bumping deer when entering and considering thermal

[lost_in_the_wma]

I know there's a lot of thermal discussion but every terrain is different, in my case bedding areas are often thick and brushy so I'm not sure if a thermal imager would do much until I'm actually up in a tree.

but it seems like if it could help me see even part of an animal that I wouldn't have noticed until I bumped it then it could be a game changer. I hunt highly pressured public WMAs and every trip so far either I or a buddy has bumped a deer entering their location. sometimes it seems like they come back but usually not.

any thoughts would be appreciated. still only the start of my second season

 

[VuduDoc]

Obviously check local hunting regs first.

Where I’m at, thermal is illegal for “hunting” which they consider spotting during season and even recovery after the shot part of the “hunting process” (I called and confirmed this, I was considering starting a thermal drone deer recovery business).

If I used a thermal like you’re considering and a game officer happened to stop by, I’d get in some sort of trouble.

 

[flyfisher117]

Not very sporting, but if it’s legal and you are morally Ok with it then party on.

 

[lost_in_the_wma]

I don't see anything in the FL general regulations or the specific WMA I've checked now unless it falls under the use of "artificial light" which would be a stretch. Probably something I'll call and ask about if I decide to pursue using that tool.

I was sort of expecting to hear that I should do a better job of entering without hitting a bunch of brush or avoiding potential beds, or that thermal imagers are extremely limited when looking through brush anyway so I should focus on being a better hunter... but if the tool exists, works well and is legal, it seems absurd to continue to bump deer and mess up entire trips where we've been scouting for weeks/months and often have very few alternative spots picked out to fall back on due to the popularity of the WMAs that I generally have access to and wanting to be courteous to other hunters.

thank you for helping me think this out.