The trouble with thermals.......

I thought, as I'd seen prints it was worth a look this evening for a stag or even a late season buck.
Having checked the wind I walked the long way round, and after a couple of tries finally found a spot which just about kept my scent away although didn't give me all the view I wanted as I had to sit in low cover to wait.
Finally a nervous doe came out and fed her way down the wood. Within an hour the light was fading, and as I could only see one end of the wood, decided it was time to move, check below the wood, and the hillside the other end.
Absolutely nothing until I scanned the scrub and trees at the far end. There was a strong white glow about 6ft high in the gorse in front of a tree. Aha! There's one in the gorse, although I couldn't make out which way it was looking. A long hard look through the binos, nothing obvious, so I moved in slowly, there was definitely some heat in there.
It was getting dark, still nothing obvious in the binos, so I finally walked over, the heat signature was actually in the tree! I put my hand on the tree near some loose bark, expecting to feel some heat. What I felt was a sharp sting, it was a bloody wasp nest!
See, no thermal, no sting!

 

[cjm1066]

The thermal made the stalk memorable!

 

[AGR]

The thermal made the stalk memorable!

Imagine a throbbing finger emoji!

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Sounds like you need a new thermal!

 

[Stevie/P]

expecting to feel some heat. What I felt was a sharp sting, it was a bloody wasp nest!
See, no thermal, no sting!

John Gryphon would soon introduce some heat

 

[The Singing Stalker]

Torch might be useful. lol.

 

[AGR]

Torch might be useful. lol.

In my pocket.

 

[JW100]

certainly remember that for a short while

 

[Overlay]

I thought, as I'd seen prints it was worth a look this evening for a stag or even a late season buck.
Having checked the wind I walked the long way round, and after a couple of tries finally found a spot which just about kept my scent away although didn't give me all the view I wanted as I had to sit in low cover to wait.
Finally a nervous doe came out and fed her way down the wood. Within an hour the light was fading, and as I could only see one end of the wood, decided it was time to move, check below the wood, and the hillside the other end.
Absolutely nothing until I scanned the scrub and trees at the far end. There was a strong white glow about 6ft high in the gorse in front of a tree. Aha! There's one in the gorse, although I couldn't make out which way it was looking. A long hard look through the binos, nothing obvious, so I moved in slowly, there was definitely some heat in there.
It was getting dark, still nothing obvious in the binos, so I finally walked over, the heat signature was actually in the tree! I put my hand on the tree near some loose bark, expecting to feel some heat. What I felt was a sharp sting, it was a bloody wasp nest!
See, no thermal, no sting!

Ouch and double ouch
I use my thermal when removing bee colonies out of roof voids the old accolades are superb at spotting them, they do emit a lot of heat particularly wasps especially when flying around the nest areas they put in so much energy its amazing the signature they all give off

Anti histemine in the kit bag does help a bit, I was in an orchard on a rabbit clearance, thought I’d set up camp under a cherry tree and stood straight on top of a wappies nest/ hole 3 of the little darlings straight up the shorts, it wasn't pleasant damage has already been done when you realise its too late

 

[FISH BOY]

Don’t worry your not alone - once spent 20 mins slowly stalking an ant hill in scrub thinking it was a fallow couched up.

A downside of these new thermals I find is that they are so sensitive, everything is a slightly different shade of grey/white, rather than the older simpler models of black and white.

 

[AGR]

Ouch and double ouch
I use my thermal when removing bee colonies out of roof voids the old accolades are superb at spotting them, they do emit a lot of heat particularly wasps especially when flying around the nest areas they put in so much energy its amazing the signature they all give off

Anti histemine in the kit bag does help a bit, I was in an orchard on a rabbit clearance, thought I’d set up camp under a cherry tree and stood straight on top of a wappies nest/ hole 3 of the little darlings straight up the shorts, it wasn't pleasant damage has already been done when you realise its too late

I know that feeling. I once sat by a release pen with my legs stretched out whilst I sorted a pop hole. My open trouser leg was right over a wasp nest. They stung when I stood up, and again when I dropped my trousers!

 

[slider]

In my early days of thermalling stalked a fermenting silage bale

 

[AGR]

In my early days of thermalling stalked a fermenting silage bale

I don't feel so bad now!

 

[mealiejimmy]

Most thermal users will have similar stories, but only a few will open up about it
I got my first thermal back in 2012 and one of the first times I used it I saw something in a tree a good distance away and thought it might be some sort of large bird
I watched it for fully 30 minutes and it never moved. It was only when I moved about 30 yards to one side and looked again, that I realised the tree had been partially blocking my view of a pole mounted transformer

Cheers

Bruce

 

[Overlay]

Most thermal users will have similar stories, but only a few will open up about it
I got my first thermal back in 2012 and one of the first times I used it I saw something in a tree a good distance away and thought it might be some sort of large bird
I watched it for fully 30 minutes and it never moved. It was only when I moved about 30 yards to one side and looked again, that I realised the tree had been partially blocking my view of a pole mounted transformer

Cheers

Bruce

O yes
Transformers will run alongside a pheasant pen if they're placed 30mtrs down from the pen in the valley, and as you stealthy work your way along the opposite bank and they are hard to find around the pen in daylight they are masters at camouflage

 

[VSS]

I'm sure all of us have, at some point, gone into full stealth mode to get within range of a sun-warmed boulder.

 

[Acm]

The amount of times I’ve got into a shooting position with the nv after spotting a thermal signature of a fox at night only to flick the alpex on and find it to be a wayward cat it’s always tempting

 

[hendrix's rifle]

I recall sending @Kjf up a banking thinking there was a deer at the top... Turns out it was water that showed a different colour

 

[Kjf]

I recall sending @Kjf up a banking thinking there was a deer at the top... Turns out it was water that showed a different colour

It was top.of that burn going up onto moors . Worth a mooch though lol

 

[gelert]

I've stalked into woodcock,thinking it was a deer head.Seen hedgehogs at night thinking they were badgers, it's funny what the mind does to make us what we want to see,and convince us its a deer.