Monkey Spanker
Well-Known Member
So, I've seen the thermal spotter used twice in the past week and thought I'd just share my thoughts. First one was on a DSC 2 stalk where the candidate spotted several deer in a thick wood just before first light on a frosty morning which I must admit was very impressive. As we entered legal shot time, I could clearly see and even identify the deer through the thermal, but couldn't even see them through my top end binos. So what? Little use if you can't then see them through your scope or see any obstructions or a backstop. Still gave us the upper hand though, but it wasn't a valid stalk for the purposes of DSC 2 anyway. However, I can appreciate its uses for locating live deer.
The second instance was last night which is my main reason for posting this.
One of my stalkers was in a high seat next to a 800 acre wood at VERY last light and hit a fallow which ran back into the wood. (The reaction and noise suggested a slightly rearward shot). He walked back through the wood and spotted it using thermal on its own and still standing. Way past last shot time now and invisible through binoculars. He made the wise decision to quietly move away at this point, probably now about 30 minutes after the shot. I had a few deer to collect so we decided to get that done first. Another member of my team was out with us with two scent hounds. His normal routine at this point would be to wait until morning when the deer would be most likely dead as tracking in the dark is very dangerous and most likely to just bounce the deer on.
Whilst I went off to collect mine, I suggested a slightly different course of action. They slowly stalked back to the deer without dogs. They located the deer on thermal which had by now couched down but was still alive. The backstop was known and good. They quietly stalked in to a sensible range and got into a good shooting position. The deer was then illuminated with a fairly low power head torch. Boom! Dead deer! No night of worry. No early morning track required. Carcass still useable and not destroyed by badgers! Shot placement clipped the back of one lung and ruptured the rhumen right on the diaphragm exit hole. Whilst I can see the use for spotting live deer whilst stalking, this to me was a complete game changer when it comes to finding missing dead or wounded deer in the dark. We gained a £100 plus carcass that needed some minor trimming around the exit wound that would have otherwise be spoiled or badgered! But what price do you put on being able to locate and dispatch a wounded deer? I would say at this point though that if the deer had run again we would have stopped it there and then until morning! The four of us involved (all very experienced stalkers and AW's) all reflected upon this and now have a different view on the use of thermal spotting scopes! For those such as myself without a tracking dog, they could be invaluable for finding dead deer as well as live ones!!! Thermal rifle mounted scopes are clearly contentious, but thermal spotting scopes definitely have their place from what I have seen.
Interesting debate for sure.....
MS
The second instance was last night which is my main reason for posting this.
One of my stalkers was in a high seat next to a 800 acre wood at VERY last light and hit a fallow which ran back into the wood. (The reaction and noise suggested a slightly rearward shot). He walked back through the wood and spotted it using thermal on its own and still standing. Way past last shot time now and invisible through binoculars. He made the wise decision to quietly move away at this point, probably now about 30 minutes after the shot. I had a few deer to collect so we decided to get that done first. Another member of my team was out with us with two scent hounds. His normal routine at this point would be to wait until morning when the deer would be most likely dead as tracking in the dark is very dangerous and most likely to just bounce the deer on.
Whilst I went off to collect mine, I suggested a slightly different course of action. They slowly stalked back to the deer without dogs. They located the deer on thermal which had by now couched down but was still alive. The backstop was known and good. They quietly stalked in to a sensible range and got into a good shooting position. The deer was then illuminated with a fairly low power head torch. Boom! Dead deer! No night of worry. No early morning track required. Carcass still useable and not destroyed by badgers! Shot placement clipped the back of one lung and ruptured the rhumen right on the diaphragm exit hole. Whilst I can see the use for spotting live deer whilst stalking, this to me was a complete game changer when it comes to finding missing dead or wounded deer in the dark. We gained a £100 plus carcass that needed some minor trimming around the exit wound that would have otherwise be spoiled or badgered! But what price do you put on being able to locate and dispatch a wounded deer? I would say at this point though that if the deer had run again we would have stopped it there and then until morning! The four of us involved (all very experienced stalkers and AW's) all reflected upon this and now have a different view on the use of thermal spotting scopes! For those such as myself without a tracking dog, they could be invaluable for finding dead deer as well as live ones!!! Thermal rifle mounted scopes are clearly contentious, but thermal spotting scopes definitely have their place from what I have seen.
Interesting debate for sure.....
MS
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