Is a red light really invisible to animals?

[dennishoddy]

On a recent trim to NM, we had a pair of coyotes approach our hidey-hole.
I got a couple of pics of them. It was getting pretty dark, and my partner in the blind, pulled out his CCW with a laser, and triggered the laser on the snow right in front of the coyote.
That dog jumped straight up into the air, doing a 180 and bolted like no other!
Then I got to thinking. I've played with my dogs before using a laser, but at the same time we have all read how red lights cannot be seen by animals. Predator hunters in lots of states other than OK use them on a regular basis.
What is it about the laser that makes it visible to an animal, where an incadescent bulb in red is invisible?
Different frequency in the light spectrum?

 

[six shooter]

It just makes the light harder for them to see is what ive heard.But that is what my dogs do with the lazer light we play with them all the time it makes them go nuts.

 

[sesh]

I have no idea, I was going to try to make it make sense but I know there has to be an expert on it so I'll wait for them. That way if I'm wrong, nobody will know

Ah crap on it, could it have to do not only with frequencies but with dispersment as well? Laser is very focused where a bulb, be it LED or otherwise is very dull because it isn't as focused?

 

[crg1372]

Ah crap on it, could it have to do not only with frequencies but with dispersment as well? Laser is very focused where a bulb, be it LED or otherwise is very dull because it isn't as focused?

Thats my thinking.

 

[Istandalone]

maybe it looked like a black dot moving on the snow . . . freaky.

 

[264Magnum]

The real question is: Why didn't you shoot the coyote?

 

[Tyson C.]

The real question is: Why didn't you shoot the coyote?

"dennis you missed your shot, was it because the sun was in your eyes, or should i say eye"....a little True Grit humour....

but yes dennis has some explaining to do to the class....or were you affraid of shooting the horses' in the back ground.

love the pics and story you gave us about the trip, very beautiful place!!!!

 

[dennishoddy]

"dennis you missed your shot, was it because the sun was in your eyes, or should i say eye"....a little True Grit humour....

but yes dennis has some explaining to do to the class....or were you affraid of shooting the horses' in the back ground.

love the pics and story you gave us about the trip, very beautiful place!!!!

Well, there were elk in the area, just not nearby. They were to the right of the pic, but were 600yds away. I tried to get a pic of them, but it got too dark for the telephoto lense to pick them up. Didn't have a tripod to steady the camera for the shot either.

Ok, smart butt, why did the laser scare them?

 

[Tyson C.]

not for sure how this will fly but here is my thought.

we know dogs don't see red because there color spectrum is a lot different then ours. they see red as more of a dark black/gray color, and the rest of the natural surroundings a more white in color. with a laser your light is more focused toward one point, making a stronger light "beam". so with your laser pin firing from one area it looks like a solid dark colored line from your point to the dogs feet. so when you flip on the laser it looks like all of a sudden a solid black/grayish line has appeared from him to wherever you are at, and with the lower light conditions and white snow ground it may of appeared more solid to there color spectrum then ours? like stated earlier someone said a small black dot appeared and freaked him out, well it wasn't a dot but a line of all sudden. with it being darker outside the laser can stand more. with a spot light the light is more of a spreaded beam, all of the output of the light is not focused to one area like laser but a bigger "glow".

from what i was told by a guy at Bass Pro (cause i have thought about buying the red light that attaches to the top of your scope) he said do not point the light directly at the dogs, but aim a little bit above the dog and work your way down. you will see there eyes light up from the bottom of the lights out put then slowly work your way down but try and not to get the direct beam of the light into there face or shoot the light low at the ground and work your way up. your main goal is to keep the center of light out of there face because the center of the light has more output and becomes a big black/gray star burst of light all of a sudden.

i think it is similiar to taking a white spot light (mid power) and shooting it at your friend whose is lets say 100yds, if the main output of the beam is above his head a bit and the lower part of the lights output ring is on him, you could easily make him out in cover and from his view he can not tell much? but put the beam right into his face then he can see the stronger center of the light and better knowing your position.

thats about all i got......how did i do.

also here is link i found awhile back--- http://www.varminthunters.com/articles/nighthunt/nitehunt3.htm

 

[dennishoddy]

thats about all i got......how did i do.

also here is link i found awhile back--- http://www.varminthunters.com/articles/nighthunt/nitehunt3.htm

Not bad. Probably a lot of truth to that explanation.