PVS-14 or another thermal?

[keatonskidmore]

Hey guys I need a little help. I'm contemplating on what my next piece of night hunting gear needs to be.
Right now I just have a Zeus Pro 4x 336 50mm and a photon XT that hardly gets used. The photon was my first night vision purchase and was just getting me feet wet for a few months until I bought the Zeus Pro. Now the photon only gets used when I have a friend hunting with me and I need another night gun.
Out of the 6 or so people I hunt hogs with regularly there is only 2 that do not have thermal. One of them has a photon so only one that does not have any night vision at all. But I still get other people always wanting to go hunt and its just a pain to try to let them use my thermal and then I'm blind to whatever they're shooting at.

So now I'm at the point where I want to add to my gear. I was thinking it would be nice to have a really nice PVS-14 or NYX-14 filmless gen 3 or a white phosphorus to use while driving blacked out in my truck/ranger/jeep and to use while walking around and stalking hogs.
And on the other hand I think it could be a lot more beneficial to just get another thermal, like the standard
Zeus 3x 336 42mm to use as a spotter and as a backup/other gun sight.

Right now I just use my Zeus pro as a spotter and then clip it on the gun when I find hogs. It works fine but it can be annoying at times. Especially when I'm in a rush.

So what are y'alls suggestions?

 

[JeremyV]

I'm new here but will give you my 2cents
I started the other way around and have several nightvision scopes and a pvs14 gen3 autogated L3 tube
I have a zeus 2x640 on thr way.

I do a lot of walking and stalking and the pvs14 helmet mounted is amazing for this. combine this with an IR laser on your rifle. and your ready to rock and role.
When I get to a stationary hunting location I end up using my scope more. So I guess it all depends on how much you will be waking around in the woods or drivin vs hunting stationary.
First off tell us more about your hunting style and locations.

 

[keatonskidmore]

Well I hunt in north west Texas. Around the Wichita Falls and Graham area. As most on here already know I used to do a lot of guiding. One of my best friends started a guide service about 5 years ago and it has grown to be where it is now. We started with just a gen 3 PVS14 but got rid of it and now he has 2 Zeus scopes and I have one. I don't guide nearly as often anymore though.
But the way I typically hunt is I drive my truck to each field, we lease/own a lot of wheat and milo fields, so we just pull up to a good spot to check the field. Scan it, if something is there and we need a closer look we'll get closer, but when we know its a hog/sounder we stalk up to them at about 50 yards and lay into them. And I've always had good enough native night vision to navigate up to the hogs with just stopping to pull up my rifle to check on them every now and then.
Most of our fields are right off county roads and we always just kill our headlights when we get close. If we drive in the property we just use the park lights on our trucks. The real benefit to having the PVS14 would be to drive completely blacked out and to just keep an eye on the hogs and my surroundings as I walk up on them. I really don't care for using an IR laser to shoot because we've had clients come and bring their gear and use that and it just doesn't work as well as having a thermal sight. And when I have a thermal on the gun already it doesn't make much sense to use a laser.
Very rarely do I night hunt stationary except if I'm waiting on hogs to come into a specific spot. Or when I predator hunt and I hunt out of my rack in the truck and scan with my scope and then clip in on when a dog/cat is coming into the call.
The other reason a pvs14 would be good is to use while driving a ranger so I can have all the lights out and still have an eye out for if some hogs jump up in the brush. If we drive around in the ranger and scan we usually just have one guy driving and another scanning with thermal.

 

[Schneeky]

Hey guys I need a little help. I'm contemplating on what my next piece of night hunting gear needs to be. So what are y'alls suggestions?

I've owned and used Thermal (REAP/XD19) for a coupla-few months now and had I2(PVS-14/Gen2+ scope) on my last stab at night hunting. With my limited experience I can already see how some quality I2 would be a help to navigation and ID with the thermals. That's prolly the way I'll go when the next purchase for NV comes up. Hopefully at a deal since I now know to not get too squinched up about blems and such. Jake..

 

[Lancer]

I love my Thermal scope and monocular but the PVS-14 makes it possible to get to the hogs without being busted in the first place. So in a way it's the most important piece of gear. Just get all 3 and never look back!

 

[djones]

^^^
you may just well be the second smartest man on the forum!

 

[keatonskidmore]

I love my Thermal scope and monocular but the PVS-14 makes it possible to get to the hogs without being busted in the first place. So in a way it's the most important piece of gear. Just get all 3 and never look back!

Lol I do plan on getting all three. Just trying to decide what next to get right now. I've been using thermal the way I described above for around 2 years now. I rarely get busted before I'm up on them because I've learned how to stalk quietly and listen to the hogs. It would be nice to see more though. But I feel like right now I'd get more use out of another thermal sight to use as a spotter and another set up for a buddy, than I would just using PVS14 for navigating.

 

[JeremyV]

Sounds like you have answered your own question already

 

[TEXASLAWMAN]

I've said all along a pvs14 should be the first night hunting purchase, thermal scope second. The ability to navigate, and stalk the hogs is important. I don't see how you do it blind. The only exception would be someone hunting a stand watching a feeder they could get away with a scope only, but at that point just get some feeder lights and save your money.

 

[keatonskidmore]

I've said all along a pvs14 should be the first night hunting purchase, thermal scope second. The ability to navigate, and stalk the hogs is important. I don't see how you do it blind. The only exception would be someone hunting a stand watching a feeder they could get away with a scope only, but at that point just get some feeder lights and save your money.

It's my young eyes lol. It's just real easy talking them in a wheat field with a decent moon. Using your peripheral vision mostly you can watch where you're walking real good.
On one hand I want a pvs14 but on the other I'd love another thermal for a spotter and to use for a second gun for my cousin or friends that always want to go.

 

[keatonskidmore]

Sounds like you have answered your own question already

I'm kinda thinking that too now. Maybe get thermal now and a pvs14 in a couple months after I recover from the thermal lol.

 

[Taco]

I traded away my pvs-14 as I rarely used it and bought more thermal. Yeah, there are times when driving blacked out and on a long stalk where I missed it. Well, I had a gen2+ D-300 in the safe that I have never really used. As it turns out it does just fine for navigation and fits my pvs14 mount and helmet. Just saying you don't need a wp film less blem free pvs14 to navigate in the dark. A good gen2 system works.

 

[sjb67]

If you would like to purchase one I have a very lightly used PVS14 L3 Omni VIII Gen3 with 3x magnifier that I purchased new from Ident along with DBAL laser/illuminator, EoTech, Dlock weapon mount and two helmets I would discuss a deal on. I live just South of you in Mineral Wells. It is all like new in a hard side case.

 

[Shooter]

I've said all along a pvs14 should be the first night hunting purchase, thermal scope second. The ability to navigate, and stalk the hogs is important. I don't see how you do it blind. The only exception would be someone hunting a stand watching a feeder they could get away with a scope only, but at that point just get some feeder lights and save your money.

this is exactly correct. Best PVS-14 you can afford, then Best thermal scope you can afford, and then a good hand held thermal to scan with.

 

[keatonskidmore]

this is exactly correct. Best PVS-14 you can afford, then Best thermal scope you can afford, and then a good hand held thermal to scan with.

Even if I'm not really having to navigate much?

 

[Taco]

Even if I'm not really having to navigate much?

I can tell you I hunt almost exactly like you as you describe it. The relatively few nights I need it, a gen2 device works just fine for navigating. If you want to be the guy with a $4500 pvs14 in your safe you use 5-7 times a year go for it. I swear some guys buy S so they can look cool and point it out in post hunt photos.

 

[Lancer]

I guess it somewhat depends on how much land you have access to. The PVS-14 (mine was not $4500 and it gets used every time I hunt) allows me to blow through the large tracts of land at a faster rate and even on the small parcels it gets me out to the hogs faster. This time savings easily means the difference between getting around to one or two more sounders or not, on an all-night hunt.
My $0.02

 

[Taco]

Re-reading your second post op you may be better served with a thermal scanner. Pull up to a field....scan, stalk, or move on. If you want an I2 device get one, but it doesn't have to be a top dollar device is all I'm saying.

 

[theblakester]

i started with digital, then thermal monocular, then sold digital for PVS-14. Then sold thermal monocular for thermal scope. Then upgraded thermal scope.
Now I'm debating between selling my IR hunter MKII for the Reap IR or keeping the scope and adding a thermal monocular.
For me, the PVS-14 added a lot to what I could do overall with how I hunt now and how I couldn't hunt before. It has also helped exponentially added to the properties I have and have had access to hunt. I have a USGI 3x magnifier that clips on the pvs-14 and can be used behind a NV compatible eotech as a 3x optic. I also have an IR laser/light for quick shots with helmet mounted pvs-14/3x when there's no time to transfer the -14 onto the gun. Both options with pvs-14 work well, but getting everything for this set up will add up $$$$ (I also bought this set up from ident, on that note "bigreddog"with ******************* and "hdfireman" from black stone arms have repeatedly given me the best customer service, sales advice, and follow up service). When I bring guests to hunt, I navigate with and use pvs-14 and they follow with thermal scope and stop and scan every so often.
I would say if you're only hunting stationary over big open fields close to city lights or on full moons only and u want a back up scanner/scope and don't care to be able to do a lot more than that, then get the back up thermal. But if u want to be able to drive in the dark and walk around in the woods and have a sweet night time navigation tool that also doubles nicely as a back up scope (way better than photonXT, but not as good (for shooting) as another thermal scope in some instances but just as good in others) then get the -14. the pvs-14 works awesome on those big fields you're talking about btw in my experience.
The pvs-14 doesn't work well for me when I'm lookin for an animal in the dark that's mixed in with some cover/brush/trees (lawman did a great comparison video on this concept).
Good luck and keep us posted on your decision!

 

[theblakester]

i started with digital, then thermal monocular, then sold digital for PVS-14. Then sold thermal monocular for thermal scope. Then upgraded thermal scope.
Now I'm debating between selling my IR hunter MKII for the Reap IR or keeping the scope and adding a thermal monocular.
For me, the PVS-14 added a lot to what I could do overall with how I hunt now and how I couldn't hunt before. It has also helped exponentially added to the properties I have and have had access to hunt. I have a USGI 3x magnifier that clips on the pvs-14 and can be used behind a NV compatible eotech as a 3x optic. I also have an IR laser/light for quick shots with helmet mounted pvs-14/3x when there's no time to transfer the -14 onto the gun. Both options with pvs-14 work well, but getting everything for this set up will add up $$$$ (I also bought this set up from ident, on that note "bigreddog"with ******************* and "hdfireman" from black stone arms have repeatedly given me the best customer service, sales advice, and follow up service). When I bring guests to hunt, I navigate with and use pvs-14 and they follow with thermal scope and stop and scan every so often.
I would say if you're only hunting stationary over big open fields close to city lights or on full moons only and u want a back up scanner/scope and don't care to be able to do a lot more than that, then get the back up thermal. But if u want to be able to drive in the dark and walk around in the woods and have a sweet night time navigation tool that also doubles nicely as a back up scope (way better than photonXT, but not as good (for shooting) as another thermal scope in some instances but just as good in others) then get the -14. the pvs-14 works awesome on those big fields you're talking about btw in my experience.
The pvs-14 doesn't work well for me when I'm lookin for an animal in the dark that's mixed in with some cover/brush/trees (lawman did a great comparison video on this concept).
Good luck and keep us posted on your decision!