bumping deer when entering and considering thermal

lost_in_the_wma

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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
 
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.
 
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.
 
Doesn't look legal in Florida and I would just play the wind. In the dark deer won't see you well but still smell you if the wind is bad.
It is interesting how animals react to seeing folks without smelling them, some are spookier than others but I have found no smell then a lot less spooky even if they see you.
 
Probably illegal if not then you have to decide if it's ethical. Never used a thermal imager in the woods so don't know if it would help you with what you want it for.
 
Probably illegal if not then you have to decide if it's ethical. Never used a thermal imager in the woods so don't know if it would help you with what you want it for.
Why are you speculating that it's more likely illegal after I looked up the regulations and it had nothing specified?
 
Doesn't look legal in Florida and I would just play the wind. In the dark deer won't see you well but still smell you if the wind is bad.
It is interesting how animals react to seeing folks without smelling them, some are spookier than others but I have found no smell then a lot less spooky even if they see you.
In the heat it's harder to cover smell. You'll die of heatstroke before you get a deer if you use JE type layering lol. Even in the day deer can't see too well especially with camo and limited movement but most importantly, what did you see that made you think it doesn't look legal in florida?
 
A quick google search says it is illegal to hunt deer with a thermal device.
You can hunt hogs and coyotes but not deer.
 
I have one. In short, they don't work well in dense, thick cover or very well after the sun has come up depending on terrain (rocks heat up and glow). Very cold, vast open terrain is their limited application in my experience.
 
If its thick your probably bumping them out way before you could see them with anything. I try and set up where the deer aren't but will be there sometime during my hunt. If I am hunting over a feed source I figure I am going to bump them every time I go in to my climber in the dark. If I am hunt between feed and bedding area then I try and get there before they do. Im like a D9 going thru the woods so I’m not sliping up on anything in the dark.
 
If its thick your probably bumping them out way before you could see them with anything. I try and set up where the deer aren't but will be there sometime during my hunt. If I am hunting over a feed source I figure I am going to bump them every time I go in to my climber in the dark. If I am hunt between feed and bedding area then I try and get there before they do. Im like a D9 going thru the woods so I’m not sliping up on anything in the dark.
I tend to walk quite slowly when there's a chance of bumping a deer and play the wind but they're just so hard to see in brush when they're bedded down that often within 10-20ft I'll hear one get up and run off as it had probably been becoming aware of me inching my way in and I finally got too close. Agreed that other times I may unknowingly even be bumping them.

Great points though about being aware that getting them on feed sources will likely bump them and bedding spots will potentially be less likely.
 
A quick google search says it is illegal to hunt deer with a thermal device.
You can hunt hogs and coyotes but not deer.
The written regulations of FL hunting didn't seem to come to the same conclusion. Sometimes, especially the AI google response, can be plain wrong or misinterpret the question. For example, I'm not talking about night hunting or mounting one to a firearm, just trying not to scare the hell out of them and blow a spot I've been working on for months by failing to see that one or more are bedded down somewhere on the way to the tree or blind I'm planning to set up in.
 
Why are you speculating that it's more likely illegal after I looked up the regulations and it had nothing specified?
Doesn't look to be legal here. Not sure about where you're at that's why I said probably. Not arguing, just would hate to see you get a hefty fine even if I don't know you. You technically would not be using it to locate deer to shoot it sounds like but a game warden might think different if it's not legal where you hunt.
 
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