eastern with thermal??

Tinker01

New member
eastern hunters that use thermal, is it a game changer? meaning do you see tons more coyotes at night using the thermal compared to using a red scan and kill light? do you average atleast seeing a coyote every 3 sets a night? or less? I am contemplating getting a thermal but haven't made up mind.
 
Absolute 100% game changer. If I couldn't hunt with thermal and night vision any more I wouldn't hunt them at night at all. There are too many other factors in the equation to say that thermal ups your odds like that. You still have to get them to the call. I'd say it makes you that much more effective and deadly though. I may go 20+ blank stands over a week's time, then see one 3 stands in a row. That isn't because of the thermal. What I can say though is using thermal has taught me a [beeep] of lot about them, how they act and react; which helps to get increasingly better at putting together effective night set ups.
 
Originally Posted By: Tinker01meaning do you see tons more coyotes at night using the thermal compared to using a red scan and kill light?

Never used a light before but I can say that you can see ANYTHING giving off heat within line of sight day or night, and it generally stands out and doesn't need to be "looked for".

I've only had one for a year but there has been several stands where i've caught them coming from the complete opposite direction of where I was looking, and you pick them off right away weather it be 40 yards or 400 yards which gives you more time to adjust for a shot.

Also caught a few that just "drive by" as in pop into the corner of a field and just cruise though and keep going. Without the thermal i'd of had no idea they were even there. Lets you adjust the sound, volume, etc as opposed to not knowing they are there and playing the wrong sound or way too loud.

How much time you got? I could list the pro's all day long... Con's, price but thats about it.

It really is amazing technology.

 
well I believe you can see more, I just don't have a lot of experience calling them in, I am a beginner. I have not even done this at night with a red light either. And I don't have the cash just laying there to get one either. but am planning on getting 1 before fall I hope! probably have to cash in an ROTH IRA for at least 1/2 of it.
 
Originally Posted By: Tinker01well I believe you can see more, I just don't have a lot of experience calling them in, I am a beginner. I have not even done this at night with a red light either. And I don't have the cash just laying there to get one either. but am planning on getting 1 before fall I hope! probably have to cash in an ROTH IRA for at least 1/2 of it.

Hi, feel free to give me a PM or call, be glad to discuss the technology and how I hunt with thermal and NV with no pressure to purchase anything. It's an exciting technology in which it's best to get educated first.
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Vic
 
As much as i love hunting & fishing i HIGHLY SUGGEST you keep your RETIREMENT funds in tact !

It is not a savings account for you to raid every time you want a new toy. Trust me i am at the age where those retirement funds are going to be needed. A friend has raided his many times & he has nothing saved now ! Save more, work more overtime, pick up a part time job & still buy your toys.

Happy hunting !
 
Originally Posted By: Pa. MickAs much as i love hunting & fishing i HIGHLY SUGGEST you keep your RETIREMENT funds in tact !

It is not a savings account for you to raid every time you want a new toy. Trust me i am at the age where those retirement funds are going to be needed. A friend has raided his many times & he has nothing saved now ! Save more, work more overtime, pick up a part time job & still buy your toys.

Happy hunting !

Good advice. Unless you find a way to make money from hunting borrowing money means that you cant afford it, yet.
We were all there at one time, be patient and save up until you can pay cash. Dead coyotes won't pay the mortgage.
 
here is some advice, take it for what is worth. just because you see more, does not translate to you will kill more. you probably have more open ground in your state than i do, so it might be a little easier for you. but due to your limited field of view with night vision & thermal, if they come in close you may not get the shot. a lot of times transfer from thermal to night vision, or visa-versa, they are gone you can't find them. last 3 I called in never fired a shot. daytime would have had 3 dead. see way more than you kill. if you are easily frustrated, or don't have a burning desire for this game, don't get in otherwise you will have a $2000 dollar toy just laying around. just my opinion. there are no secret weapons for coyote hunting. BTW I hunt 4or5 times a week.
 
yep. all very good advice. I do have an additional part time job. planning on setting aside some cash every month now. going to take a while. thanks for positive comments / advice.
 
Off topic but why wouldn't you just use lights and get good at that if it's legal? Once you get into a thermal scanner, what are you going to shoot with a day scope in the pitch dark? Limited budget i'd take a scanner light and a weapons mounted light all day long.

If I could use lights I wouldn't have even gotten thermal... For me it was out of necessity being that I could only hunt on full moon/snow covered nights otherwise, which is only once a month and my season runs for roughly 4 months.

That being said, I love my thermal.
 
Originally Posted By: old cathere is some advice, take it for what is worth. just because you see more, does not translate to you will kill more. you probably have more open ground in your state than i do, so it might be a little easier for you. but due to your limited field of view with night vision & thermal, if they come in close you may not get the shot. a lot of times transfer from thermal to night vision, or visa-versa, they are gone you can't find them. last 3 I called in never fired a shot. daytime would have had 3 dead. see way more than you kill. if you are easily frustrated, or don't have a burning desire for this game, don't get in otherwise you will have a $2000 dollar toy just laying around. just my opinion. there are no secret weapons for coyote hunting. BTW I hunt 4or5 times a week.

This is spot on and is what I meant about thermal helping to teach you more about coyotes. I had a run in February of 3 singles, a double and a first ever triple that all got away with only one shot being fired. It was a combination of things happen so fast and having a rimfire restriction at night with coyotes just outside of 22 mag range and I could only watch them. It was frustrating as [beeep] and I made a few changes, but I have since been on a dang dry streak the whole month of March just about. I don't hunt a whole lot of open country or great big fields, so you can't see them coming from a ways out. The poop hits the fan quick when they do show usually. Either they charge the call in the first 15 seconds and if you aren't 100% ready you are caught off guard, or they pop out at the edge of a hedgerow and then pop back in. It's pretty rare to catch one that is an "easy" shot and gives you time to think it through. When I take people with me, they get tired of me telling them before the first stand that they have to get their mind right for a 3 second window of opportunity. That's to detect, ID and kill; anything more than that and the coyote gods have sent you a blessing.
 
It is a game changer, but its an expensive one. I use one to scan. Ill never go back. If its outta your price range might I suggest scanning with traditional night vision and an IR illuminator. Maybe the Armasight Spark or a gen 2 monocular. You will pick up eyes no problem without spooking them. Thermal is more effective but you stumbling around in the dark with one expensive toy.
 
Big time game changer.

I started using a thermal scope exactly one year ago to the date.

28 dead coyotes from about one hour northeast of Columbus, Ohio can't be wrong! [mostly Knox and Morrow counties].

I am starting to branch out into Delaware county now...


Ohio Thermal Kills
 
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FWIW, I've seen that some guys have cobbled together they're own homemade NV at a much lower price than retail. I think there's some stuff out there to do it with smartphones now too. Google it. Prob not the quality of the commercial stuff available, but I've seen that they're killing stuff with it.

Here's one with a Sony Handycam with the Nightshot feature on it....heck, I have one of those!!


I know, it's not thermal, but applies I think.
 
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