Using Thermal Imaging for Hunting

[Justbryan]

Ironically, only legal for hunting predators/furbearers (not bear) in PA where EurOptic is located. Ok for looking/scouting at night, off-season.

I used a thermal monocular in the late afternoon hunt with a guide on a black bear. The guide used it to track bear movement in the thick cover where we could not see the bear with my binos. The guide was able to track the bear and point out a shooting lane. He was able to tell me where to watch and when. Wow, there was a few seconds to shoot at 400+ yards so, this would not have been possible without the thermal monocular. I used a Swarovski scope and was able to dial in the yardage for the spot that the bear was expected to appear.

I am sold on thermals if allowed for bear hunting in your area. The bear tumbled down the mountain and disappeared. We used the thermal to know where the bear had expired. He was partially hidden behind a large log. The guide had a very expensive setup. I want a new thermal! It may have been illegal to use thermal scopes for bear where we hunted but the monocular worked out perfectly.

Check your state for use of thermals for bear and maybe a monocular thermal can be used to aid in tracking. Will all thermals track in heavy cover like this or is this about the quality of the thermal?

 

[mdwest]

. Will all thermals track in heavy cover like this or is this about the quality of the thermal?

My understanding is distance and clarity is tied to the quality and resolution of the thermal..

For a basic 160 resolution unit, most manufacturers are claiming you can see heat at 250 meters.. but can only identify what that heat signature is at about 150 meters...

Where I have a buddy that has a 384 resolution unit that he says he can see deer at 400 meters with and can easily tell a buck from a doe, etc..

 

[buck wild]

Fortunately that’s already a thing. I am an ATN dealer and for 700$ plus tax and shipping you can get a day/night ATN X sight 4k that is day and night compatible. It comes with a fleer and has an internal ballistics calculator, one shot zero, recording capabilities both manual and recoil operated, it also will communicate with the day/night vision bino’s and will automatically set the zero on the rifle using the range finder in the binos. Two buttons and it will return to your 100 yard zero. They also have all the capabilities with recording that the scope has and more. The binos are 899$ (I think, either that or 799$) and I have all of them in stock. I also have several thermal units as well. All ATN products talk to each other and have the same ballistics and recording capabilities.
They’ve got thermal binos and monos. If I don’t have it in stock I can order it and ship it direct to you.
I personally use all of this equipment and it works!
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These are night vision, not thermal correct?

 

[Justbryan]

These are night vision, not thermal correct?

The ATN Thor 4 is thermal, but ATN has several models of non-thermal night vision scopes. What I am considering buying is a scope for Day/Night hunting to go on my new 22-250 and buying a thermal monocular for spotting and tracking game including varmint hunting.

I have used the thermal monocular for bear but not a scope. It was pretty dark and thick and I may not have been able to shoot 400+.

But the post is about using thermal imaging for hunting. Get with Gizmo, plan a hunt, and try it out!

 

[Justbryan]

 

[Justbryan]

ATN X-Sights are non-thermal but "Night Vision". Please don't buy a fake ATN off of Amazon get it from an ATN dealer.

 

[cem rona ergin]

I used a thermal monocular in the late afternoon hunt with a guide on a black bear. The guide used it to track bear movement in the thick cover where we could not see the bear with my binos. The guide was able to track the bear and point out a shooting lane. He was able to tell me where to watch and when. Wow, there was a few seconds to shoot at 400+ yards so, this would not have been possible without the thermal monocular. I used a Swarovski scope and was able to dial in the yardage for the spot that the bear was expected to appear.

I am sold on thermals if allowed for bear hunting in your area. The bear tumbled down the mountain and disappeared. We used the thermal to know where the bear had expired. He was partially hidden behind a large log. The guide had a very expensive setup. I want a new thermal! It may have been illegal to use thermal scopes for bear where we hunted but the monocular worked out perfectly.

Check your state for use of thermals for bear and maybe a monocular thermal can be used to aid in tracking. Will all thermals track in heavy cover like this or is this about the quality of the thermal?

Quality of thermal is very important.. you will also have problems with low quality thermal during foggy weather or when there is to much moisture in the air ..

 

[Tokoloshe Safaris]

This subject is really interesting to me. After getting the chance to use thermal handhelds over the Christmas season while hunting in England, I now am in need of one! @BeeMaa and I have been discussing them, so I’m glad to see others’ thoughts about their use. A good thermal doesn’t lie… it is amazing what they pick up when walking in the woods.
I plan to get one for a variety of purposes.
Does anyone know if we can take them to SA and then Namibia and back to the USA?

 

[W.J.JEFFERY & CO.]

I use one in the UK and it is a useful aid to picking up animals that you might otherwise miss, mostly for Roe stalking but have used on the hill in Scotland as well. Found it less usefull in Africa. So many thinngs from trees to rocks retain their warmth that it is less useful. Thought it would be useful for Leopard follow up but the jury is still out on that one.

 

[BeeMaa]

Package arrived yesterday afternoon...

I unboxed everything and fully charged the battery. By the time my wife came home I was in the middle of going through the menu and setting stuff up. We played around with it for about 10 minutes last night and were impressed with the level of clarity and the capabilities of the unit. We shutdown the unit and called it a night.

This morning there was a fresh coat of snow on the ground and while having coffee, my wife wanted to see how everything looked through the thermal. She fired it up and after just a few seconds it shut itself off. Huh...that's strange. It did the same thing to both of us several times. Well damn.

I placed a call to Euro Optic and they are issuing a RMA along with a full refund to have the unit checked out. Not sure what is going on with it, but I'm happy to only be inconvenienced by having to ship it back.

To be continued...

...continued.

Thermal was shipped back to Euro Optic and I have received a full refund and I did not inquire what the fault was or if it was fixed. If I go down this route again, it will most likely be with a thermal scope...not just a monocular. Something I can put in a Blaser saddle mount and use either way would be good as well.

In any event, I'd highly recommend Euro Optic for their excellent customer service.

 

[mdwest]

So I had decided to invest in a low cost thermal monocular..something in the 256 range (most 256 are in the $600-$800 price range these days)… I wasn’t really looking for something advanced…just something I could use to help find downed game at maybe 50-100 yards through the thick stuff.. or maybe to help spot hogs at < 200at night, etc…

The wife caught me shopping and surprised me with an early anniversary present…

Pulsar Axion 2 LRF XG35…. A 640x480 resolution unit capable of detecting heat signatures at 1900 yards with a range finder capable of 1100 yards…

I’ve only played with it a few minutes at this point… but it’s pretty remarkable technology… far more advanced than the best thermals we had in the military when I was in… incredible clarity… compact and lightweight… etc…

I took it out and easily spotted a little cottontail rabbit thst I ranged at 92 yards… and was able to see two neighbors at the end of the street chatting (384 yards)…

I don’t think this thing is going to have any problem spotting a downed doe 50 meters away in the big piney woods this September… or helping to find a sounder of hogs on a hunt I’ve got scheduled at the end of March…

Pretty excited to put it through the paces and see how it works in the field…

 

[mdwest]

I was a little skeptical about why I "needed" the rangefinder option... that boosts the price tag an additional $500... but.. I have to say... Im pretty impressed with the range finding capability...