OPTICS, Thermal vs night vision

[Flaming Antler Outdoors]

Looking to outfit my .243 savage 110 predator with a can.  Starting to do research on thermal vs nightvision and it's kinda confusing. Not the science but performance. Mostly relying on U tube videos.  Buddy said Pulsar Digex C50 night vision.  Others say ATM Thermal etc etc.  Budget is under 2K more likely 1500.00.  Long Range Hunting forum said go THermal or you will eventually?  Thanks for any insight as I do my research  

[rainshadow1]

I just can’t wrap my brain around the 4-12,000 $ investment for thermal. (Especially since it’s technology, and often that’s not a good investment!) The difference is kinda ridiculous, as youtube will attest. Thermal is amazing!

I wanted to go night vision, as an upgrade from red light sweeping, and my wife got me a nice, latest model SightMark hd UV for Christmas. It’s fun, and very cool, but the youtubes are very true to life on those too… thermal is just exponentially better.

I’m satisfied… might upgrade the uv source, might get a uv monocular for a spotter to use with the original uv unit. But for as little as I do, I’m satisfied. (I’ll probably use it more for chicken coop raiders than I will for coyotes.

If I wanted to get really serious about night coyotes, I’d consider the big bucks….. (but then again, even if I had money I wouldn’t buy a brand new vehicle! I’d look for the 20k mile unit and keep that 25% for myself!)

Hope that gives you my perspective!

I’m hoping good older gently used thermal units come closer to a grand in the next few years!

[Cougartail]

If you can't afford thermal you can't afford to hunt at night. Harsh, yes! Trust me you want to save up and not set yourself back by wasting money on NV.

[birdshooter1189]

what type of hunting are you planning to do? that can make a big difference for whether nightvision will suffice, or if thermal would give you a huge advantage.

Like many others, i'd like to get thermal, but can't afford it.  I've become pretty effective at shooting coyotes on my property with cheap digital nightvision.

If you are hunting over bait, or in a spot where you have limited shooting lanes you are essentially monitoring, nightvision can work very well.  For scanning wide open fields over an e-caller, i've tried it with my nightvision and have not been successful. I feel like i'm struggling with my equipment too much. Videos show that thermal seems to be great for that type of hunting.

[Thermal Predator Control]

Save your money, don’t buy night vision, get thermal,   the best bang for you buck rite now in the thermal world is the AGM Rattler TS35-384.  I sell them, there $2495
PM me if you have any questions. BTW ATN sucks!!!

[Special T]

How easy is it to tell the difference between a dog pet vs coyote? I've put this off because inexpensive NV doesn't seem to yield result with detail, and on the west side where I would like to hunt  the real possibility of a pet could come into play. Anyone got comparison video?

[carpsniperg2]

I have a ATN THOR4 it's amazing. Been stacking coyotes with it all winter. Been selling a few as well.

A coyote sized dog will look just like a coyote. The way they move is different about the only way to tell.

I have a high end night vision scope. No comparison between the two go thermal.

[b23]

Save your money, don’t buy night vision, get thermal,   the best bang for you buck rite now in the thermal world is the AGM Rattler TS35-384.  I sell them, there $2495
PM me if you have any questions. BTW ATN sucks!!!

 

I have a friend that had a Bering Optics Super Hogster that gave him nothing but trouble and wouldn't hold zero on any magnification.  Sent it back to Bering numerous times and couldn't so much as get them to call him upon repeated requests.  They would just send it back with a tag saying it "checked out ok".  After numerous failed attempts to use it he was able to get a in store credit from the shop he bought it, not Bering Optic, and now has a AGM Rattler TS35-384 and is very happy.

[highcountry_hunter]

If you can't afford thermal you can't afford to hunt at night. Harsh, yes! Trust me you want to save up and not set yourself back by wasting money on NV.

I’ve gotta disagree with this. I still use the old school red light sweeping with a spotlight then have a separate light mounted on top of my scope. It’s definitely not as nice as thermal, no doubt about it. And packing all the gear from stand to stand can be a pain, but I’ve got $500 into the setup (not counting rifle and scope), and it gets the job done.

[GWP]

It is like anything. Figure out what you are trying to accomplish, set a budget, and live within your decision.
If you can find people willing to let you, looking through different types might help you decide. It would be worth driving some distance (in my opinion) rather than getting stuck with something you will not be happy with down the line.
I have an inexpensive IR/screen set up that attaches to (looks through) the scope that would probably be good up to 50 yards ‘as is’, more with a stronger IR set up.
While not as ‘cool’ as a thermal, it works well for my use of it. Will attach to any scope and is just a ‘viewing device’, so accuracy does not change.
Under $200 for the set up.
https://www.amazon.com/BESTSIGHT-Digital-Hunting-Portable-Display/dp/B0768BHHFY/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=1S81QQEFMFF8Y&keywords=ir+night+vision&qid=1652550266&sprefix=ir+night+vision%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-4

I would let you play with it if we can get together.