This is a tragedy. BUT......a preventable tragedy. One of the first "laws" of hunting is ..."know your target". This article makes no mention of any NVD or thermal. We have bantered this about on another forum and some of us agree that the device used was most likely a visible light of the red,green,or white color. My guess is red.
Myself and the people that I night hunt with have come up with a set of "rules". We have set some good guidelines that are good for coordination,communication,and most of all... SAFETY. Not just to make sure we do not shoot each other but to keep from harming each others ears and damaging equipment. I will gladly post here the "rules" if anyone is interested. Some will pertain to your style of hunting,some will not. All these rules are good to ponder and could possibly make you think of your own set of rules,plans,and strategies,that will make your night hunting more productive and safe. --- pruhdlr