Gear test: New thermal hunting optics are better, cheaper

Not all that long ago, buying thermal night vision optics for high-tech predator or varmint hunting usually meant settling for first-generation junk that couldn’t distinguish a sheep from a coyote at 50 yards.

Quality optics, assuming they were available for legal resale, carried such high prices that selling your truck and taking out a second mortgage was about the only way the average Joe could make a purchase.

Times are changing — rapidly.

Today’s hunter who wants to plug pesky porkers or marauding coyotes while “owning the night” can find decent optics at prices about half or even less than they were just a few years ago. Match a thermal thermal night vision with a favorite rifle, add electronic callers and a comfortable means of setting up, and you’re ready to rock the night away.

Commercial feral hog hunting operations are increasingly popular throughout the South and Southwest. Price points are dropping on gear, and prospective shooters can watch hours of online videos showing just how successful you can be hunting these largely nocturnal critters when they feel most secure.

If you’re a hunter who might want to do this more than a couple times a year, investing in your own gear may make sense. This decision likely depends on expendable cash and access to places where predators and varmints prowl the night.

This article comes from militarytimes edit released

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