All types of hunting presents risks and can be dangerous. But adding the element of darkness to the equation takes things to a new level. So, the short answer to the question “is night hunting dangerous?” is yes, it can be. But if you are prepared and take the proper precautions, hunting at night can be relatively safe and very enjoyable. We want you to have the best experience possible when you decide to go night hunting. Therefore, we have highlighted some of the possible risks and dangers of night hunting and provided some food for thought on how to control for them.
Universal Night Hunting Dangers
While many factors determine the level of danger related to hunting at night, there are a few things every hunter should consider before going out after dark.
Visual Restrictions
Obviously, the most prominent obstacle hunters face when night hunting is the inability to see at night. Visual restrictions certainly render an additional challenge to night hunting, but it can also inflate existing ones.
When your vision is limited, it’s much harder to identify your target. Often, people hunt at night on private property such as farms. Limited vision can dramatically increase the risk of mistaking a domesticated animal such as a cow or horse for your target. In some situations, it may even increase the risk of shooting a person. In that same vein, if you are not adequately familiar with the area, the darkness can significantly increase the risk of shooting towards houses or roads.
Limited vision can also render a hunter more susceptible to tripping over debris and stepping in a hole. Hunters should also be careful not to lose an eye from walking into a head level tree limb. It may also be easier to get lost at night.
Finally, potentially dangerous creatures such as snakes and spiders are hard to see even in the best sunlight. While some of these creatures may be less active at night, it is much easier to step or sit on one because the chances of seeing it are much slimmer.
Many Dangerous Animals Prefer Night Activity
Obviously, it is harder to see potentially dangerous animals at night. But many are more active at night, thereby increasing hunters’ chance of an encounter. Many of the most common night hunted animals are potentially dangerous such as hogs, coyotes, and bobcats. This higher activity factor may contribute to the advantages of hunting at night, but it can also contribute to dangers since it may also increase the likelihood of encountering other potentially dangerous animals beyond your target.
Many geographical locations have black bears and mountain lions as well as other potential threats. Therefore, hunters should be vigilant to watch for these animals. Regardless of the visual issue, hunting at night may increase the chances of becoming within their proximity.
Dangers Relating to Specific Animals and How to Avoid Them
Keeping the last section in mind, this section will broadly discuss some potentially dangerous animals’ common aggression levels. It will also discuss the current consensus of how to stay safe when there is an encounter.
Wild Hogs
The term “wild hog” can refer to different types of hogs and people may use it loosely. But generally speaking, the term commonly connects to feral hogs and Russian boars or a hybrid breed. These are commonly hunted in the United States.
Some people may claim that these hogs are highly aggressive and extremely dangerous. While these hogs are capable of rendering substantial damage and have certainly attacked people, they are generally scared of humans and choose flight over fight. However, like most animals, when they are wounded or protecting their offspring, they can be very aggressive. With this in mind, night hunters should be very cautious when tracking wounded hogs in the dark. They should also be extra cautious when there are young pigs involved. While hogs usually won’t attack, it can be devastating when they do.
Coyotes and Bobcats
Like wild hogs, Coyotes will usually run from humans. They are even less likely to attack than hogs. One study found that there were 142 documented coyote attacks from 1960-2006 across the United States and Canada. However, coyotes can become aggressive when threatened, so night hunters should not assume a coyote will not stay and fight when there is a conflict.
Bobcats are extremely shy and unlikely to attack humans. But there are cases where they have, especially rabid ones. Hunters shouldn’t be nervous about the risks of sustaining a bobcat attack, but they should be aware that it is possible. Because bobcats and coyotes are much smaller than hogs, they usually do not cause as much damage when they do attack. But no one wants to be clawed up by a wildcat, even if it does only weigh 30 pounds.
Other Animals
As mentioned earlier, many places have more potentially dangerous animals than those hunters target. Bears and mountain lions are widespread across the United States. Black bears are the most common bear species, but some locations obviously home larger bears such as grizzlies. Grizzly bears are very aggressive, so if you plan to night hunt where these bears live, you should be very cautious and be prepared if you do encounter one.
Black bears are much like hogs; they usually run from humans. However, like hogs, if wounded or you threaten their young, they are no joke. One additional factor that may render black bears more dangerous than hogs is their ability to climb trees. Whether you are hunting in a tree stand or you resort to climbing a tree after a chase, remember that black bears are good climbers. In terms of how to avoid a bear attack, most experts suggest remaining calm and slowly backing away the direction you came if the bear doesn’t flee after spotting you.
Mountain lions are not normally aggressive and will likely avoid you save for the same factors that may cause the other animals mentioned to attack. It’s rare that you will even see the cat before it sees you and flees. However, they can climb trees very efficiently, so your climbing skills won’t help you much with these cats if they decide they want you bad enough. Most experts advise people to stand their ground when encountering a mountain lion rather than running. Making yourself look as large as possible, making noise, and slowing backing away is usually advised.
Land animals aren’t the only thing night hunters should consider. Owls and other nocturnal flying creatures can cause quite a scare and possibly even injury to night hunters.
Tips to Make Your Hunt Safer
As we have discussed, there are several potential risks that come with night hunting. However, this should not discourage prospective participants from giving it a try. There are many precautions hunters can take to minimize the dangers. We have listed a few below.
Don’t Hunt Alone
This tip applies to many potentially dangerous things in life. We all know the old sayings: “two heads are better than one;” or the famous taunting question, “you and what army?” The point is, having some backup is usually a good idea regardless of the task at hand. After all, we can all use a little help from our friends.
Animals are highly intelligent. They know how to assess the environment and determine when to pick a fight and when to walk away. Any reasonable person would be much more hesitant to pick a fight with a group than just one other person. Thus, experts in self-defense and other similar topics advise staying in groups rather than going solo. This is very applicable to night hunting as well. Often, animals are less likely to attack when they perceive a higher number of adversaries. Also, having an extra set of eyes to overcome night hunting’s visual impairments never hurts.
Having a friend with you also reduces the risk of things going very bad in the event of an injury. There are many things that could cause injury when hunting, and darkness doesn’t help these risks. If you’re alone and break your leg, for example, it could be detrimental. Being in a group may also reduce the risk of getting lost.
Carry a Handgun
If things get too heated, forcing you to defend yourself against an attacking animal, it’s important to have a good backup weapon. As always, you should check your jurisdiction’s laws and regulations relating to the type of weapon you can use and regulations specifically related to handguns. Assuming your jurisdiction allows it, however, it may be a good idea to have an easily accessible handgun on your person while night hunting.
Obviously, there is tons of debate over the best handgun for self-defense against aggressive animals. However, bears, mountain lions, and especially hogs are large, tough opponents. Therefore, it’s a good idea to carry a relatively large caliber.
For semiautomatic handguns, a 40 caliber or larger is a good choice. Because the animal will likely be very close range once it’s time to resort to the backup weapon, a .45 ACP or 10mm may be the best choice because of their knockdown capabilities.
Some may not trust a semi-automatic as much as a revolver. Revolvers are also usually available chambered in larger cartridges such as the popular .44 Magnum. Some gun manufacturers also provide .357 Magnum revolvers with a seven round cylinder.
Many hard-core night hunters prefer to use an AR-style rifle for their primary weapon. For those who take this route, a backup handgun may not be as necessary because an AR-style rifle, especially chambered in the popular .308, is extremely effective in self-defense against an attacking animal, even a large hog or bear.
Many may choose to night hunt with a bolt action or other type of firearm slow to reload, or even a bow. In this case, a well-chosen handgun can be a great safety precaution.
Know Your Surroundings
Night hunters should take sufficient time to scout the area out well during the day before coming back after dark. It’s important to know your surroundings for many reasons. Perhaps the most important reason is so that you know of any houses or roads nearby. Hunters certainly don’t want to be shooting in an uncertain direction.
As mentioned above, darkness can make it much easier to get lost. Thoroughly familiarize yourself with the area before going out at night can mitigate the risk of getting lost. Carrying a GPS may also be a good idea as unlike humans, these devices are not dependent on light.
Knowing your surroundings is also helpful in case you need to flee an attack. Having a good tree picked out to climb quickly can be an effective way to avoid getting mauled by a hog. However, as mentioned before, this trick may not work as well with bears and mountain lions.
Conclusion
Any type of hunting can present risks and potential dangers both to hunters and others in the area. So is night hunting dangerous? Sure, it can be. However, adding the additional element of darkness to the equation can inflate existing dangers as well as provide new ones. As we have discussed, the night’s limitation on vision and many dangerous animals’ preference to roam the night contributes to these added risks and dangers. However, as long as hunters take the proper precautions, night hunting is a safe and fun past time and a very effective method for hunting certain game animals.