Thermal cameras

[noslerpartition]

I watch YouTube hunting videos from time to time and I don't see a lot of them.
For me, it was one of the best buys ever.
Ok. We hunt a lot at dusk/dawn, but they helped me in bright daylight, too.
I can see game that I would have missed several hundred yards out. In dense bush, you might see movement you would not see with binoculars.
Who is using them here?

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[mjcmichigan]

I had bought the Leupold and thought it would be a game changer. Where I hunt it’s so dense it didn’t help.
Thought it would be great for track game in the dark... never got to use it.

The flood ruined it, and I have not replaced it yet. Not certain I will. It was a monocular.

Watching the thread to see if anyone has done well with them.

This is the one I had.

Leupold LTO Tracker 2 Thermal Viewer, Black. Pretty sure I bought it new at Cabelas for $399. I know I’d choke on the 699 price I’m seeing.

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[noslerpartition]

I am using a Pulsar x19. Since we hunt boar at night, it is very helpful to spot them and then stalk. But even at daylight in the woods, I saw a heat-signature and then spotted the game with the scope. I would have missed a few without it. And I saw them before they saw me, so I didn't have to move once they were in the open.
A friend has the madly expensive x50 but it plays in a different league

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[mjcmichigan]

I tend to think it should work with the right rig. I’ll look for that pulsar


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[remingtonman_25_06]

You need a good one like the FLIR...And they are pretty much illegal for everything in the states except coyotes and hogs on private property at that. So not a huge market for them really.

 

[noslerpartition]

I am talking about a handheld, not weapon mounted. Just for spotting
Is that illegal too?
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[remingtonman_25_06]

Still illegal to use for hunting in many states in the US. Pretty much cheating anyway you look at it. If a guy needs to use a thermal imager to shoot deer, or big game, they may need to pick up a different hobby. Just my opinion anyway.

 

[noslerpartition]

Ok, I did not know that.
Then there will probably few answers....

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[Blbaneol]

I have the original Seek Thermal and it's pretty neat, but it isn't really designed with prolonged use in mind. Because your phone must be on while you're using it, expect only a few hours of use even with a fully charged battery. Also while you might be able to identify something from a distance of more than 20-30 feet, you have to be much closer (10ish feet) in order to see what it actually is because of the low sensor resolution. The XR version should improve this, but I don't know by how much.