I don't have the convenience of walking through an open field. Where I hunt I have to walk 200 yards through a cypress swamp with 3 feet of water that is filled with Water Moccasins.
So yea I use a flashlight every time I go hunting.

Exactly what I was thinking- he hasn't walked up on a big rattler, moccasin, or boar hog...

i agree i use a light for safty i know where my stand is but like some other people said i'd sooner use a light then get shot because of some other jacka$$ .... you must be the type that hunts without orange too huh

I'm a PA WMU 3D public land hunter, and I use my light for safety. Not for stickes in the eye or tripping, but getting lost is easy and getting shot at is even easier.

Something I might add is that approaching your stand from downwind limits the damage--those deer you spook would probably detect you from your stand no matter what. My experience is that as long as you stay quiet and keep that beam from panning through the woods, spooking seems to be minimized to the deer you'd spook anyway. At least I personally don't notice any difference in the behavior of the deer.

I can find my stand without a light just fine. I always use one though because every year someone in my area gets killed by another hunter because they "thought" they were a deer and the other guy wasn't using a flashlight. I also wave the light above my head every 100 yards or so as well as shine it down any trail junctions someone else may be in.

I agree with most comments here and I also believe it's a matter of common sense. I hunt the big woods in northern New England and have a 30-40 min walk (in the daylight) to most of my stands. The woods can be thick, nasty and wet. If I did not use my flashlight, I would certainly have to rely on daylight to get to where I'm going, and that's just not in my plans.

Safety is also a high priority. Having small saplings and branches smack your face and eyes can be dangerous, as well as turning an ankle. Using a flashlight solves these potential concerns. Plus having other hunters aware I'm in the same woods that early cannot be taken lightly. So yes, I use a flashlight, not becasue I'm afraid of getting lost but because it makes the trip, in sometimes total darkness, that much more safer.

Yep - safety. Plain and simple.

On out place if someone doesn't have a working light they aren't walking into the woods before sunrise or after dark - period.

We mostly use headlamps.

Everyone except for Uncle Matt, that is. He sees quite well in the dark.