On our farm, I've been shooting coyotes and feral cats during the day with a 12ga and #4 buckshot and an AR with 50gr V-Max's, and at night using a spotlight and truck headlights with just the 12ga. With the 12ga, day or night, I've killed both out to around 100yds and mortally wounded a few 'yotes out to about 125yds. With the AR in 5.56/.223 in daylight, DRT out to 400+/- (if I do my part right), and mortally wounded a couple of 'yotes out to a little over 500yds. There are several places where I can take shots to well over 600 to 700yds, but about 550 to 600yds is about as far as I want to go, right now.
BUT, let me make this clear, this is NOT just sport, but necessity. The coyotes and feral cats have already destroyed our bobwhite population (haven't heard a quail whistle in over two years now), and are well on their way to totally wiping out our turkeys, and the coyotes have noticeably reduced the deer population. But I'm reluctant to try poisoning them for several reasons, and I am NOT a trapper (no aversion to it, just don't have the skills or equipment).
I badly need to up my game for night hunting the coyotes. Been reading here about thermals, rifles and such. Going to have to quit hunting at night out of our vehicles because they've gotten wise to them. I've got ARs in 5.56/.223, 6.5 Grendel, and 7.62x39. Got bolts in .22 Hornet, .223, .22-250, .243, .250-3000, 6.5 Gren, and up. The .22-250 is out because it's a Win Coyote Heavy Varmint - weighs 11+ lbs.
I want to get a thermal to mount on either the .243 or the AR 6.5 Gren (probably the Gren, and use the .243 with standard scope to extend my range during daylight). I'd like to be able to bust 'yotes at night to at least 300 yds, but I know not to believe most of the advertising hype. My budget for a thermal is around $2500. Are there any at that price point that: #1) are reliable and durable, and #2) are able to, in the real world, in field conditions, accurately resolve and enable hits on coyotes at 300 yds (or more)?
TIA
