Sunglasses - best tint for hunting?

E

elker

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Jul 4, 2012
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East Idaho
Trying to get opinions on best shade/tint for sunglasses for hunting. Haven't seen much on this topic. I have some Costas with a green tint I use for river fishing, but these are too dark for hunting. Replaceable lenses are available for these and wanted to order some different ones. Went with a guide before and always used yellow, he said animals were easier to spot with that tint.

Any recommendations?
 
I don't know about the yellow. I have a pair of costas that have black polarized lenses in them, they do a great job of shading your eyes but still have good light transmission. I wouldn't think mirrored lenses would be a good thing
 
I've tried blue-blockers and they seem to really help define certain colors in the outdoors, especially the color brown....as in deer.
 
I wear a pair of Smiths with their Chromapop Ignitor lenses for sight fishing, but have never used them hunting as there is no need to down here. That said, they are awesome in low light situations and very light weight. I think they would make great hunting glasses. But obviously that wouldn't work for replacing your current lenses.

Maybe try out Costa's new sunrise silver mirror?
 
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Thanks for everyone's input. After reading these posts and more internet research, yellow, orange and grey seemed to be the preferred choices for hunting. Polarized without a mirror finish. tarheel, I have the same Serengeti Drivers that I have been using for quite a few years and they have worked well. I'm leaning more towards the yellow lenses The Costas have the green mirrored tint and don't provide me with the contrast, so I'll try some different tints outside from a retail store and see.
 
On a related note, regardless of the type of sunglasses, does anyone have any pro tips on transitioning between sunglasses, rangefinder, spotting scope, binos, and riflescope? I do generally take my shot through my sunglasses since they are also safety glasses (being down to one eye, I'm not taking any risks).
 
I wear sunglasses everyday except when I'm hunting. Yellow is good for low light but harmful in good light. My uncle swears by rose tint and he's very good at seeing animals.
 
Guidelines for Choosing Hunting Eyewear Lens Color: 1. Yellow lenses block haze and blue light, which helps increase contrast and depth perception. 2. A light purple, vermilion, or rose color is good for enhancing the orange of a clay target against a background of the sky and trees. 3. Gray lenses help wearers see targets exactly as they are. I have sunglasses with yellow lenses from Oakley but they cost me nearly $140. And that is a lot, you know. Now I want to try to order from https://www.layoners.com. Some of my friends told me it's a good store.
 
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The best sunglasses for hunting are cheap sunglasses. Ive accidentally left 2 pairs in the woods this month. A pair of natives and a pair of floating dragons. I like to wear them while im hiking, but when i set up to call i take them off and set them on the ground so i dont have something shiny / reflective on my head when im trying to call in critters. Guess i better get online find a few more pairs of discount shades.
 
My daily pair are amber tint, but I don’t like them for hunting, particularly bird hunting. I don’t feel like I can see colors very well- everything kind of ends up looking the same shade of brown.

I’ve used yellow for work at night and in low light conditions and they really brighten things up and enhance detail. Not sure how much shade protection they will give you in high light situations though.
 
no sunglasses while hunting. period. sunglasses when not hunting all the time in the sun.
Sun glasses degrade what I can see it seems.
 
Good polarized glasses will make life easier on your eyes and reduce fatigue on bright days, crappy sunglasses won't help you a bit. Get yellow, copper, amber, or brown lenses for hunting and fishing activities, they enhance color contrast, I found grey lenses will darken things too much in low-light conditions. My Costas are always green mirrored or copper lenses, and every fishing guide I worked with wore the same. Get a retainer for them so you don't leave them sitting on a rock when you take them off...

Costa 580 Lenses | Costa Del Mar

Costa Sunglasses lens color technology is built to address constantly changing light conditions. The polarized polycarbonate and glass lenses come in seven colors, including our mirror options that address changes in light. Whether it’s sunrise or mid-day, our lenses are built to help you see...
www.costadelmar.com www.costadelmar.com
 
Personally could kinda care less about effectiveness as much as protecting my eyes.

I go with a heavy grey lens, it's typically super sunny in CO, ID, MT, ect during hunting season. If I was hunting somewhere it was overcast I would consider yellow or rose tint.

Sun screen and sun glasses folks, both are going to help you run out of health a lot later down the road.
 
Oakley makes polarized golf lenses that work really well. I like a little relief while hunting but not super dark. Might change that up when there's a lot of snow on the ground though.
 
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