Looking for proper set up

rletts77

rletts77

Active member
I am looking at thermal and night vision for coyote hunting. I have used lights in the past but have not been out hunting for about 3 or 4 years.

I will be hunting mostly wooded areas in southern Ohio but will hit fields now and then.

Have looked at PTS233 and 536.

Have looked at pulsar XM30 for scanning and looked at the Wraith for scope.

I, like many of those on here, am having a tough time deciding on what to get.

Budget, I don't know...... I am not going to spend a ton but don't want to regret what I buy later.

Any thoughts or insight would be helpful.

Thanks all.
 
Hunting woods with night vision will be tough. You will get a lot of ir wash. It might be better with the newest scopes but something to consider.

You will have more success setting up away from the timber and calling them into the open. In that case digital nv like the wraith will work fine. I'm not a fan of the big IR torches because they will see it so save your money and get a smaller one.
As far a scanning the pulsar helion xp28 is hard to beat imo. Do not short yourself on fov. You will need all you can get. A used xd19a or hd19a would work too. Resolution won't be absolutely paramount since you will be iding and shooting with nv.
When on a tight budget digital nv and a decent thermal handheld is the way to go until you can jump into quality gun mounted thermal. They other option is to dump all your money into quality gun mounted thermal and scanning with that. Cheap low resolution gun mounted thermal is worthless and a complete waste of money.
 
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I'm sure Kirsch will chime in regarding the pts as I have no experience with those but as far as an adequate entry level scope I would say the trail xq38 are probably pretty tough to beat. I prefer moving up to the XP line for a bigger fov especially if you're going to scan with it but I know guys that like the xq38. The thermions of course another option but again I've never used or seen one since I'm shooting with the trail xp50. Pulsar has great customer service and the other thing I really like about them is the pip, you've got the big field of view plus you've got the pip to shoot with.
With all this said if you buy good gun mounted thermal in very short order you will have quality handheld thermal and you will be stacking up coyotes scratching your head wondering what you did all these years without that equipment LOL. It's addicting for sure.
I think if I were you I'd forget about hunting in the brush though. Go stand out in the middle of the field set the call up so the coyote can have a little wind and pick them off before they get downwind of you. The only time you need any backdrop or cover is when the moon is bright.
I went through the exact same decisions you are trying to make a few years ago.
I started with a photon and an xd19a a year later I had an xp50 Trail. Now I have added a Helion xp28 and an Armasight Nemesis Quicksilver 4 power just in case I want to play with night vision. I realize the stuff is expensive but I've never heard of anyone regretting buying too much thermal however it does work the other direction..... if you don't buy enough thermal you'll soon be upgrading. We've killed right at 115 coyotes in the last 2.5 seasons. We used to kill about three a year calling in the daytime and I would guess that we are in areas similar to you. It has been some of the most rewarding equipment I've ever bought.
 
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There is a few things to look at here.
Your needed detection range and your max shooting range, just to start.

In thick cover your going to want the 12 degree FOV the PTS233 will give you.

I've used the 536 and it's not a bad unit, but I wouldn't prefer the 50mm with the 4X in thick cover.

Scanner will fit into the same picture, I would want a decent FOV also, and the XM will give you close to 8 which honestly could go either way in your favor.
 
The specific area I’m concerned with is wooded but not thick brush. I can see openly up to 80 yards and some areas more than that.

The 536 I like for the bigger objective and the ability to focus and I was thinking if I had a scanner.... the FOV on the rifle thermal wouldn’t be such a large factor.

Varminter... thank you for the suggestions. I’ll do some researching on those this evening.
 
There has been lots of good advice offered so far. I would recommend giving a good dealer a call and talk through your requirements including budget, terrain, and usage. Tom at Night Goggles is a wealth of knowledge and a sponsor here 909-312-5424 X531.

The PTS233 is OK as long as you are not shooting or scanning much past 150 yards and you don't have a lot of humidity. If either apply, then I would look for other options. The 536 is a nice scope for open field hunting where you are consistently shooting past 100 yards. I wouldn't recommend it for cover or anything where you need a wide FOV. In the same category as the PTS233 is the Pulsar RXQ30. Similar quality, FOV, but just a little cheaper. It doesn't have recording, but very similar to the Flir PST233.

XM30: The 4.1x native magnification is going to be a lot. I would lean towards the Pulsar Helion XP28 or XP38. Unfortunately, the XP28 is being discontinued by Pulsar, so you may need to go with the Helion XP38 depending on timeline. The Helion XP38 is a very versatile scanner.

The Wraith is a decent entry level Night Vision device. One of the nice things about it is if you decide to eventually go thermal, you can use it during the Daytime as well, which is how I use mine. You can get to about 150 yards at night with the stock IR. It is 4x native (base) mag so for cover, brush or tree hunting again it is not ideal, but a relatively low investment in comparison to thermal.

The following comment is one that I used to say don't do, and that is buy a thermal scope that can also be a scanner. The reason I typically say that is the scanner is what you are going to use 98% of the time, so why sacrifice trying to scan with a big, clumsy scope. However, my recent experience with the Bering Optics Hogter-R is starting to change my mind. It is smaller than my current scanner. There is a 35mm and 25mm option so 2x and 1.4x native mag on those two scopes. You could start out with this and a Wraith for instance. You will most likely quickly want more thermal, but by doing this the Hogster-R could be a scanner and/or your scope. If you hunt with a buddy, both of you could have shooting options as well. If you don't need internal recording, it is a great value. I will have a review available on this unit soon.
 
Originally Posted By: rletts77The specific area I’m concerned with is wooded but not thick brush. I can see openly up to 80 yards and some areas more than that.

The 536 I like for the bigger objective and the ability to focus and I was thinking if I had a scanner.... the FOV on the rifle thermal wouldn’t be such a large factor. The bigger objective will help with humidity. This is the main benefit. However, a bigger objective, means a longer focal length, which means a smaller Field of View. 80 yards isn't very far from a scope standpoint. Take a glass scope, and set it at 4x and go to one of your calling spots. Close your off-eye, and look through your glass scope. This is going to be all you can see. A scanner helps when you have an idea of where the animal is but still at night, when you can't cheat with your off-eye, the fov feels tighter to me. I say this although I use a PTS536 all the time and really like it. However, it can be difficult to find close coyotes or multiples in the 4.5 x 3.5 degree FOV, and I would call 80 yards close.
 
I am also looking at a thermal but most have an eye relief of 14-16mm which wont work with glasses. I am thinking about a pulsar trail xq38 (50mm eye relief) to use as a scanner and could use as a weapon sight in the future. At 18 oz it wouldn't be to heavy and with a base mag of 2.1 the field of view would be around 51' @ 100yds. Would this work?
 
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Originally Posted By: whyI am also looking at a thermal but most have an eye relief of 14-16mm which wont work with glasses. I am thinking about a pulsar trail xq38 (50mm eye relief) to use as a scanner and could use as a weapon sight in the future. At 18 oz it wouldn't be to heavy and with a base mag of 2.1 the field of view would be around 51' @ 100yds. Would this work? The Trail XQ38 is still a large scope. Do some people use the Trails for scanning, the answer is yes. However, the Bering Optics Hogster-R I mentioned above would make a better scope/scanner combo unless you 100% have to record. Then, the Trail would be a better fit. Tom at Night Goggles had a few left the last time I checked.

Eye relief on the Hogster-R 25mm and 35mm is 40mm

Pulsar Trail XQ38: 11.2" x 2.83" x 2.99" 18.34 oz
Hogster-R 35mm (with mount): 7.68" x 2.83" x 2.36" 17.17 oz
Hogster-R 25mm (with mount): 7.0" x 2.83" x 2.36" 16.44 oz

Comparing them, the differences is mainly in length, and a little in thickness. The weight isn't that much different, but the mount is included in the Hogster and not on the Pulsar, so that needs to be taken into consideration.
 
As for eye relief and glasses I'm little nearsighted but have been setting my scanners and weapon mounted scopes to my eye without my glasses. Less to fog up too. My 2 bits on scopes, I have 3 trijicon MK2 35mm and a Pulsar Trail xq38 and a Pulsar Trail xp50 and my opinion dollar for dollar is the XQ38 is the best money I've spent on thermal. And sold a D760 NV after my first look thru a decent thermal. Also both my Trails are holding zero. Am also impressed with the thriftiness and optical quality of a unit like the Wraith but most of the digital night vision videos I've seen there is a blinding white flash after most shots. I believe some have a cure for that but I'll defer to the experts on that.
 
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