Thoughts on Thermal spotters

[6.5swede]

Interested to hear people’s thoughts on the use of thermal spotters and the what people actually believe you need to pay to get a good spotter?

Do we think the use of a thermal is a must? Do people think they de skill the stalk?
Are they a game changer?

And what price point do people think spotters become good?

At what point do they become a luxury, and features become more than just a simple spotter?

Very interest to hear people thoughts?

 

[Bo Diddley]

Do a search buddy... this sort of thing has been done to death on here.

Short answer is yes, everyone is using them. And digital sights instead of traditional glass, shock horror

Edit, Hik Falcon FQ35 is a good starting point £1500.

 

[Keith Edmunds]

Q. Do we think the use of a thermal is a must?
A. No of course they are not a must


Q. Do people think they de skill the stalk?
A. To a degree yes but that can depend on the stalk. If woodland stalking you can stalk more quickly and still detect a deer (you might have missed three beforehand) and put that deer in the bag but you still have to get the wind right and get into a shooting position and........you still need to be able to shoot straight and know where to aim

However, you can also end up stalking deer that you wouldn't have known existed without the thermal. They might be much deeper in cover or much further away. In that case, it could be argued that you actually need 'more' skill to put those deer in the bag


Q. Are they a game changer?
A. Yes.....They add more deer to the bag


Q. What price point do people think spotters become good?
A. Even cheap sub £1k spotter will detect deer (deer sized heat signature) before binos/eye. It might be a poor image with a vague background but you will still detect deer faster.

If you want to detect at longer distances, in deeper cover, have more clarity to identify what creature the heat source is coming from and get more detail of the background so that you can pinpoint your target when swapping to scope then you are looking at spending over £1k. It could be assumed that the more you spend the better the kit will perform but it is a really fluid market so.......spend with caution.
Personally, I find the big fail within the industry is converting technical blurb into...."what does that really mean when I look through the viewfinder"......Numbers and Scientific words are all very well but what do they 'REALLY' mean to the end user.


Q. At what point do they become a luxury, and features become more than just a simple spotter?
A. That will depend on every individual. LRF in the unit is really handly but not essential to those who have dedicated LRF or LRF within scope or binos.
Video and photo capture aren't essential but bloody handy for proof of deer seen, herd size etc.
Again, personally, I can't see the point of fancy dancy packaging - I would rather mine came in a plain cardboard box and the extra cost of fancy packaging was either knocked off or spent on more useful accessories.

 

[mealiejimmy]

Interested to hear people’s thoughts on the use of thermal spotters and the what people actually believe you need to pay to get a good spotter?

Do we think the use of a thermal is a must? Do people think they de skill the stalk?
Are they a game changer?

And what price point do people think spotters become good?

At what point do they become a luxury, and features become more than just a simple spotter?

Very interest to hear people thoughts?

As they become more affordable, more and more people are using them - and most of those people are saying that thermal is a game changer for them and they will not go out without it
Thermal is just another tool in the box - in the same way that binoculars, riflescopes, shooting sticks, high seats, camo clothing etc are tools in the box.
Using the right tools for the job is how the best results are generally achieved
I don't think they de-skill the stalk, but they do make it different - and that requires learning different skills
There's no point at which spotters change from bad to good - it's a balance between what's good enough for the type of shooting you are doing and the depth of your pockets
For most stalking, a wide field of view is more important than magnification so a spotter with a 640 sensor and 35mm lens is often regarded as the sweet spot
Expect to pay upwards of £1300 for a spotter with that spec
At the moment the best value choices in that category are these:

Infiray Finder FH35R V2 Thermal Monocular

The InfiRay Finder FH35R V2 thermal monocular offers high-resolution 640px imaging, F0.9 35mm lens, and long-range detection, ideal for outdoor pursuits.

www.blackwoodoutdoors.co.uk

Pixfra Arc A635 Thermal Monocular

The Pixfra Arc A635 features a 12 micron 640px resolution 30mk netD sensor and F1.0 35mm lens system.

www.blackwoodoutdoors.co.uk

Pulsar Axion XG35 Compact Thermal Monocular

The Pulsar Axion XG35 thermal monocular features a 12 micron 640px sensor, with a compact magnesium alloy body and 1750m detection range.

www.blackwoodoutdoors.co.uk

NocPix Lumi H35 Thermal Monocular

The compact NocPix Lumi H35 thermal monocular features a 12 micron 640X512 resolution <18mk sensor, in a portable lightweight design

www.blackwoodoutdoors.co.uk

HikMicro Falcon FQ35 Thermal Monocular

The Hik Falcon FQ35 features a <20mk sensor and large 35mm F0.9 germanium lens, with 18650 battery power, housed within a rugged magnesium alloy shell.

www.blackwoodoutdoors.co.uk

Cheers

Bruce

 

[25 Sharps]

One point often not covered, I genuinely think my vision in my right eye is suffering after years of thermal use 3-5 times a week.

I now struggle to see target and reticle at the same time with my right eye in anything but perfect light.

I’m only 43 and everything still pin sharp with my left eye; to the extent I am using my club time to learn to shoot left handed!

 

[Keith Edmunds]

One point often not covered, I genuinely think my vision in my right eye is suffering after years of thermal use 3-5 times a week.

I now struggle to see target and reticle at the same time with my right eye in anything but perfect light.

I’m only 43 and everything still pin sharp with my left eye; to the extent I am using my club time to learn to shoot left handed!

Interesting point. I thought that when I upgraded from Pulsar Axion Key to the ATN BlazeHunter 650 that the bigger, clearer screen would cause more of a 'thermal blur' immediately after use, than the previous unit I but have actually found the opposite?? I wonder if I was 'eye straining' more with the entry level model and now, far less so??

 

[finnbear270]

I started using thermal imaging when these came out, Early days for the sports use, since that bit of kit, I have had pretty much all of the stuff up to my present Mergers, I have regular eye tests every two years & have no degradation in either eye due to anything other than the normal aging that makes the wearing of glasses necessary to read small print.

 

[Heym SR20]

I have stalked with a thermal. And been out with guides using them. I can see their utility perhaps.

But for me, stalking is not a job. It’s time I spend in the woods and hills. Last thing I want to do is to have my eyes glued yet another screen. With a spotter I might detect a beast in the bracken or inside the woodland. But so what - I am not going to shoot it unless its a clear shot.

For me time sitting and waiting for deer to pop out, or to quietly walk a ride is not time wasted.

I have learnt over the years how to see deer. You mostly see them out of the corner of your eyes, and then I use binoculars to confirm whether its shootable.

Thermals / image intensifiers for beginners never give you that ability to actually find deer. You need to learn how to find them, where they like to be etc. This takes time and patience.

Sadly deer stalking has become just like everything else where we want to shoot as many deer as possible in as short a time as possible.

Net result is that many places have got rid of their stalkers and brought in contractors who are now really struggling to make a living as the deer are not there, or have been pushed so hard that they are very spooky.

 

[Zio65]

One point often not covered, I genuinely think my vision in my right eye is suffering after years of thermal use 3-5 times a week.

I now struggle to see target and reticle at the same time with my right eye in anything but perfect light.

I’m only 43 and everything still pin sharp with my left eye; to the extent I am using my club time to learn to shoot left handed!

Not only for you, it’s real your words

 

[rem284]

Deffo a game changer. Going back to binos only would be like going back to the dark ages

 

[kenbro]

In my opinion it’s much better for foxing at nighttime.
I prefer it to when anyone for miles around (including the animals) knew you were up to something keep shining a searchlight around looking for eyes.
Some still use the lamp method alone and some people hybrid the lamp and the Thermal spotter, but for me, the lamp is gone.
Ken.

 

[west_meon]

When your stalking time is limited the thermal spotter can considerably reduce your number of blank stalks. By this I mean that you will almost certainly see deer, even if you can't shoot them. This means that you can more quickly build up a picture of their habits and movements, making successful stalks more likely. Think of them as an aid to reconnaissance, rather than an aid to stalking?

 

[Polar Lynx]

Don't ever try thermal binos or you will be struck forever and with a large hole in wallet ..

 

[Hambone]

One point often not covered, I genuinely think my vision in my right eye is suffering after years of thermal use 3-5 times a week.

I now struggle to see target and reticle at the same time with my right eye in anything but perfect light.

I’m only 43 and everything still pin sharp with my left eye; to the extent I am using my club time to learn to shoot left handed!

I have started using my left eye for spotting, thought it was the reflected light causing blurriness when switching to the scope.

 

[VSS]

For foxing, thermal is definitely a game changer.
For stalking, it's an extremely useful additional tool, but I wouldn't go quite as far as to call it a game changer. However, there have been times that I've shot deer that I probably wouldn't have seen without the thermal, and it's great for locating shot deer.
The flip side of the coin is that I've also missed opportunities as a result of faffing about swapping between thermal and binos while trying to positively ID a heat source.
For a recreational stalker, I can't see the benefit of investing in a high end TI, as a sub 1k model is more than adequate. For professional deer managers with challenging cull targets to achieve thermal scopes or add-ons provide the best solution I think, and can be justified. But they come with an increased safety risk as there's a temptation to use the scope as a spotter.

 

[kenbro]

For foxing, thermal is definitely a game changer.
For stalking, it's an extremely useful additional tool, but I wouldn't go quite as far as to call it a game changer. However, there have been times that I've shot deer that I probably wouldn't have seen without the thermal, and it's great for locating shot deer.
The flip side of the coin is that I've also missed opportunities as a result of faffing about swapping between thermal and binos while trying to positively ID a heat source.
For a recreational stalker, I can't see the benefit of investing in a high end TI, as a sub 1k model is more than adequate. For professional deer managers with challenging cull targets to achieve thermal scopes or add-ons provide the best solution I think, and can be justified. But they come with an increased safety risk as there's a temptation to use the scope as a spotter.

VSS;
I don’t think you lose many ops. Faffing about between T and binos because you wouldn’t know anything was there in the first place if you didn’t have the T….
Ken.

 

[paulst]

I use a HIKMICRO lynx lf19 2.0. Definitely not top end but cost me about £1000. Best money I have spent on anything to do with the outdoors, I just see far more stuff now. Anyone interested in wildlife is going to love one.

 

[Dave_45]

A friend has went back to glass only to reconnect with his skills.

He also said he missed blanking a day or two.

If you have deer you’ll find them with a thermal.

 

[Foxyboy43]

“Thoughts on Thermal spotters”.​

First thought - will I see more quarry?
Answer - Yup.
Second thought - best get one then.
Third thought - best thing I ever bought…

 

[caorach]

Interested to hear people’s thoughts on the use of thermal spotters and the what people actually believe you need to pay to get a good spotter?

I enjoy my stalking with my binos and I'm under no pressure to shoot deer so why would I want more gadgets?

On the other hand if I needed to shoot deer then thermal is a tool to help achieve that and I'd be using it.

I have no doubt that with a thermal I might see more deer and I might even shoot more deer but I enjoy my days out even if sometimes I don't see any deer. In the end it is the difference between doing it for sport and fun or doing it as a job in the same way as there are things I could use to catch more fish (nets, dynamite, soap powder etc.) but I enjoy my fishing too much to want to do that.