What is the best Light source for a blood trail?

Is it a lantern? or a flashlight?

I like the way the lantern really brightens up...


let me know

I've always had good luck with a coleman lantern.

IF YOU MUST...a coleman lanturn.

I use a light that came with my Craftsman cordless drill. I can light up half of the county so it makes it easy to see blood.

I only use a flashlight.

If I hit a deer in the evening and find myself on a blood trail that I cannot follow with a flashlight - I probably shouldn't be on it. I will back off and try in the morning.

If you Must follow at night - the latern is the best.

Has anyone tried one of those blue light flashlights? How about the old colored peroxide trick. I would lik to try these things, but my dang bucks keep dropping within 50 yards! [&:]

Starlight Bloodhound is a chemical spray you can buy for $13 at Walmart. It is the same chemical they use in forensic science to illuminate body fluids - illuminal.
It makes a bloodtrail glow like a pixie trail in the dark. It doesn't work well after a rain but in dry conditions you can follow a blood trail after 3 days. I always carry a bottle with me for evening hunts.

I've tried the super bright LEDs they advertise but it makes blood look black.
Peroxide works great during daylight hours. It will help identify dry blood versus the small specks of red in the autum leaves... anything that bubbles is blood.

I keep a coon hunting light in the truck for night tracking. It is a smaller one made by nite lite with the light that attaches to your hat. If using a coleman I like to line the back side of it with tin foil, making the light go where I want it. It makes a difference.

I prefer a 2 mantle propane Coleman lantern. Although a clean liquid fuel Coleman works pretty good, I think the light produced by the propane models is brighter. The tip above about lining the backside of the lantern with some type of reflective material is a good tip. When tracking with a buddy the hunter who hit the deer takes the lead with one lantern, the buddy follows with another lantern making sure that the trail is marked periodically and helps fan out when the blood or trails cools down. When the blood slows to where it is difficult to see, the buddy steps forward with the additional lantern to bathe the ground with more light. Works for me. I've had excellent luck tracking in the dark using propane lanterns, but obviously we all prefer to see or hear them go down.