Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Thermal Optics for spotting game???

I had the opportunity to do an Axis/turkey hunt last week at the Texas A&M Sonora Station (between Rocksprings & Sonora, Tx.).

Sat out from about 1 hour before shooting light and about 1-1/2 hour after dark-thirty on 4 mornings and 3 eves. Spent quite a bit of time observing with my Super Hogster hand held and my weapon mounted Super Yoter.

I have good sets of 10 x 42 Leica binos that I typically use for spotting. However, as of the last few months I am using the Thermal optic for spotting game much more than the binos.

It is amazing to look out when the day is breaking and be able to see at times dozens of points of light that are birds or other critters that I would have never spotted before.

In one particular instance I was in a ground blind positioned such that about 20 yds. in front of where I was sitting there was a good patch of scrub oak, juniper and mesquite that spanned about 15' wide and say 8' high.
This would be about 9:30 AM this past Tuesday. I had just finished scanning with my binos having swept by this patch and seen hide nor hair. I picked up my hand held thermal unit and happened to look through at the patch of brush in front of me.

Bam! There was a white-tail doe directly behind the brush, some 20 yds. away that I had not even seen.

I took a still with the thermal and then picked up my binos. Concentrating, I was able to pick out the doe with the binos. I then took a still with my DSLR. Later I will try to post pix of the different views from each optic. Amazing!

I am wondering who else here is using thermal for spotting game?

Quien Sabe,

GWB

Great post geedubya! I’ve not entered the thermal game, but sure am reading and listening intently. Seems to be a heck of a game changer and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and expertise. Bob

I just picked up an AGM thermal monocular to use passing through fields to get to my treestand. I tested it out in the backyard where I had recently seen a few deer from my kitchen window, but by the time I got outside they were gone---until I used the thermal and there were 4 deer inside the brush I couldn't see with the naked eye, but the thermal picked them up no problem. Very impressed with this bargain priced thermal! This should be great for game recovery too.
Now I'm considering getting a rifle thermal scope for hunting coyotes at night.

Scottyman, Which model AGM thermal monocular do you have?

Taipan TM10-256

Thanks. Gonna check one out.

Check out The Late Night Vision Show on youtube for a lot of great info on thermal scopes.

I have a set of Pulsar Merger XP50 thermal bino's with the built in rangefinder. In reality, they're a monocular, but with a viewing display for each eye. They're much more natural to view and scan with, compared to my older monocular. There's just something more natural about scanning with both eyes. They're pretty light too and I use a Rick Young bino harness. They're just like using regular optical range finding bino's. I was able to find a downed pig late one morning, it had crawled up into some brush, but she stood right out with the thermal bino's.

Eh. I've tried thermal for spotting animals. Works fine, but at some point I realized it was too much of an advantage. If I have to resort to "Predator Vision" to view animals, am I really hunting? Something for everyone to decide for themselves.

I picked up a set of Pulsar Accolade binos to locate trespassers. I’ve had so much fun in the field I’ve started packing into our box blinds overlooking plots even preseason just to locate critters. I’ve been amazed at how it will locate deer and turkeys in thick cover or standing corn where there is no ability to spot with even tier 1 glass. On a cold morning, I’ve been able to clearly pick up a squirrel at 400+ yards. I’ve been surprised at the bird activity after dark. It’s also helped me locate downed animals. Haven’t spent the coin on a thermal scope as it really can’t be used for the hunting I do. It would clearly be a “need” in hog country.

OK,

as usual, slow on the uptake, but for this grandpa, looking for easter eggs takes precedence over downloading and posting pix.........


IIRC this would be about 9 AM last Tuesday morning.



Brush, say 20 yds in front of the ground blind. Full frame DSLR, 24 MM



OK, the deer have moved to my left a skosh. Same camera, 70mm focal length




150-600 Tamron lens, 300MM focal length.

Now for the Super Yoter mounted on a Sig Cross.

Each of the three thermal images were taken at 3x base magnification.










It's amazing how the images just "pop" when scanning.

Anwho,

a couple more targets of opportunity from last Wednesday night........






Hoglet @ +/- 90 yds., 6x magnification (IIRC)







Gray Fox @ +/- 120 yds., 6x magnification (IIRC)

Anywho, needless to say, these days, the thermal is in my pack when I go afield.

ya!

GWB

I got an AGM Adder and it has payed off already with coyotes around here.

I have a Thor as well but i am thinking about using it for spotting then when something is seen throw up the rifle.

Also so far i have been using whitehot and it has been a hoot watching the jackrabbits by themselves just running some then jumping up in the air.

Have seen 8 muledeer on the farm so far.

It's been fun and worth the money.

Thanks for the post. Seriously looking into my first thermal, lots of info to digest.

I bought my first thermal last fall, a Pulsar XG50 (not the newer version) on clearance. Mounted on a 5.56 AR that hadn’t been shot much… til now! Its a blast! I have downed several hogs and a couple of javelina so far. Sitting in a blind very early or late night after dinner is a lot of fun, but using the rifle for scanning does get tiring, so thinking of picking up a monocular/binocular this year as well. Being able to watch mice out to 100+yds jumping and running around in the grass is crazy!