Night hunting options Night Vision/Thermal. From Cheapest to $$$

[TEXASLAWMAN]

This is just my opinion and only covers systems I have used and witnessed others use in the field.


I will start with what I consider my ultimate combination of tools to night hunt with which is what I'm using right now. This combo will cover any type of night hunting from stand hunting to vehicle hunting.

-Third Gen pvs-14 helmet mounted This is for scouting/spotting/driving/moving in the dark in general. I am using a 3rd gen film less tube with a Ops-core helmet

-Thermal monocular This is for spotting game nothing beats this right now its light and you can cover very large areas quickly regardless of light, and through some light grass and brush. Right now I use the L3 MTM other good choices would be the x320, or the new Q14 which I'm excited about.

-Thermal Scope Naturally this is the business end what you shoot with. I prefer a dedicated thermal scope over Night vision because It requires no illumination and the high contrast makes targets especially moving targets easy to pick up. Right now I'm using the Zeus 3x 75mm 640 and the Apollo 640 clip on thermal.
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GEN 1 NIGHT VISION IS A TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY DO NOT DO IT!

Now for what I consider the cheapest entry level Night Vision that will work.
-DIGITAL SCOPES These are the cheapest way to get into the night vision game but they are limited. First major drawback is you only have a scope so everything you look at has a rifle pointed at it also. You will need an Illuminator on all but the brightest nights. The drawback to illuminators are animals can see the red glow from the illuminators and will run from them, also vegetation, fog, ect reflect the light blinding you. So having a digital scope gets you in the game but you are limited to a stagnant point like a stand watching a feeder or baited spot. QICK FIX ADD A MONOCULAR NV OR THERMAL AND YOU ARE NOW MOBILE.

-DIGITAL MONOCULAR Again gets you into the game but will require external illumination on all but the brightest nights

Medium cost but covers a lot of roles. THIS SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST NV PURCHASE IF POSSIBLE
-THE 3RD GEN Pvs-14 These are what I call the workhorse of night vision. You can scout, move, navigate, and shoot with a pvs-14. The cost of this option varies, do you already have a NV capable optic eotech/aimpoint/ect. do you want to hold the pvs up to your eye all night or buy a helmet? Helmets range from walmart bicycle helmets to several hundred dollar ops-cor or Team Wendy units. Add a 3x magnifier for spotting and shooting, and a targeting IR laser for the weapon, all these things are extras and make the unit better but at added expense.

-THERMAL MONOCULAR Best spotting tool you can buy. Major drawback is it can not see through glass. I recommend buying a pvs-14 first then a thermal monocular.


-DEDICATED NIGH VISION SCOPE OR CLIP ON These are very nice they have good resolution and magnification. We are assuming you will have a 3rd gen tube inside so will only need an illuminator in the darkest of settings. But again you are limited without a monocular. Again I recommend a pvs-14 first thermal monocular second then a dedicated NV/thermal scope/clip on.


-THERMAL SCOPES / CLIP ONS. The most expensive tools in your night hunting arsenal these units see through total darkness there is nothing to give away your position, and nothing to reflect back to blind you. Some will say they lack the resolution to shoot with. For picking out the bad guy in the striped shirt yes but for hunting anything 320 resolution and up is very usable. If you watch your target you can see the difference between a hog/calf coyote/lab. Again you are limited without a monocular unless you have a clip on then it can be used as a monocular and then be added to the weapon for shooting. Again I recommend a pvs-14 first thermal monocular second then a dedicated NV/thermal scope/clip on.

 

[Dry Creek]

Excellent read. Wish I could have seen this a year ago. It could have saved me some money . The hunting forums give you much more information from real time experience in the field from actual hunters who use this equipment in the real world.

 

[Wassman]

Excellent read. Wish I could have seen this a year ago. It could have saved me some money . The hunting forums give you much more information from real time experience in the field from actual hunters who use this equipment in the real world.

We have all been there my friend trust me. I probably could have bought a thermal with all the wasted money on stuff that didn't work. Not to mention the time wasted.

I think TX it the nail on the head with this one. The saying "buy once cry once" is a hard lesson to learn. We all need a time machine.

 

[hdfireman]

Very useful post and I agree! Just to touch on what TLM said about the thermal lacking the resolution to shoot. He's talking about being able to positively ID a target. I've heard sales people run buyers away from thermal with this statent. Thermal is the fastesr and easiest for picking up targets and shooting. With today's 320 and up systems and a little practice you can ID your target out to the 200 yard range.

 

[DaveABQ]

Good read.

There are many things to consider:

How will a person use the equipment.
How much can they afford.
How often do they hunt.

As Wassman said, 'buy once, cry once', if you can afford it, get it. If a person hunts twice a year, the top gear probably isn't necessary, but heck, if you have the cash, sure would be nice having it.

Not everyone can afford the top gear and this is probably the case with 95% of the people out there. As I stated before, thermal and digital are the wave of the future, we'll see prices come down due to technology and competition.

I currently own a PVS-14 Gen 3 Pinnacle tube monocular with 3x magnifier and Eotech EXPS3-0, L3 Thermal-eye monocular, Armasaight Zeus 640 Weapon Sight and ATN X-sight. They all serve a purpose. Affording all this isn't an option for most and it comes down to how someone will use the equipment and how often they hunt.

I have had friends come out and hunt with me, I put a motion sensing green light on the feeders, the hogs get used to it and they shoot with their day scope, and they have had great success. But nothing like sitting in total darkness and looking through a thermal monocular and flipping on the thermal scope to shoot the hogs with the DVR running. But with the luxury of having a bunch of land to hunt like TLM, best situation there is with plenty of hogs, drive around with a PVS-14, scan with a thermal, shoot with a thermal....yeehaw.

 

[wigwamitus]

Yup, I learned several of the lessons TLM mentions the hard way.

 

[Hard_ware]

+1
Good info!

 

[Brian Shaffer]

That is good info. Dave touched on some good perspective considerations as well. In my own experience, while I might have saved some money had I just bought top of the line gear to start with, I never would have bought the gear to start with. Few people ever do unless they are rich or sponsored.

With that said, not all of the good stuff is equal. Just because you pay more does not mean you get more for your money. Not all NV/Thermal companies are equal.