Thermal Scope for Coyotes Question

[alf]

Rather than the extra coin for a dedicated thermal scanner, what's the opinion of using a good scan light to spot eyes first, then transition to the thermal on the gun?

 

[GAnderson]

Rather than the extra coin for a dedicated thermal scanner, what's the opinion of using a good scan light to spot eyes first, then transition to the thermal on the gun?

You will spend 95% of your time using the scanner, so I see it as being more important than the scope to a degree. So I would opt for a thermal scanner and then use your light to shoot with. Waving a light around to find a coyote and then using thermal to shoot is counterproductive to what the advantage of thermal is. You want to spot something as soon as possible and as it gets closer, ID it, and then when it gets in your range you could light it and shoot it.
Thermal/Thermal is the ultimate though.
Detection range and ID range are different in that Thermal will DETECT a warm object a long way off...1000+ yards(Thermion XP50 detection range is 1800yds I believe on a "human" size object)...positive ID is much shorter range...after hunting a lot with thermal, you begin to have a feel for ID when the object gets closer...I have no problem with ID on a coyote once it has gotten to <400 yards...especially if it is moving. I have had a domestic dog come in and it was obvious what it was versus a coyote...but there again, lights and or night vision gives you a more positive ID.
As stated above...if I didn't have the $$ for both thermal units, I would get the scanner and use lights/night vision to shoot...it won't take long though before you will scrape enough $$ for a thermal scope.
This is just my opinion and I am no expert...but I have stayed at a holiday inn before

Gene

 

[alf]

I've read the same thing from a dollar standpoint, spend the money on the thermal scanner, and shoot with a NV.

I bought a 2X Wraith a couple months ago, and spent some time behind it, and decided rather than dropping another couple hundred in a better IR light, I decided to put the coin into thermal. I was disappointed one 28* night that the eyepiece fogged up while scanning, which would have made it impossible to shoot. Also, rather disconcerting to loose your night vision in your right eye after scanning.

Last week I bought a Cabelas 250 lumen light with green & red lenses to play around with. I spent a couple hours with it, and was actually somewhat impressed, but decided if I wanted a light, I would get a better one, so I took it back. That is what prompted me to ask about scanning with a similar red/green light to spot the eyes first, then move to the thermal. Likely scenario would be more open areas in front of wood lines, shooting off a tripod.

I've done enough research, that the Super Hogster is #1 on my list.

 

[GAnderson]

alf, yes the loss of night vision in the scanning eye can be bothersome...I usually "darken" my scanner somewhat with brightness and contrast and it really helps with the night vision loss...it doesn't even bother me nowadays.
I really like the Thermion XP50 series scopes from Pulsar and I have the Pulsar Lexion XP38 scanner...they both have served me well and I have the Thermion on my 22-204 bolt rifle and have been really putting the coyotes down with it this year.
The Hogster 35 or Super Hogster are both nice units for the price range...my issue with either would be the battery drain on colder nights using the CR123 batteries...don't get much time on them when it is cold from what I hear...pretty much have to use an external power supply. I can go for right at 8 hours on my thermion and carry a spare battery if I would ever need it...but so far with a normal night of hunting, I have never run out of battery or needed the spare. I will be upgrading to the Thermion 2 XP50 when they come available this summer. I am thinking of getting a Super Hogster as a back up to either my scope or scanner if either were ever to crap out on me during the season...without one or the other, my season would be over so the Hogster can be used as a scanner or scope real well because of its size.

 

[alf]

There is a rechargeable battery option for the Hogster. I wouldn't want to be hamstrung with 123's all the time.

 

[GAnderson]

There is a rechargeable battery option for the Hogster. I wouldn't want to be hamstrung with 123's all the time.

Yes, but it has to attach to the rifle and has a cable that plugs into the unit...I know people use these a lot but our laws state that the rifle has to be unloaded and in a case while in a vehicle...so getting rifle in and out of the case all night long would probably take its toll on the cable getting snagged all the time. I have a charging pack that plugs into my Thermion if I were to ever need it. You never know when a battery can fail, so I carry it with me just in case.
The Hogster line of scopes and scanner are no doubt the best going from a $$ standpoint.

 

[alf]

I was referring to the rechargeable 123's, not the battery packs.

Although there does seem to be a question on using rechargeables in a Hogster.

 

[maxscm]

I would suggest you go hunting with a buddy who has a Thermal Unit and
Or Night Vision And See if it suits you. There are zillions of options these days to pick from.
My personal set up for Coyotes is Scan With Thermal , then Shoot with Gen3 Night Vision.(for positive ID).
But my Feral Hog set up is , Scan with Thermal and Shoot with Thermal.
There is No One Perfect Equipment.

 

[Bamban]

I bought a PTS536 on Nov 2019. Used it a couple of times, put it away with batteries removed. March 2020 I took it our from the safe, put the old batteries back, turned it it would not initialize. Stuck a couple fresh 123s, still no joy

It took me a couple of months maneuvering through the FLIR customer service maze was frustrating to say the least. Once they got it into their service department I thought that would be the end of my frustration... Not. Every now and then I get a message from the customer service asking me about the status of my unit and whether I was happy with my experience with them. I kept on responding that the unit was still in the repair shop.

After over 5 months in the repair shop with no word from FLIR, I received a notification from UPS that I getting a shipment from FLIR. That was over a month ago. To this day, I still have not received any mail from FLIR about my unit that it was fixed.

The unit is fine, works great, but I would not recommend it for anyone to buy.

Here is an example.

 

[Knotwild]

Once they got it into their service department I thought that would be the end of my frustration... Not.

I recently had that problem (but not as drawn out as yours). I had a gun that never worked from brand new. I tried everything I knew to make it work, but gave up and sent it in. Received an email saying it could not be repaired, they no longer made it, and I could either have the gun back or a refund. Who wants a non-working gun? So, 8 weeks goes by and I keep getting the canned responses like yours.

So, I sat down one Monday and typed a letter out outlining my problem and lack of response. I ended by saying I felt like a victim and not a valued customer. Then I looked up the CEO of the company and sent it straight to him. Their corporate office is only 100 miles away. Mailed on Monday and I had a check in the mailbox on Saturday. One week later I got a package with the 2 magazines I sent it.

The tech/repair guys don't care - they hear it every day. But the guys further up the food chain don't want you broadcasting it over the internet.