940nm Coyote Video

6mm06

Well-known member


Below is an example of a 940nm spotlight that I use sometimes with my home-made night vision.









The light is mounted on a tall 4x4 post that is positioned about 23 yards from the bait site.
I control it remotely on/of from the cabin.





A coyote has been visiting my bait site for a few nights. Two nights ago I stayed at the cabin in hopes of getting him.
I had a road-killed deer wired down to a stake at the bait site, and found that something (most likely the coyote) had
dragged the deer loose from the stake and out into the field about 15 or 20 yards. I put the deer back and wired it
down again.

The coyote showed up at 10:45 PM. He was very nervous and didn't like the idea that I took his deer back to the stake.
He wouldn't go near the deer. I don't know if he smelled where I had walked or what, but he didn't like the situation and
stayed only a few seconds before leaving.

At one point I could have taken a shot, The illumination from the 940nm light allows me to see what is there without
giving any red glow. But, the light is not as bright as my 850nm one and I wanted to get a good video of the kill.

The coyote was so nervous and didn't stand still very long, and I sure didn't want to rush a shot and wound him. At one
point I could have taken him, but I figured he would settle down to the deer and I would use the 850nm mounted on my
scope. Such was not the case. He acted almost like he could hear me panning the rifle. There was a slight popping / cracking
sound in the window foam. I don't know if he heard that or not.

The coyote returned around 2:30 AM in the morning but only came to the upper side of the bait site. He tripped the first
sensor that is high on the hill, but he wouldn't come down to the bait. He was out of range of the 940nm and I was afraid
to light him up with the 850. Maybe he will eventually settle down and give me a good opportunity. I was more interested
in getting a good shot on video with the 850nm light than of shooting him while using the 940nm light.

Here is a video. I only got one other video as he quickly left the site. As you can see, the 940nm doesn't give good clarity.
It's very grainy, much more than when using an 850nm light, but still possible to make a shot. But, the 940nm is more
stealthy and that's why I use it, as least to see what is there before turning on the 850nm.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A3EZSLYDNQ&feature=youtu.be






I stayed at the cabin again last night but the coyote didn't return. And so, the saga continues.




 
Thanks for sharing this. Would love to see this with a Gen 3 NVD? You have any filming with that?

What range you getting out of that setup at 940nm?

Vic
 
Dave
As usual a stellar post!! Love that shooting cabin!!

O.K. so how come the trigger was not pulled on that coyote, first of all??????
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And what the heck is all that green stuff around there, I still have freakin patches of snow here!!!LOL!!
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Great setup you got going there.

Most likely the coyote smelled your scent in the area around the deer and on the deer.

If we have a dead calf the coyotes will eat it overnight, however if I go up and touch it to drag it somewhere else, coyotes will not touch it for 3-4 days until my scent is gone.

How they can smell my scent over the stink from the dead calf I do not know......
 

Vic, I don't have Gen 3 so I can't record that. It would be interesting to see how it does though. All I have at the moment is my do-it-yourself job, but it works pretty darn good at the bait site. The 940nm light has 198 LEDs. The post where I mounted the light is approximately 23 yards from the actual bait itself. The view of the coyote from my position in the cabin was roughly 55-60 yards. Of course, the light didn't throw a beam that far, it only threw it roughly 25 yards. I have a remote controlled DC switch that allows me to turn the light on or off when needed.

Baystate, I could have killed that coyote while using the 940nm, but as I mentioned, I really wanted a good video while using the 850nm light. I enjoy video about as much as squeezing the trigger. The 850 light I use makes it look like daylight. If that coyote were to continue to be so skittish, I might say the heck with video and pop him anyway.

As to the greenery, those photos were taken a year ago, but the video was taken two nights ago. But, the grass at the moment is about like that. The trees are beginning to bud here now. I feel for you guys up in the northeast. You have had a pretty bad winter.

Skypup, you may be right about the coyote getting my scent. He certainly didn't like something. That one video is the best opportunity I got of him all night. When he returned early in the morning, he remained well up on the hillside to the left, and just on the fringe of the illumination.

I'm staying at the cabin again tonight and hoping for another opportunity. This will be my last chance for a while due to rain in the forecast.


 
Mind if I send you a PVS-14 Gen 3 to test with your 198 940nm lights? I am curious about that setup.
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Also, how is the faint visible glow (if any) with that many IR LED's?

PM Inbound.
 

Vic, I just now sent you a PM. I am at the cabin right now, hoping for another chance at that coyote. Punching tiny buttons on my iphone is difficult, so I will be in touch tomorrow and we can discuss it.

UPDATE: Vic, sorry, but I forgot to respond to your question about any visible glow from the 940. I have been very careful when it is turned on, to not stare into it, but have done a quick glance a few times. I cannot see any glow at all. When the light is on, it just appears to be off. No glow at all that I can see.

 
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Infidel, I may kick myself in the butt later for not taking the shot, but I really wanted a better video and thought the coyote would settle down to the bait. He didn't and I may have lost the only chance I will get. Stuff happens.

Mr. Benelli, I have two trail cameras at the bait site. Both operate (I assume) around the 850nm range. However, nowadays when I hunt I turn them off and use an 850nm light attached to my scope back at the cabin. A couple of years back when I hunted with the Gen 1 scope, I did use trail camera IR since it illuminated the area well for that Gen 1 scope to see. In addition to trail camera IR, I also had DC powered IR lights that I controlled remotely, 850nm.

Vic, I sent you a personal mail a few minutes ago, but I will also ask others too for any suggestions of how to attach my little bullet camera behind the ocular of the PVS-14.

Here's the deal:

I have been trying to sort out issues in my mind, of how I might go about doing a good test. My desire is to get a good video of the test, of how well the 14 can see with the 940nm. My first and foremost puzzling question is how to mount my little bullet camera behind the monocular. I assume the PVS-14 does not have video capability. If it does then that would solve a lot.

On my home-made outift, I have a scope ring turned sideways on my daytime scope. That allows me to attach a 12" picatinny rail to the scope on one end, and mount the bullet camera on the other end. So, my first question is, will the PVS-14 accept a scope ring? If so, I shouldn't have much of a problem. If not, then I will have to figure out something else.

Here are some photos of how my bullet camera is positioned behind my daytime scope. Maybe you will have some ideas of how to use it with the 14 if this won't work.

Here is the home-made apparatus. I attach this to a scope ring turned sideways on my daytime scope, and that positions the camera properly.





The scope ring is turned sideways on the daytime scope so that the picatinny rail can attach.





That allows the bullet camera to be positioned behind the scope, looking through the lens.





I already have my camera set and adjusted to fit behind my scope. It would be quite a bit of work to undo everything
and then I would later have to reassemble it and get it positioned just right. So, I prefer not to take everything apart,
and my hope is to attach the picatinny rail to the monocular in some fashion to allow the camera to see through it.
I appreciate any suggestions.

Once the camera is positioned properly behind the ocular of the PVS-14, then I shouldn't have much trouble doing the test.
But also, it would be nice to have the 14 secured to something so that it won't be bounching around. As I mentioned, I have
been pondering how to best attach everything.

My simple red-meck version may look complicated and definitley unconventional, but it flat out works for poor boys like me. LOL.
Four coyotes, numerous fox, raccoon, skunks and possums attest to it's usefulness.

Anyway, if you have ideas of how to suspend the bullet camera behind the PVS-14, then I would appreciate your thoughts.



 
The easiest way would be a weapon mount for the pvs14 and find a correct height scope ring for the camera. It would all mount on that rail no problem.
 

Originally Posted By: norbsThe easiest way would be a weapon mount for the pvs14 and find a correct height scope ring for the camera. It would all mount on that rail no problem.

Thanks for the information. 1lobo suggested using a mount like the one that came with his 14, that allows the 14 to mount onto a picatinny rail. This sounds like the same suggestion you have.

Question is, are there standardized scope rings that will give the proper height for the camera so that it looks directly through the PVS-14? If I can find a solution to that, then it should work out fine.

Thanks again.
 
6mm06, maybe I have missed it in your previous posts but let me just ask if I may. Does the 850nm spook game when you turn it on?
 

Weekender, the red fox that visits my bait site regularly can see it. He looks directly at it every time I turn it on. He will stop and stare at it, but I wouldn't say it spooks him. I can also see it from the 60 yard site. Supposedly animals can't see infrared, but the lights apparently give off a glow from the emitter or something like that. Regardless, a red glow can be seen. That's why I was reluctant to turn it on the other night when that skittish coyote showed up. I think a coyote might be more spooked by it than the fox, but I'm just guessing. I was hoping that coyote a few nights ago would go to the bait, settle down a bit, maybe turn somewhat away from me, become concentrated more on the bait and then I would deploy the 850nm for good light and shot. The coyote had other ideas and left quickly, probably from smelling where I had walked, or by the fact that I moved the deer carcass back to the stake.

When I had my Gen 1 scope, one night a coyote showed up and I employed an Eagle Tac 850nm. The coyote instantly jumped, ran up the hill as if he were going to leave when I turned the light on, so I quickly turned it back off. It relaxed and came back down the hill just a bit, and stopped. There was a full moon at the time and snow on the ground, so I still had enough ambient light to make a killing shot without using the IR light. Still, I think the coyote saw the glow.

The 940nm light has no glow at all that I can see. It just appears to be sitting there in off mode, yet it is throwing a beam. The only way I think a 940 could be very useful is to have a powerful one, like my 198 LED one, that can offer enough light for shooting. Even then, I question how far a night vision device might be able to see with it. I have the 940 mounted very close to the bait site, so it isn't throwing a beam very far.

It will be interesting to see what a Gen 3 might see with the 940.

 
It seems when the coyote comes down the hill it would sometimes be near the same elevation as the light. I have a setup where the light is 13 feet up (flat ground) and facing down and they don't get spooked. I am wondering if they are facing and seeing the red glow.

as for trail cameras I only use black out ir. my results have been that coyotes do not like the red glow.
 

Mr. Benelli,

I have noticed that some coyotes don't like the red glow of the trail cameras, while others don't seem to pay it any attention.
The same holds true for fox. Some don't mind and others do.

Recently I have had a particular red fox visiting, and he just about turns inside out when the cameras turn on. He runs as hard
as he can go at the first sight of the red glow. Yet, another fox not long ago (in the video below) didn't mind at all, nor did a
recent coyote. I have observed this type of behavior of both over the course of a few seasons now. Animals are definitely
individuals with individual personalities and don't always react the same.

Below are a couple of my trail camera videos to illustrate. In the second video, watch the coyote near the end of the video,
come up to the trail camera and look directly into it and nudge it. It was glowing red.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th9ge_f646A&feature=youtu.be













The Wildgame Innovations X6C camera used in the second video also has a red glow.

As to the large IR light being about eye level when a coyote is on the upper part of the hillside, you are correct.
However, I have never seen one spooked by it. That light is the 940nm one that to my eyes at least, has no
glow at all. As well, it is mounted away from the actual bait site.



 
Originally Posted By: 6mm06
Vic, I just now sent you a PM. I am at the cabin right now, hoping for another chance at that coyote. Punching tiny buttons on my iphone is difficult, so I will be in touch tomorrow and we can discuss it.

UPDATE: Vic, sorry, but I forgot to respond to your question about any visible glow from the 940. I have been very careful when it is turned on, to not stare into it, but have done a quick glance a few times. I cannot see any glow at all. When the light is on, it just appears to be off. No glow at all that I can see.



Great to hear and what I expected. PM back at you btw.
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Vic, I sent you a note in e-mail just now, and my shipping address.

I'm anxious to try the PVS-14, and once again, I'm very grateful for your generosity in the loan for a test. I think several other guys are anxious to hear the results as well.

 
Great job on the video Dave. Who makes that bank light? I'm thinking I might want to set up a couple of them on a bait site. Might want to go with 840nm lights. My thinking is that if you can have them on steady, that they might not be bothered by the lights. From what I've seen, they don't shy as much from a steady light as from an intermittent or moving one.
 
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