Does anyone use a thermal while scanning before switching to traditional optics?

[dirtytough]

I love the "my tech is fine but your tech is for losers" types.

If 50% of hunters were allowed the use of a thermal with a traditional bow as their weapon, and 50% were allowed to use a rifle but no thermal. I wonder which group would kill more animals? I'm betting on the rifle hunters with rangefinders, scopes that dial, suppressors, etc.

The thermal isn't a game changer. Everyone already uses the game changers with rangefinders, Onx, modern rifles, and dialable scopes.

 

[saskhunter]

I see we have ourselves an intellectual here Touche' my man.

Not everything has to be an intellectual debate. Open mouth kissing your sister is probably legal in many places, still doesn't make it right.

Also, while we're on the subject of intellect, it's "touché" not "touche'".

 

[swavescatter]

Not everything has to be an intellectual debate. Open mouth kissing your sister is probably legal in many places, still doesn't make it right.

Also, while we're on the subject of intellect, it's "touché" not "touche'".

If open mouth kissing my sister bags me a 350+ bull I'm popping some altoids and giving her hell!

 

[saskhunter]

I love the "my tech is fine but your tech is for losers" types.

If 50% of hunters were allowed the use of a thermal with a traditional bow as their weapon, and 50% were allowed to use a rifle but no thermal. I wonder which group would kill more animals? I'm betting on the rifle hunters with rangefinders, scopes that dial, suppressors, etc.

The thermal isn't a game changer. Everyone already uses the game changers with rangefinders, Onx, modern rifles, and dialable scopes.

I believe we're comparing apples to oranges here. Optics give you the ability to see further. A range finder gives you the ability to get accurate ranges.

Thermal imaging allows you to see in the dark or through visual obstructions. Big difference here.

Some devices enhance your abilities, others give you an ability you never had in the first place.

 

[saskhunter]

If open mouth kissing my sister bags me a 350+ bull I'm popping some altoids and giving her hell!

All the power to you, dip your pen in family ink and use thermal sights to shoot your 350+ bull after!!!

Still low-T energy my man!

 

[rogerthat]

I’m thinking some of you guys are pretty inexperienced with the latest and greatest units on the market with some of your equivalence arguments. Might want to look into it

 

[wyosam]

We don't use blackhawk helictopers for hunting because it's illegal to use. That's why people don't do it. My line of thinking doesn't support it at all.

I stated that this tech is legal to use. USE IT. Chasing down an herd of elk and mowing them down from a helicopter isn't LEGAL. Don't do it! Pretty simple.

I think they aren't behind at all. I think they know what people have at their disposal and are limiting it to make things fair without straight banning everything.

I'm curious to know what your opinion is on Game Cams. Would you agree that this is awful tech as well? You can literally place hundreds of cams and pinpoint any herd that you'd like, in real time and set off on your Cell phone guided hunt.

I think game cams have gotten way out of hand. Anything with cellular capability should be illegal for hunting use everywhere, as they are in some states. I’d fully support an outright ban, but that isn’t really feasible. I think if you want to know what’s out there you should probably go look, you know kind of like hunting.

Tech improvements that assist in taking game more cleanly/reliably are a little different to me, though with the ever increasing effectiveness at longer distances (or at least the appearance that it’s effective) is a slippery slope. Tech that helps locate game that is not actually in view seems like a big step in the wrong direction. I would imagine it’s very effective in thick country. Would be great locating bears and moose in AK where you can be 50 feet from them and not see them. The amazing glass available today does make spotting game further away when they are within a clear line of sight a lot easier, so an argument on similarities is certainly valid.

We are making more and more hunters more and more successful, while not increasing available game and habitat to support them. The only way that can go is less opportunity now or in the future.



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[swavescatter]

All the power to you, dip your pen in family ink and use thermal sights to shoot your 350+ bull after!!!

Still low-T energy my man!

Wrong again. I'm on Jake mooshaney levels of T. It's legal so why not right?

 

[ozyclint]

We are making more and more hunters more and more successful, while not increasing available game and habitat to support them. The only way that can go is less opportunity now or in the future.

People won't be happy until they NEED a thermal to locate the last animal on the continent.

 

[wyosam]

regarding thermal devices, here in Utah they recently updated the verbiage in the the regs from illegal to "use" to illegal to simply "possess" during a big game hunt. I applaud them making it unequivocal, unambiguous, and much more straightforward for conservation officers (game wardens) to enforce.

That is key. With “use” wording on anything like this, it’s going to be extremely difficult to impossible to enforce.


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[wyosam]

I love the "my tech is fine but your tech is for losers" types.

If 50% of hunters were allowed the use of a thermal with a traditional bow as their weapon, and 50% were allowed to use a rifle but no thermal. I wonder which group would kill more animals? I'm betting on the rifle hunters with rangefinders, scopes that dial, suppressors, etc.

The thermal isn't a game changer. Everyone already uses the game changers with rangefinders, Onx, modern rifles, and dialable scopes.

Locating animals not within your line of site in dense cover is actually a pretty big game changer. In that habitat, where pressured animals often go, rangefinders, scopes that dial, etc are all essentially useless. That is game that is going to get killed at or close to bow range anyway. It’s making a sanctuary for game no longer a sanctuary. Sounds like the game changed significantly to me.


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[ozyclint]

Here in Australia we have Sambar deer in Victoria. They are primarily a forest dweller and very elusive.
A stag is prized trophy and touted as our "premier game animal"

A stag seemed to be some mythical once in a lifetime beast.

Now people hunt them using pointer dogs with GPS collars. Dog goes searching, tracker indicates that dog is on point, hunter moves in on dogs location. Boom, premier game animal down.

No doubt thermals are being used to scan dense forest too.

IMO, method of take has as much to do with "premier game animal" as the animal itself.

 

[WaltherDawg]

I use a thermal to scan areas dusk and dawn, Confirm with standard optics then decide to shoot or not. Is it sporting? Your call but since season is very short and many old ways of hunting are banned I don't see it unfairly biased against the animal.

 

[wyosam]

I use a thermal to scan areas dusk and dawn, Confirm with standard optics then decide to shoot or not. Is it sporting? Your call but since season is very short and many old ways of hunting are banned I don't see it unfairly biased against the animal.

Out of curiosity, what old ways of hunting have been banned?


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[WaltherDawg]

Taking animals while in water, over bait. hours of legal hunting, dogs for hunting etc. There are others and of course these do not apply everywhere.
Hunting laws are pretty much by definition limits on ways to take game.

 

[bigsky2]

I use a thermal to scan areas dusk and dawn, Confirm with standard optics then decide to shoot or not. Is it sporting? Your call but since season is very short and many old ways of hunting are banned I don't see it unfairly biased against the animal.

It’s not an unfair advantage over the animal because the season is short? Not seeing how season length has anything to do with the ethics of using thermals.

 

[MuleyFever]

The thermal isn't a game changer. Everyone already uses the game changers with rangefinders, Onx, modern rifles, and dialable scopes.

The first step in killing an animal is finding the animal. Thermals are absolutely game changers.

 

[Packmansion]

Forget thermals, what about ATVs, campers, hunting with a guide on private land, having other people scout for you? If we want "fair chase" I say guides should be illegal and any private land that is hunted should be opened to the public to include any improvements such as blinds are first come first serve. if using light is $200 and thermals is $2000 then using a guide should a $20,000 fine, hunting on private and not sharin... $200,000. Oh and the bastard cut it up for you and put it in a horse for you... That's a little suspect, sounds like way more of an advantage than ThErMaLs! Its weird how it's culturally acceptable for a dentist to pay a real man to get him an animal but if job Bob uses thermals we all s*** our pants.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Forget thermals, what about ATVs, campers, hunting with a guide on private land, having other people scout for you? If we want "fair chase" I say guides should be illegal and any private land that is hunted should be opened to the public to include any improvements such as blinds are first come first serve. if using light is $200 and thermals is $2000 then using a guide should a $20,000 fine, hunting on private and not sharin... $200,000. Oh and the bastard cut it up for you and put it in a horse for you... That's a little suspect, sounds like way more of an advantage than ThErMaLs! Its weird how it's culturally acceptable for a dentist to pay a real man to get him an animal but if job Bob uses thermals we all s*** our pants.

So show us how it really is done with your interpretation of Fair Chase.

Go walk to your hunting grounds, no modes of transportation other than your feet, no clothes, no shoes, no rifle, no bow, no food, no water, no shelter, no optics, no tools, no axe, no rope, no phone, no GPS, no maps, no light, nothing. Then you will be the poster child for Fair Chase as it will be truly Mano vs Teeth/Claws/Hooves.

There's a point where things can potentially tip the scales too much.

 

[Packmansion]

So show us how it really is done with your interpretation of Fair Chase.

Go walk to your hunting grounds, no modes of transportation other than your feet, no clothes, no shoes, no rifle, no bow, no food, no water, no shelter, no optics, no tools, no axe, no rope, no phone, no GPS, no maps, no light, nothing. Then you will be the poster child for Fair Chase as it will be truly Mano vs Teeth/Claws/Hooves.

There's a point where things can potentially tip the scales too much.

Think about it. Thermals or a young man to do all the hard work for you. Which is a greater advantage? I'm making a point that we all have these deeply rooted and mostly made up ethics. There is no consistency. I could care less how anyone else hunts but it's pretty insane that people pay guides to scout on private land put them on elk bag up the game for them haul it out turn it into sausage but then we flip a shit if someone wants to use thermals that's insane. The main difference is most people can afford thermals but most cannot afford a guide. If they could they would have to issue far fewer tags. If thermals were legal it might affect how much money the state could bring in.