Are Thermal Devices Ethical For Predawn Scouting and Hiking?

[Jardo]

Is using a thermal monocular while hiking into your hunting area before the sun is up ethical or should we shun this technology and behavior. I am not asking if shooting before it’s light is ethical. most agree it is not. I am asking for comments about using thermals before it’s light while hiking before the sun is up.

I had an experience this year that made me realize hunters are not always ready for new technology and i want to see what others think about the advancements in optics and weapon technology that is changing the way we hunt.

let’s hear some thoughts!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rich M]

Thermal imagery is a tremendous tool but I'm not sure if it has a place in fair chase hunting.

Something about following a critter around in the dark and having to wait til it is light to shoot it still sounds like night hunting and an unfair advantage.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

Sounds like a Texas idea of fair chase (half joking); it’s not even in the ballpark and should only be used where you don’t want it to be fair, on the battlefield.

 

[LongWayAround]

I would say it's pretty obviously not something an ethical and upstanding sportsman would do.

 

[MuleyFever]

These comments are not about using them at night as both my comments below are experiences during daylight.

I was introduced to thermals last fall by a guy I ran across that was predator hunting. He let me look through his and I was amazed how easily I could see animals with it.

I purchased a thermal this fall and after using it a bit I will be the first to say that it is ridiculous the advantage it gives the hunter. You will see every animal in an instant. What may take 30-60 minutes to glass over with binos will take 10 seconds to scan with a thermal and you will see every animal that you have a line of sight to, even ones behind brush you cannot see with the binos. I would have no issue seeing them banned in big game hunting applications.

I would like to see them legal for predator hunting though including mountain lions.

As far as using them at night I think that is really pushing fair chase if you are trying to get into position on an animal to make the kill while in the dark.

 

[CoStick]

With trail cameras, scopes that provide instant ballistic information, how would this been any different?

 

[Btaylor]

It is 100% not fair chase and I am 100% ok with it being used for hogs and predators.

 

[tcpip95]

With trail cameras, scopes that provide instant ballistic information, how would this been any different?

 

[ODB]

With trail cameras, scopes that provide instant ballistic information, how would this been any different?

Right. And I’m growing weary with all of it… a man can’t go on public hunting land these days without the click click click of trail cams doing footwork for we modern hunters…but I digress…

 

[VinoVino]

Right. And I’m growing weary with all of it… a man can’t go on public hunting land these days without the click click click of trail cams doing footwork for we modern hunters…but I digress…

I feel the same way. People should put in the work and scout, looking for sign, and physically explore the area so you know it well. You’ve got the time and resources to buy and place cameras, then come back and check the photos. So why not just hike around the area and pay attention to the surroundings. Otherwise, where does one draw the line on fair chase?

Otherwise, let’s all just send out heat-seeking drones to hunt for us.

Also, get off my lawn!

 

[ODB]

Also, get off my lawn!

damn right! Ha!

 

[tcpip95]

I am not advocating the use of IR in hunting. What I'm saying is that over the generations of hunters (probably from the spear, bow and arrow, flintlock, etc.) there's always been an "unfair chase" advantage, and as technology improves, so too will this argument continue.

IMHO each hunter defines their own Fair Chase. For the record I think IR is good to use for predators, and personal safety (i.e. I'd like to know if I'm about to walk into a grizzly and her cubs.)

 

[mmac]

States are starting to react ODB, Arizona banned the trail cameras for hunting starting next year. Not sure of the exact wording, but the reason was to prevent what you were saying. Water holes had 20+ cameras on them. Then every one of the owners thought they had that hole claimed.

 

[Dos Perros]

Ethics aside, with the current situation that most western states are in (more demand than supply for tags), any technology that increases efficacy should be met with a bias of suspicion as it would undoubtedly lead to a decrease in opportunity for all of us.

 

[AndrewP]

I say it's fine as a glassing tool.

 

[mlgc20]

I'm hesitant to call any technology "unethical". Reasonable people can draw the lines in different places. High powered rifles, range finders, cool backpacks, all give us a significant advantage. Having said that, I would not use thermal in this way.

 

[ColoradoV]

It would probably work best when hooked up to a drone……

 

[hibernation]

Hard no from me. I tend to think of ethics in terms of "what would hunting look like if this became the norm", because on a personal level I absolutely see the temptation.

If everybody starting buying handheld IRs, guys would be cruising the timber like the Predator, making moves on bucks that never even had a chance to spot them. Open country hunting areas would see people spotting animals in pitch black, getting set up in shooting position in the dark, and just waiting for first light to shoot. If that's what hunting became, it would feel incredibly lame to me.

There's a massive gray area with ethics where we all have some level of disagreement (cellular trail cameras, bluetooth rangefinders, etc) but there's a handful of things I think most of us would agree are over the line. I'd put IR for big game right up with bans on drones during season. I'm glad that most states got ahead of that one before it became an entrenched practice, I can't even imagine if that had more time to be normalized.

 

[bozeman]

Modem day bows and muzzleloaders provide an unfair advantage. This is why humans are ‘above’ animals…….ethics are subjective.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

From a hunting perspective, I’d give it a hard “no”. Removes an animal’s ability to stay concealed. Doesn’t matter if their “cover” is fur color, vegetation, or the cover of dark.

Pest eradication is different so have fun with wild hogs.