. Predators are experts at seeing movement, but not so good when it comes to color perception. 

Canidae, the family of foxes, wolves, coyotes and the occasional feral dogs, see in black and white. I have hunted and killed feral dogs that ran in packs attacking livestock and threatening people.

Some folks think it is OK to throw unwanted dogs out of their vehicle in the country. It is not. These dogs create real problems for livestock and people.

The cat family, bobcat and cougar, also see in black and white but have excellent night vision because of how the feline eye is made.

People who go hog hunting at night with a light often switch between red and green. Hogs have some color vision and they learn fast. Pop a few under a red light and that sounder learns red means death. Go to a green hunting flashlight for a while.

Night time coyote hunting lights come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some states limit the battery power to 6 volts or less. Some do not have this restriction. A 6-volt light can still light up a predator's eyes at more than 200 yards, if the battery is fully charged.

You will go through a lot of batteries, a lot of coyote hunting lights, and several years of hunting before you spend as much on that gear as you will spend on one thermal scope.

If you hunt solo, you want something that attaches to your gun or a head-mounted light. These lights can go under the barrel, beside the barrel or on top of the scope. 

Better predator hunting lights have a switch on a cord, or a pigtail. The cord should attach to the gun close to the trigger assembly or forward grip. If it does not come with a velcro attachment, black tape works well.

It's a good idea to pack a handheld as well. You can scan with the hand light for coyote hunting. When a target comes in, switch to the other light.

Since handhelds often have more battery than a mounted light, your nighttime hunt can last longer. Use the handheld to search, using up that power first.

Universal Limits

All battery-powered predator hunting lights share two universal limits.

1) Distance. Expect the effective lighting distance to be about half the advertised distance. On a moonlit night on an open plain or open field with a fully charged battery and maximum intensity, you might reach the advertised distance. If you hunt under trees or in tight conditions, expect less.

2) Intensity determines how long the battery lasts. Lower power means more light time for predator hunting. Lower power also means you will not see as far. However, if you are hunting in tight conditions, battery life is not a concern. Having backup batteries and a car charger is always a good idea.

Types of Predator Lights

Best Predator lights come in three types.

1. Scope or gun-mounted
2. Handheld
3. Headlight

Mounted Lights for Coyote Hunting

1. Coyote reaper XXL

The Coyote reaper is a top choice for night hunters. The company offers a lot of different models. The XXL offers hunters the widest variety of options of any reliable mounted light for coyote hunting. A top feature on the best model is the red, white, amber and bright green light choice, all in the same light.

The light for predator hunting comes with a two-year guarantee on the bulb and the tail caps. Since the bulb is an LED, it should last for years, depending on your hunting schedule. The tail cap may need replacing every few years.

Expect an effective shooting range of about 300 yards, 400 on a good night. In open fields and well-lit conditions, you could reach the advertising 700 yards.

2.Odepro KL52

The ability to go from a tight spotlight to a wide floodlight is handy. The Odepro KL52 gives you that flexibility. You can expect around 200 yards of effective lighting under most conditions.

The KL52 comes with four lighting options, red, green, white and infrared. The bulbs are integral to a screw-in mount for the light and carried in cushioned containers in a carrying case. Changing bulbs is easy to do in the field and should take about a minute.

The infrared setting is used with traditional night vision scopes. In IR mode, this predator hunting light will extend the useful distance of a night sight scope. Many traditional night vision scopes come with an IR Illuminator. These are rather weak compared to the IR the KL52 throws out.

The pigtail switch on this one is not a rocker. The hunting light is either on or off. You have to actually hold this one down for the hunting light to stay on.

If you are handy with wiring, replace the switch with a rocker or button switch grip that stays on when you are not touching it or lets you hold the switch to keep the light on.

This light comes with a pic rail mount and a fast-release barrel/scope mount.

3. Orion H30

The Orion H30 has red or green lights. It is good to about 100-150 yards. 

The Orion comes with a rubber halo shield. Other coyote hunting lights should really have this as well. You can make one from a piece of pipe if you must. Think of a sun shield on your regular scope.

The light shield stops backscatter from the bulb from entering your scope. Just like sunlight or very bright predator light, backscatter can make it difficult to see through a scope.

4. Ulako Green Predator Hunting Light

This manufacturer promises 350 yards. Half that is reasonable under most conditions. It is a green-only light.

This has a dual switch, one of which is a grip pigtail switch. You can use the grip option to keep the hunting light on when you are sighting down the scope or hit the switch to leave it on without your hand on the switch.

It comes with a Picatinny rail mount that sets the hunting light to the side of the rail, or a fast release for clamping to a barrel or scope.

Handheld

Handheld coyote hunting lights cannot be mounted to a gun. They are simply too big and often too heavy. Some of these predator lights also need red or green filters. You can make your own filter with trimmable gel screens. If the screen gets damaged, just toss it.

Handhelds also give you more distance than the smaller mounted hunting lights.

5. Brinkmann Q-Beam Spot Flood-Light

I've used up a bunch of Q-Beam spotlights over the years. Once the bulb dies, just get a new one. Replacing the bulb is cheaper, but the casing on mine is usually worn out too.

The Q-Beam does need a filter. Red, blue, green and amber filters are available and snap on to the front of the coyote hunting light. 

I prefer the lower-candlepower (CP) lights and 400,000 CP is plenty for the shooting I do. Also, the lower CP means the light does not get as hot as fast as the million-CP lights. That's important because your filter will get hot and can melt if you are not careful.

Lumens and candlepower are not the same thing. You can do a rough conversion here

The drawback is Q-Beams are 12-volt, and 6-volt lights are often the maximum charge allowed. Check your state laws.

I replace the Q-Beam-supplied power plug with a longer cord and put small battery clamps on it. Hook it to my truck battery and I'm ready to go. I sit on the toolbox on my truck shining for varmints. 

The biggest drawback to the Q-Beam is the gaps the snap-on filter has on the sides. This is necessary to let heat escape, but it also means bright light spills out the sides.

 If the predators in your area are hunted, they can see the white and will spook before they get into range. If that happens, you need a green or red light that does not spill white.

6. Nitecore New P30

This is the smallest of the handheld predator hunting lights in this review. The Nitecore New P30 will fit in your pocket.

Nitecore says you can expect hundreds of hours of run time with a fresh battery, on low intensity. The reality for hunters says you can get maybe 20 hours under optimum conditions with the larger battery capacity.

Effective hunting distance is out to about 200 yards max.

This one can be mounted to a gun, but it does not come with mounting accessories, so we call it handheld. Also, the large objective bell on the front may make mounting difficult.

If you get this to hunt with, you do need to add a filter. The plain white hunting light will spook most predators. If the predators are hunted, one glimpse of white staying in one place and you'll never see the critter.

7. Rayovac 85 Floating Lantern

This is another predator light that I've worn out repeatedly over the years. It is a top choice and has some distinct advantages over other hunting lights.

1) Battery. It uses a 6-volt dry cell battery that you can buy in most hardware and department stores.

2) The head unscrews and you place a gel filter over the plastic cover, screw it back on and go hunting.

3) It is a 6-volt, meaning if you have power restrictions in your state, you are good to go. It comes with one battery.

It also comes with disadvantages, chief of which is a limited range with the filter in place. It won't get hot enough to damage the gel unless you leave it on for a long time.

It puts out more light than some of the smaller lights in this review, but not as strong as the above handhelds and most mounted lights. With a fresh battery, you have about 75 yards of effective lighting distance.

Hunting with this is also a 2-person hunt because one person has to hold the hunting light while the other shoots.

8. Streamlight 44450

This is a large hunting flashlight, but it does not have the same lumens, or candlepower, as the Q-Beam. It does have a few advantages over the Q-Beam, but they are not enough to move the Streamlight into first place.

It is easy to filter. Just put some red gel over the front and tape it down. As it has fewer lumens than the Q-Beam, it won't be as quick to damage the gel. You can probably reach 200 yards with this one.

It has a carry handle. That handle also has D-rings, so you can put a shoulder strap on it. The light will also hang easily from a tree limb or other support.

In a nod to the emergency service crews that usually carry this hunting light, it has bright blue LEDs on the back. You need to disconnect these to hunt. If you are using the light to walk around in the woods at night, connect the rear lights.

I've used lights similar to this in the past, usually the 6-volt kind. I find the beam is easier to direct when hunting when I grab the handle and flip the light upside-down, so that my grip is underneath the light.

Headlight

9. Wicked A67ic

If you are serious about headlights for predator hunting, the Wicked A67ic is the one to get. If I knew I was hunting varmints by myself regularly, this is the one I'd choose.

 (I prefer to guide other hunters.) The only reason this is not my top pick is because the range is not as good as the Q-Beam.

This is actually a combination light. It goes from headlight to gun-mount quickly. It has a true quick-release clamp if you use the Picatinny rail setup or mount directly to the gun.

You can switch between white, green and red lights by turning a color-select knob. No need to change the bulb or the front glass. You can also adjust the light intensity. Start low and dial the strength up if you need to. 

It has a pigtail switch option, and a zoom feature to go from spot to flood. Figure about 75 yards maximum range, maybe 100 on a really good night. A halo shield prevents backscatter.

You get an AC and a DC charger with the light. It uses two batteries at a time and ships with four. Two can charge while two are in use. Everything stores in a case when not in use. Cases are extremely handy.

10. Coast FL75

The Coast FL75 is meant for fairly close hunting. Raccoon hunting comes to mind. If you are hunting in thick stuff and can call your target in to 50 yards or less, this will work. If you have longer shots, this is not the hunting light to use.

It has a white or red light option. Since it uses AAA batteries, it is easy enough to carry plenty of backup power for a long night of hunting.

Final thoughts

If you have never hunted predators, be ready for fast action. They come in, look around and can leave before you know they are there. Hunting them at night takes some of the edge off.

Many times the predator comes right up to the call. If you can, get a partner to hunt with you to start. That way, you learn how to use the predator hunting light and the gun.

How close can they get? I've had foxes try to climb into the truck when I put an electronic call on top of the cab. Rotes and bobcats are a bit more cautious, but I've had big bobcats get within a few yards of the truck.

Raccoons will come right to the truck as well. Where I hunt, hunting from a parked vehicle with the motor off is legal.

Once you get one coming in, do not put the center of the coyote hunting light on the animal. Keep the animal in the fringes of the light to avoid spooking it. Realistically, shots of 200 yards at night are about as much as you can ever expect to make.

As always, check the regulations in your state regarding electronic calls, the use of lights, and hunting at night. 

If you do hunt at night, be absolutely certain of your target and what is behind it. You don't have the luxury of daylight to illuminate everything you are looking at.

What do you think about these predator hunting lights? Have any caught your interest? Is there another predator/varmint hunting light that you think that I should have included? Share your thoughts in the comments.