Hogster-R 35mm Coyote Video

Kirsch

Active member
Last night decided to give the Bering Optics Hogster-R 35mm a chance at coyote hunting. My DVR wasn't fully charged so I only got a few stands in but was fortunate enough to record this coyote footage. The shot was a bit low but did the trick. This little scope continues to impress. The humidity was almost 90% and yet it did a nice job. My only regret was as the coyote was approaching I realized I hadn't turned on PIP.

If you are wondering, the flashing reticle and strobing icons is a result of the DVR recording not what it looks like through the viewfinder. As always, the image through the viewfinder is better than the recording.

 
Originally Posted By: jkrugerThanks has pretty good clarity.
Nice shot too!!
Taking into account the humidity, I would classify the clarity as very good. All thermals look good at 30-60% humidity but when it gets above 85%, that is when it really starts to separate thermals. For a 384 x 288 thermal, I have been very impressed. You also lose a lot of quality with a DVR as well.

When I watch this footage, it looks like this coyote was shot on the moon. For some reason, the way the snow drifted in this spot, it looks lunar!

As far as shot, it was actually a bit low, but it worked.
 
Originally Posted By: VanceHow far was that when the vid first starts. Your really making me want one of these hogster’s!
Those big hills in the background are at least 1 mile away. The coyote itself, it is hard to say, but I would say 400+ probably when you first see it, probably 275-300 yards the first time it stops, and probably 175 when it stops/hesitates a 2nd time and then 85 yards when I shoot. That is the only one that I know for sure because I paced it off.

I don't want to over-promise what this scope is to anyone. Overall, the scope image is really good. I really like the base and the ease of the controls. What I haven't done is hunted with it hard for years, and put it through all the rigors of a full hunting season. For my typical coyote hunting, the base mag is a little low but for most, I think it will work really well. I have used it so far on some backyard rabbit work, been used as a scanner on two hunts, and now was my main weapon's scope on one hunt. It has performed well for those tests. Keep in mind this is the 35mm. The 25mm will have .6x less base mag and a wider FOV.

Night Goggles provides a 7-day return policy on all their thermals. You can always try it or any of their scopes and request an RMA if you change your mind.

 
for the price and quality of thermal you can't go wrong . I hope they come out with 50mm version soon . They are so easy to use out in the field , the three buttons are very user friendly and easy to learn also auto calibrate is very nice and you never now when it is calibrating . I just use a scanner but as medium range scope would work perfect . these should sell like hotcakes !
 
Originally Posted By: Alan Dfor the price and quality of thermal you can't go wrong . I hope they come out with 50mm version soon . They are so easy to use out in the field , the three buttons are very user friendly and easy to learn also auto calibrate is very nice and you never now when it is calibrating . I just use a scanner but as medium range scope would work perfect . these should sell like hotcakes !
Glad to hear it is working for you. Did you go with the 25mm or the 35mm?

On the 50mm front, I have asked Boris, the director at Bering Optics, and he made it sound like no since they have the Beast-R. I prefer the Hogster to the Beast.
 
Great video. Thanks for posting Kirsch.

Is there any information relating to FOV at say 50 or 100 yards with the 25mm vs 35mm?

Looking at the video and the coyote going down at 85 yards, the FOV looked pretty wide to me (and thats a good thing in my neck of the woods)
 
Originally Posted By: Burnsome...Great video. Thanks for posting Kirsch.

Is there any information relating to FOV at say 50 or 100 yards with the 25mm vs 35mm?

Looking at the video and the coyote going down at 85 yards, the FOV looked pretty wide to me (and thats a good thing in my neck of the woods)

This is what I have at this time. I also have a 25mm that Bering Optics just sent and it is has a considerably wider FOV.

Hogster_r_chart.jpg


Based on this chart the 25 has a 14.9 x 11.2 degree FOV and the 35 (which was on the video) has 10.7 x 8. I think it equates to roughly a 30% bigger FOV on the 25mm. Looking through the two side by side that seems about right. I will hopefully have some comparison videos in the next week available showing the differences.

For me, either is fine for field of view, but for the open fields that I hunt, the 25 would be a good scanner, but not a good rifle scope. If a person was hunting heavy cover and shots were all 100 yards and in, the 25mm might be the answer as a scanner and /or a scope.
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupGreat vid, it is always difficult getting setup to take videos in conditions like that. Good job. Appreciate it, thanks. When the thermal doesn't have internal recording, it is definitely a challenge. We have 1-2 feet of snow on the level right now, so hunting and getting around is extremely challenging.
 
I have posted a lot on this thread so please bear with me but trying to provide as much feedback as I can on these new thermals. Probably the most common question I get is how does the Bering Optics Hogster-R 35mm compare to a Pulsar Trail or Apex XQ38 since they have a similar ocular size and base mag level. It has been awhile since I owned the XQ38, but today I reviewed a lot of older footage and it brought back some thoughts.

There were some night with the XQ38, were it was like, "Wow check out the detail". Of course, these were low humidity evenings. However, there were some nights where I could see coyotes in my XP38 scanner, and yes I could see them in the XQ38 but it was really blurry due to the humidity, and I would have struggled with a positive ID.

This is where the Hogster seems to be a little different. I will say the picture is more consistent. It doesn't seem to matter if it is 85% like last night, or snowing today (100%), or 50%, the picture just is good. It never gets really poor, or extra crisp. I think consistent is good, but just an observation. When it was 100% humidity and snowing today, my Hogster actually looked better than my Helion XP38 which is 640x480.
 
Larger lens diameter always brings in more mid wave IR to the microbolometer when the humidity is higher, trade off is less FOV
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupLarger lens diameter always brings in more mid wave IR to the microbolometer when the humidity is higher, trade off is less FOV Agree 100% but in the case of the XQ38, XP38 and the Hogster 35, they are virtually the same diameter.
 
Originally Posted By: SkyPupMay have something to do with the base magnification and/or the f-stop of the lens. These were my thoughts as well, but both base mag and f-stop virtually the same. Micron size could be a potential but they are the same, res is the same. It's a mystery.
 
Originally Posted By: KirschOriginally Posted By: Burnsome...Great video. Thanks for posting Kirsch.

Is there any information relating to FOV at say 50 or 100 yards with the 25mm vs 35mm?

Looking at the video and the coyote going down at 85 yards, the FOV looked pretty wide to me (and thats a good thing in my neck of the woods)

This is what I have at this time. I also have a 25mm that Bering Optics just sent and it is has a considerably wider FOV.

Hogster_r_chart.jpg


Based on this chart the 25 has a 14.9 x 11.2 degree FOV and the 35 (which was on the video) has 10.7 x 8. I think it equates to roughly a 30% bigger FOV on the 25mm. Looking through the two side by side that seems about right. I will hopefully have some comparison videos in the next week available showing the differences.

For me, either is fine for field of view, but for the open fields that I hunt, the 25 would be a good scanner, but not a good rifle scope. If a person was hunting heavy cover and shots were all 100 yards and in, the 25mm might be the answer as a scanner and /or a scope.

Good to hear, I look forward to see that!
 
Hey Kirsch,
I run a Quantum hd19a and like it for the wide field of view. How does this clip on compare? I'm not good at converting degrees of fov to feet. I assume it has a longer detection range?
 
Originally Posted By: DarknightHey Kirsch,
I run a Quantum hd19a and like it for the wide field of view. How does this clip on compare? I'm not good at converting degrees of fov to feet. I assume it has a longer detection range? The Hogster-R isn't a clip-on. They do make a hogster-c clip on, but that FOV of that depends on your glass scope. I believe you are referring to the stand alone scope.

The Simple Explaination:
You will see almost twice as much of an area with the HD19A as you will with the Hogster-R25, but the object will be much bigger in the view on the Hogster.

More Technical Answer: The HD19a has a 26.8x20.8 FOV while the Hogster-R 25mm has a 14.9 x 11.2. We all say Field of View. The correct term is actually Angle of View when using degrees. I used the mathematical equation of:
Linear field of view = 2 (Tan (Angle of view/2) X Distance to Subject) .

Just by looking at the horizontal number it logically makes sense to think the FOV of the HD19a is almost twice as much as the Hogster-R25mm. It comes out to the following:

If viewing at varying distances, here is how much area you would see:

1 yard:
HD19A = .4764 yards
Hogster-R 25mm = .2615 yards

100 Yards:
HD19A = 47.64 yards
Hogster-R 25mm = 26.15 yards

200 yards:
HD19A = 95.29 yards
Hogster-R 25mm = 52.30 yards

1000 yards:
HD19A = 238.23 yards
Hogster-R 25mm = 130.75 yards

You just take the distance you want in feet or yards and take it times .4764 for the HD19A and .2615 for the Hogster-R 25mm.

Sorry for the long math lesson. I have used scanners that had large fields of view and 1x base mags. Many absolutely love the fact they can see a really big area. I agree with most of that for coyote hunting as many hunters will go to the gun and verify if it is a coyote. What I don't like personally about scanners with too low of a base mag and large FOV, is you loose a lot of depth perception. It can be hard to figure out if a coyote is 1000 yards or 300 yards. Also any type of heat signature at any kind of a distance is going to be really hard to tell apart. I don't need to go to my gun because there is a owl sitting on a fence post 300 yards away. It may seem like I am exaggerating, but the first time I used a 1x scanner, I was going to my gun on field mice because I just didn't know what I was looking at.

So, to me there is a really fine line between not enough FOV and too much FOV. I personally like a unit with a 1.3 - 2x mag but this depends on microns, objective size, and other factors.

The video shows that both Hogsters were easily capable of displaying a vehicle at over 1000 yards. The 35mm showed a truck at almost 2 miles. You will see coyotes/animals coming from further distances than your HD19a, but will see a smaller area.
 
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