Night vision and law

Braces Airgun Masters
mealiejimmy said:
No, because they do not intensify the light, they merely gather it in via the objective lens and pass it through the lens system for the user to see a magnified image.
The order dates from 1985 when the only NV technology available was what we now commonly call tubed NV, but is actually a light intensifying system where photons of light enter one end of the tube and cause a few electrons to be ejected from the first electrode, be accelerated towards another electrode where they eject more electrons. This process continues at each electrode until at the far end of the tube there can be more than 100,000 electrons resulting from a single photon entering the tube. When these electrons hit a phosphor screen at the far end of the tube they cause a dot of visible light to be produced
So, a single photon of visible light (which would not be detectable by the human eye) has been intensified to a level where it is visible to the human eye.
It has been argued (and I think correctly) that digital NV is not covered by the phrase "light intensifying" because digital NV does not work by intensifying existing light. However it is covered by the phrase "special device for night shooting" because digital NV is a device which is capable of night shooting - even although it can also be used in daylight
Hopefully these archaic rules will soon end and NV and thermal will be allowed when shooting deer in Scotland
Of course poachers have been using them in Scotland for years, but (and I stand to be corrected) I am unaware of anyone being prosecuted for using NV or thermal to shoot deer in Scotland

Cheers

Bruce
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Thank you sir for your usual fulsome reply. I think the legislation will always be playing catch-up and inevitably NV will be very low, if at all even present, on any legislative programme there or elsewhere.
🦊🦊
 
Heym SR20 said:
For Scotland, the secretary of state has powers to state what equipment is lawful / not lawful. In the Deer (Firearms etc) order of 1985


Section 5 says

It shall be lawful to use a sight which is NOT a light-intensifying, heat sensitive or other special sensitive device for night shooting.

This is reinforced in the Best Practice Guides

bestpracticeguides.org.uk

Home | Wild Deer Best Practice Guidance

bestpracticeguides.org.uk bestpracticeguides.org.uk

And

bestpracticeguides.org.uk

Home | Wild Deer Best Practice Guidance

bestpracticeguides.org.uk bestpracticeguides.org.uk

Both of which state use of night sights, image intensifying and thermal are prohibited.

And anybody who is on the fit and competent register has confirmed that fully understood and will abide by the best practice guides etc. and only those on the fit and competent register would be authorised to carry night shooting activities by Nature Scot (formerly called SNH).
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Bugsy said:
😉You can be rest assured if wee Nicola gives the thumbs up to joe the recreational stalker to use thermal for deer it will be licensed and probably cost you money to use it .
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What about using a night vision scope through the day whats wrong with that ,theyre used in england .Not thermal ,night vision
 
The Scottish government have produced an interim report on using NV / Thermal scopes and to my mind it’s pretty limited. Can’t find it on my phone just now but I think they should be looking at how effective it have been for the past 10 years for foxing etc rather than a very limited report on deer.

Turn us loose with night scopes and more deer will be killed.

Personally I would probably favour NV over thermal when there is cover but either will work well.

I always enjoy the outpouring of obtuse arguments with this stuff, mainly from people with little to no experience but lots of opinion.

Shooting at night will get you more deer in 99% of cases and night scopes will increase that again so it’s only a matter of time.
 
gixer1 said:
Another thing the shooting org’s should jump on and try to have updated for Scotland!
Click to expand...
It's in the process, and driven by Government, not shooting orgs.
Allowing the use of digital sights was one on the recommendations of the Deer Review group a couple of years ago and has been accepted by Scot Govt. I anticipate we could see the change later this year
 
Dan Newcombe said:
The Scottish government have produced an interim report on using NV / Thermal scopes and to my mind it’s pretty limited. Can’t find it on my phone just now but I think they should be looking at how effective it have been for the past 10 years for foxing etc rather than a very limited report on deer.

Turn us loose with night scopes and more deer will be killed.

Personally I would probably favour NV over thermal when there is cover but either will work well.

I always enjoy the outpouring of obtuse arguments with this stuff, mainly from people with little to no experience but lots of opinion.

Shooting at night will get you more deer in 99% of cases and night scopes will increase that again so it’s only a matter of time.
Click to expand...
This the one?
NatureScot Research Report 1311 - Study to determine deer welfare issues relating to use of image intensifying rifle sights for the culling of deer at night
 
rookstorm said:
What about using a night vision scope through the day whats wrong with that ,theyre used in england .Not thermal ,night vision
Click to expand...
You asked this same question in your post#52 and I gave you the answer in post #53
I must presume you did not read the attached copy of the Deer (Firearms etc) (Scotland) Order 1985
A night vision scope is a "special device for night shooting" and just because you can use it during the day it doesn't stop being a "special device for night shooting"
The fact that it has the capability to be used for night shooting is what matters to the law - not what time of day or night you use it
Also, as is rather obvious from the order, these rules apply only to Scotland and not to England or Wales

Cheers

Bruce
 
It’s pretty simple.

England - you can and people do use them in the day for deer but you can’t shoot at night.

Scotland - you can’t use them for deer at all, but you can shoot at night. This is likely to change but very much has not yet.
 
hoodwink said:
It might not be illegal, but in the wrong hands it can devastate a population and is morally questionable, i except that there is sometimes good reason and used by good people during daylight, but in the wrong hands it seems that it is too tempting to take deer out of hours and in cover that would not be visible by natural means, which would lead one to conclude that the safety of said shooting was questionable.
Click to expand...
Morally questionable?
 
Husky said:
No I haven't had a reply, he has been online and would have seen the notification alert.
I can only presume he knows that he is talking rubbish.
Click to expand...
Two years later…

Well I don’t get notifications, cos I don’t want to read crap like yours that trigger replies like this.

Can you read ?

Can you work the internet ?

Come across google.com ?

Got any intellectual curiosity or too lazy to think for yourself. Easier to call me an idiot eh?

Try reading the thing for yourself. See if you can spot it.

It is available as a pdf online…
 
The only restriction re NV/Thermal on deer in the U.K. is the hour after dusk and the hour before dawn
 
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