Pigs at night, what optic?

Joined
Nov 25, 2022
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Need a scope recommendation for pig hunting

I will be shooting pigs between 80-150 yards. I have a 7-08 to put the optic on. This is more for harvest than control so I typically shoot a pig 100-200lbs I will be shooting down lanes in woods over bait piles or by feeders. My budget is <2K I realize this may keep me in the night vision area vs. a thermal but maybe there is a thermal that will work in that shooting range at that price? Would love a thermal, seen them and they're nice! Maybe a nice night vision attachment clip on to the existing scope I've been hunting with green lights but you need to be very quick and attentive and I am getting old :) Thanks for any help
 
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Krobe

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Jun 7, 2024
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You could make a 256 unit work, but it will start to get tricky at the 125-150. To be comfortable at 150 yards a 384 unit is what I would recommend. Right now, the Rattler V2 lineup has a great option at every price point and resolution.
 

Zigzag357

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Look into a PVS 14, it gives you the option to move with it and you can shoot through it as well.
 

blackpowder72

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I'm running the Agm Adder 384. Awesome scope . Also have a couple Agm thermal scanners .Very happy with Agm products.
 

Roor

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Aug 7, 2020
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bump up your budget to $3,000 and get the pulsar on sale at eurooptic. It’s a 640 pixel unit and will be hard to beat at that price.
 

Nine Banger

WKR
Shoot2HuntU
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Sep 28, 2023
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I have Pulsar Trails from Doug. Spotter and Scope.

They are good to go.

The only thing I would change is the spotter starts at 2.5x and I wish it started at 1x.

The scope starts at 1.6x.

It seems like they got it backwards.

I often wander around at night wondering "who" and "why" and what their rationale was.
 

Crews

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Oct 18, 2022
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Texas, dadgummit!
Thermal is the answer, absolutely no debate on its effectiveness as compared to night vision. A 384 unit with a high resolution display should get the job done just fine.
 

Zigzag357

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Thermal is the answer, absolutely no debate on its effectiveness as compared to night vision. A 384 unit with a high resolution display should get the job done just fine.
It all depends on what your trying to do, if you want to move around night vision hands down, shooting anything as it moves night vision. But recognition thermal beats just about anything
 

Boltgun

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Apr 13, 2023
Messages
153
AGM Rattler 19mm 384 V2.

Very low base magnification, which is very helpful. Resolution and clarity are great for hogs at those ranges. Auto shot record, with audio. Two rechargeable batteries included. There’s a lot to love.

Bering Optics had the ~$2000 thermal market, but AGM took it. Bering also uses icons instead of words for their menus, which is like solving a puzzle every time you want to change something.
 

Boltgun

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It all depends on what your trying to do, if you want to move around night vision hands down, shooting anything as it moves night vision. But recognition thermal beats just about anything
Are you trying to shoot them in broken or brushy terrain? For anything besides open fields, I have personally found thermal much better for shooting movers.
 

Zigzag357

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Are you trying to shoot them in broken or brushy terrain? For anything besides open fields, I have personally found thermal much better for shooting movers.
I hunt west and south Texas so non stop moving for the most part, but I have never had any issues with spotting anything. I’m thinking about adding a thermal to the front of my nods for detection. This is my currentish set up though
 

Tom-D

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Sep 11, 2023
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Id be more inclined to buy a better quality thermal monocular so you can scan easier and just run a gun mounted spotlight to shoot
 

Boltgun

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Id be more inclined to buy a better quality thermal monocular so you can scan easier and just run a gun mounted spotlight to shoot
Woof. I’ve done that before and it sucked. Too often I would miss shot opportunities because of the delay switching from the thermal to a light. Not to mention any foliage between the shooter and the animal will light up so bright it makes it tough to see the animal. It works, but for $2K you can get some really solid thermal scopes these days.
 
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