Thread: Josh James Thermalling???

Confirmation.

JJ has replied to a Bro, "it was the first time ive used one- Wahats wrong with them - people finding animals too easy"

dissapointed he posted in a public space on his "first time"..... i guess it gathers the attention of that dark side of the community, more views perhaps and another avenue to bring the demise of public land hunting and only creating more punters in to cheaters of the Game they "love"... tsk tsk

it was a 10 second clip on his Facebook story " tell you what these thermals gamechangers you can pick up any animal in the valley dont have to worry about glassing trying to find anything oh look there's one here there's one over there"

hes hunting on private land down Queenstown somewhere i think he said the other day in his story feed

I don't have an issue with it(for private land use), its advancements in technology, we are all guilty of it in some sence. Do you use a scope on your hunting rifle? Or a compound bow? Or a suppressor perhaps? All designed to give you the upperhand over game. Ive used a thermal to great effect on private access, theyre awesome for doing their job, i dont own one, never will. I wouldnt use one on public land. Saying your "disappointed" in him for posting it for his first time, thats where the disappointment is imo.

It’s a long way down off that high horse


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Live and let live. Who cares.

Shooting rabbits and possums with a light is fun, but it's not hunting that gets your heart racing.
I think thermals make big game hunting the same - fun but not heart racing hunting. I predict that the users will loose interest in hunting over time because there is not the same buzz. I have used a borrowed one myself and been with other guys who have them. Very useful to find animals in the pre-dawn.
The current move, to long range sniping at ( and wounding ) game with moderate powered cartridges is more of an ethical question IMO than thermals

Originally Posted by Moa Hunter

Shooting rabbits and possums with a light is fun, but it's not hunting that gets your heart racing.
I think thermals make big game hunting the same - fun but not heart racing hunting. I predict that the users will loose interest in hunting over time because there is not the same buzz. I have used a borrowed one myself and been with other guys who have them. Very useful to find animals in the pre-dawn.
The current move, to long range sniping at ( and wounding ) game with moderate powered cartridges is more of an ethical question IMO than thermals

Thermalling is certainly the new controversy of the times.

My 2 cents:

Firstly, the days of the 'sneaky foot-slogger hunter' are becoming a thing of the past. It's a technological era and as such people today expect instant gratification and no longer have the patience and desire to push through a hunting apprenticeship and take a year to finally shoot an animal. Unfortunately there ain't too many guys like Josh James around these days which is why he has such a good following. 40 years ago Josh would have been like every other 'good keen man' hunter you knew at the time.

My story:

With a new baby at home and very limited time to put venison on the dinner table, I borrowed a quality Pulsar thermal from a guy at work and went out for my morning hunt in a -4 deg frost expecting to set the world on fire...

I discovered that a thermal certainly does have its downsides. I found it very hard on my eyes especially transitioning from thermal to binos and it look a long time for my eyes to adjust each time. I saw a few deer from a distance that I wouldn't have been able to see using binos and that was pretty cool, however I found deer way quicker using my scanning method with my binos than I did with the thermal. By 10am the sun had heated up too many rocks so the thermal went back in its case and as it happened the deer I shot that morning was easily picked up with Binos directly in front of me.

When I found a deer with the thermal I also found it really hard to put the thermal down and find the deer again using my binos as at long range you don't really have a great sense of the landscape through the thermal.

Would I spend $3k for a thermal for the type of hunting I do? Yeah...na.


At the end of the day I want to see as many people as possible getting out into the hills and putting in the hard yards to carry out venison, feed their family and friends and reduce the current deer population.

The overall hunting experience is a hell of a lot more than stalking a deer for hours and hours and as such I certainly don't have an issue if a thermal is helping them shoot a deer and bring it home.

I also don't believe that someone using a thermal can show any less respect for the environment and the animals they hunt.

Originally Posted by Nathan F

Live and let live. Who cares.

I guess the worry is, as they get more popular they will become common place on public land spots. Much more discreet than a spotlight.

I've allready seen in numerous time s on doc land,

Use thermal spotters for work (culling in forestry).

Would be very very surprised if the chopper gunners/pilots are not using them already in NZ.

Would be willing to bet that a lot of guides use them for scouting. If you can count 78 animals in a valley in 10 minutes instead of 4-5 hours it makes sense.

The big issue in Scotland now is that thermal and NV riflescopes are going to become legal for limited deer culling applications (special night license).

It won't end well!

not goin to touch on most of the comments, you guys knwo what ya sayin an others are Trolling..

piss poor thermalling on public land and piss poor targetting trophys with the thermal... but you already knew that...

JJ has been replying back an forth to the Bro about it , not real stoked on some replies bbut its not my rep on the line


Jack luttrel, jim muir, colin davey, les murrel john forbes and jack mackenzie , would not be who they are today if they had a thermal, those heads would mean fuck all to anyone...
climb up the glaisnock, scan for 30-40minutes and kill the biggest Wapiti to be shot in NZ..... what a wankers sport.

Originally Posted by buzzman

It’s a long way down off that high horse


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only if ya surrounded by bottom feeders ....... an lickers

Originally Posted by Rees

thats a closet poof mate

(sue me)

Not saying I agree with it at all, in fact quite the opposite.

But i just hunt the way i enjoy, for myself. If people want to use them then whatever, I imagine they have their place on private land.

Originally Posted by Nick-D

I guess the worry is, as they get more popular they will become common place on public land spots. Much more discreet than a spotlight.

I've allready seen in numerous time s on doc land,

Again who really cares. If you cant shoot a deer in this day and age with or without a thermal find something else to do. They need culling. I couldnt give a toss if someone chooses to use one on public land. Its their conscience not mine .

Originally Posted by Rees

Did anyone see the short Video, possibly instagram where Josh James mentions the Thermals and how "easy" it was.....

Whats your Take on this? is there more to the Story, or have we lost another Good kunt to the pile of Sh!t K>nts ???????????

Can anyone confirm if he was on a Private land parcel? station perhaps?

would love to know what Genuine recreational hunters think of this influencer spurking about Thermal an how easy it is

It's an electronic dog mate...... get over yourself.