Am i daft??
- Thread starter Stephenbuck2489
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Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
Why don’t you borrow mine for a few days ? See how you get on.As a new Stalker, there is so much bloody kit to go at!!
with an unlimited bank balance it would be great.
But looking at the essentials, ive a Knife, Rifle (243 Tikka T3), decent scope, Mod, sling, sticks, Binoculars, and recent purchase. a range finder.
I am however holding back on a piece of kit that many on here would now seem essential, Main reason being, i want to learn as much as i can about deer and take the odd one as i go.
As you may have guessed im missing a Thermal. My above question (am i daft) is aimed at avoiding one for the time being as i do see that nearly every single video i watch, or person i speak to mentions they have and use one.
Verdicts welcome.
I moved to electronic sights as I hoped it would help issues with an eye condition. I’ve found them to be game changing.
Give me a shout through the WhatsApp group mate, I’ll get it to you to try out.
If I can manage it I’ll get you out for a stalk nearby to give it a go, or take it to your ground.
Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
Lazy how ?
Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
Don’t ever try one then
Quite th opposite, you shoot more deer when you have a thermal so you get more work to do extracting them and processing them
I use thermal, I think it is great. You have to remember that, you don’t have to use it, you don’t have to pull the trigger when you see a deer, it is entirely down to you.
If you want to understand deer, then I think a thermal is the way to go. You can make yourself comfortable somewhere and watch the deer walk up and down a hedge line, you can see them a mile away in the dark coming out of one wood and going into another before the light comes up.
You do not have to stomp in to the first deer you see and shoot it. You will see much more and learn more with a thermal then you ever will with a pair of binos. Imho.
Using binos will not necessarily make you a better stalker, it will make you move a lot slower. Walk 3 paces, scan, walk 3 paces, scan. That is not a bad thing.
Again, a lot depends on the ground you stalk on. I sold my glass because my glass couldn’t see the deer in the bushes very well, at best it would have been a guess on shot placement, my digital on the other hand could see it clearly.
I have made myself comfortable and watched deer through the thermal with no desire to get in close and shoot them, then, on other occasions I have. The choice is down to the person.it is a tool and you use it or don’t.
As an aside, one night I was out waiting for a fox, I watched a frog hopping from one side of the field to the other, 2 maybe 3 hundred yards. It never stopped. Never would have seen that with a lamp or binos. Amazing to watch.
And I got the fox.
If you want to understand deer, then I think a thermal is the way to go. You can make yourself comfortable somewhere and watch the deer walk up and down a hedge line, you can see them a mile away in the dark coming out of one wood and going into another before the light comes up.
You do not have to stomp in to the first deer you see and shoot it. You will see much more and learn more with a thermal then you ever will with a pair of binos. Imho.
Using binos will not necessarily make you a better stalker, it will make you move a lot slower. Walk 3 paces, scan, walk 3 paces, scan. That is not a bad thing.
Again, a lot depends on the ground you stalk on. I sold my glass because my glass couldn’t see the deer in the bushes very well, at best it would have been a guess on shot placement, my digital on the other hand could see it clearly.
I have made myself comfortable and watched deer through the thermal with no desire to get in close and shoot them, then, on other occasions I have. The choice is down to the person.it is a tool and you use it or don’t.
As an aside, one night I was out waiting for a fox, I watched a frog hopping from one side of the field to the other, 2 maybe 3 hundred yards. It never stopped. Never would have seen that with a lamp or binos. Amazing to watch.
And I got the fox.
Rake Aboot
Well-Known Member
Mice ! I’m fascinated watching mice lol
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Interesting replies.
Learn your trade properly and then enhance it perhaps later on with the help of a thermal....one thing for sure is that your acquired trade comes to the fore thus when the batteries run flat or you drop it in the creek.
Learn your trade properly and then enhance it perhaps later on with the help of a thermal....one thing for sure is that your acquired trade comes to the fore thus when the batteries run flat or you drop it in the creek.
The fact that there are so many mice up trees is the first thing that surprised me when I started using thermal.
As you say, fascinating!
Just less effort out into spotting deer, you sweep large areas and move on.
It depends on a lot of factors really like ….
How much ground you need to cover to find them sitting in a high seat or foot stalking.
For me it was a game changer stalking through wood also makes a lot easier to locate them after. Still take binos with me though as seeing deer through glass is much better.
If I’m honest I don’t think I’ll be without one now and I haven’t met many who have left the thermal behind and gone back to just using Binos.
I would agree you don’t need it starting out but it will drastically increase your chances if you had it . ( only my opinion of course ) .
How much ground you need to cover to find them sitting in a high seat or foot stalking.
For me it was a game changer stalking through wood also makes a lot easier to locate them after. Still take binos with me though as seeing deer through glass is much better.
If I’m honest I don’t think I’ll be without one now and I haven’t met many who have left the thermal behind and gone back to just using Binos.
I would agree you don’t need it starting out but it will drastically increase your chances if you had it . ( only my opinion of course ) .
paulst
Well-Known Member
Absolutely don’t need a thermal, but my enjoyment of being in the countryside was enhanced when I got mine. Not just stalking but any time. There is just so much to see that becomes apparent through the thermal. Astonishing what goes on that is usually hidden from our poor senses.
It depends on whether you want to stand the best chance of seeing your quarry or you want a challenge. If you want a challenge and to spend ages looking for an ear in a laurel bush then steer clear of thermal ... if you want to stand the best chance of finding and shooting deer then get one. It depends on what species you are stalking as some are more forgiving then others. However, thermal can also cause frustration as well as you can clearly see the animal through the thermal then trying to pick it up in a scope and get a clear shot may be impossible. I spent an hour stalking to within 20 yards of a big fallow buck in thick cover...clear in the thermal but no chance of a shot through the laurel....decided to leave him in peace in the end 
In summary...do what you want to do
In summary...do what you want to do
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
There is a real thrill in finding your deer and stalking in to where you are up close. The word pertaining to what we know as a 'thermal' wasn't invented back then. Great day,left him alone and found a much bigger black buck that came home with me.
I would have a free thermal btw.
I never find thermal helps find deer that run, they always seem to fall in a hole or behind something.
You dont need a range finder or a thermal.
Nice
I wish mine was out in the open like the one in the pic...I could see an eye, side of antler, bit of nose and the rest was branches and leaves ..no way I was going to risk hitting a branch Opposite for me...I have found thermal a great help for easy detection of where the deer has ended up. I will always go to shot site and look for signs as well but when you can clearly see a dead deer 30 yards away its pretty obvious where it is.
Work smart not hard
Opposite for me...I have found thermal a great help for easy detection of where the deer has ended up. I will always go to shot site and look for signs as well but when you can clearly see a dead deer 30 yards away its pretty obvious where it is.
Work smart not hard
It must be different ground. I shoot a lot on re-stocked sitka. Lots of stones and stumps around, plus they now replant using a technique called mounding, where a digger takes a scoop out of the ground to make a mound for the tree to grow on. Deer always end up in these holes or hidden from view.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
I flew up to Port Macquarie to meet old mate Bob,we drove five hours west to the property and I put in three 10 hour days of walking stalking etc I found that buck below me and had the luxury of a lot of cover as i painstakingly kneed my way to where I could get a clear through view. The end result in pic looks easy,it wasn`t lol. Fallow deer in comparison to other species are comparatively easy or can be. Nonetheless good trophy bucks can be a lot harder.
Yes absolutely and feel your pain in that type of ground. I find this the most with foxes in silage fields and have often had to go back in the day to find them ..so thermal isnt the be all and end all
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