I would imagine the largest percentage of Fiber Optic Sight users are Bow Hunters. I'd be interested in knowing when you have noticed they first Illuminate and become Visible or when they Fade out in low light?

Lets say Sunrise is at 6AM and you are in the woods. And lets say you can just begin seeing the "color" of the leaves, trees, weeds, etc at 6:30AM. When does the Fiber Optic Illuminate from the ambient light and become visible?

Or for the afternoon folks, lets say Sunset is at 6PM and you loose the color of vegetation at 6:30PM. When does the ambient light dim enough that Fiber Optic no longer has Illumination?

If you don't use Fiber Optics, do you prefer something different for Low Light conditions?

Once you start to lose color, you will start to lose the fiber optic and red will go out real fast. Green stays bright enough to see longer.
For those dim times, I light my pins. I put diodes by the opposite ends of the fibers on the first three pins.
Have you noticed how fast deer vanish even when right below you? I have been trapped in the stand by a herd of deer many times until after legal time. Not wanting to give my stand away I just watched them. Blip, their gone but I can hear them under me. One day it got later and later so I tossed my hat down, then my pack and everthing else that wouldn't break. It didn't do a thing, they were still there until they slowly fed farther away. They still watched me climb down so I had to move my stand. They don't fear you after dark and will watch every move you make. I have had them walk by me at less then 6 feet in the dark.
If you are going to your stand in the dark and there are deer near, keep going and leave. They will watch you climb and won't come near you after light. Better to give up and go to another stand or return at first light.

quote:

Originally posted by bfrshooter:
Once you start to lose color, you will start to lose the fiber optic and red will go out real fast. Green stays bright enough to see longer. ...

Thank you. That was just what I was wanting to know.

Totally agree with you about the Deer in the dark. When I walk out past them, I try to keep my legs close together(tiny steps) and arms in-line with my body, so I just look like a slow moving tree. As long as I stay down-wind, I can get fairly close and pass right on by - sometimes.

Thanks again.

I had a spot in PA years ago that always had deer hanging around in the morning. I had a chain in stand I would put in a pine tree, but never seen any deer once I got in it. One morning I tried making as much noise as I could while walking in. I banged the stand board with the chain every few seconds while walking and all the time while I put it up. My idea was to push the deer far enough away that they could not see me. I didn't get quiet until I had my bow ready. It was already legal time and was only 5 minutes later when a buck walked right under me to see what all the fuss was. He stopped and looked back under my tree from 20 yd's and he wound up in my freezer. Shortest bow hunt I ever had. Curiosity killed the cat! One of the reasons rattling works so well.
A funny one was when I found a tree I wanted to put a stand in near an apple tree. I was in the top breaking branches to fit my stand. The tree was shaking like mad and I was making all kinds of noise. (Small cedar.) I looked down and there was a large doe eating apples not 20 yd's away. She never looked at me.
I have a million stories after 222 bow kills and over 357 total deer. If you are being real sneaky on the ground, you will scare the hell out of deer. Act like another deer, not a predator. Instantly freezing when a deer spots you is a lost cause. Stamp your foot at the deer and move your head up and down while you look at the deer. They will settle and start to feed. Keep stamping at them with your foot or fist if kneeling and you will be able to move around and get your bow ready. The foot stomp is a recognition signal and if you don't answer it, the deer will run until behind cover and watch you. At your first move, the woods will explode with the deer that you thought had left. Do NOT do what all the hunting rags tell you to do, be 100% unconventional. Deer are EASY! I can fill these pages for a month with stories about fooling them and messing up what little minds they have. I have had more fun with them then can be imagined.

Hot Core,

I can see green FO pins in just about any amount of light. I'll put it this way, if I can see the deer and not just a dark shadow moving, I can make the shot. That is however with a large "Hunter" peep. I can see my sights longer than I can see through my peep. It's the peep that's the culprit in low light. Also the slightly larger green pins are easier to see in low light.

I have a led light on my bow sight that is covered in electrical tap with a tiny hole punched with a needle directly over the led. I turn it on late in the evening or early in the morning. That tiny beam of light through the pin hol in the black tape iluminates my pins. If you iluminate them too much it makes it more difficult to see IMO. That light is not needed for legal shooting times but, It's nice to have in case I do have the need.

The cover has alot to do with how long the FO pick up as well. Hunting under dense cover in dark shadows takes some time away but, even then you'll have no trouble seeing them from 1/2 hour before sunrise to 1/2 hour after sunset.

I have a tritium pen on my old bow. It is quite nice as it gives off a slight glow. I once shot a fox with it 1 hour after sunset(it was just flat dark).

Good Luck

Reloader

Yes, the pins can't be bright. You won't see a thing on the other side. I use a tiny potentiometer from the battery to dim them. Those last minutes of shooting time sure will make a small peep worthless.
One year I was walking out of a valley in the dark when I heard something running down the hill towards me. I turned my light on and it was a fox. When he seen me he turned. I stuck the flashlight between my knees and kept turning to keep it on the fox. I couldn't see anything and made a good/bad shot. I cut it's throat. I can't believe I got an arrow on the bow and still had time to shoot. He was running through the woods too. Never happen again!
Gun season baffles me. I use red dots on my revolvers and leave on time. It is dark by the time I get to my truck and I keep hearing shots. I wonder who, not what, they are shooting at. I'm glad those yuckers don't hunt on the land I do. I have good night vision for my age and never use a light going in and out. I think I might need landing lights all over me to be safe.