Dan's story on his website (and here) are the reason that I will always have some sort of cap light on the brim of my hat this fall. First time I read that I couldn't believe there are people in the woods like that. Even more people said they had things like that happen to them too. I hunt private but now will still have a green light on when I walk in and out in the dark.

Yep.. It was to dark to even see a deer. Im glad he didn't have a gun.

About 15 - 20 years ago we had a young girl just down the street have her horse she was riding shot and killed while she was on it at night on private property with a rifle in a shotgun zone on private posted land too...
Accidents are not as random as some people think... You need to realize there are idiots and nuts out there and do what you can to prevent them from taking you out.

I would rather not use a light if possible. It really depends on the moon. On public properties I always use a light, got a small blue one and a bright white one.

Lol. Ok "y'all," said the guy from New Jersey.

Good advice. I use the same trails to my stands every year, so I know them well enough to walk them in the dark without a light, except when there's a "new moon" (no moon). Then I'll use a mag lite pointed to the ground only.

I use these same trails when I check my cams too, so each time I walk it I'll remove any sticks/branches that have fallen since the last time I went through. This allows for a very quiet entrance and exit when you go to actually hunt.

Flashlight or not waliking to stand?
 

When I had tree stands or ground blinds off roads or trails I used reflective strips of military decals I had to which I had access to mark trails. Using these(and others similar for sale) you can mark a trail through the woods with white/red/green lights easily. Some of mine were 200 yds deep into the woods and looked like a highway!