Thermal gear. Should we have it?

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Originally Posted by ebf

Agree with Micky Duck.

Spotlighting on DOC land is supposed to be illegal. But spend any amount of time in the bush and you will see a lot of people do it anyway.

At least with thermal guys are looking for particular shapes, rather than just a quick flash of eyes. So there may well be a point to be made that thermal will increase safety...

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Having used one i do get your point but having been on the shit end of people shooting with a thermal while i was walking into a hut in the dark i was genuinely scared for my life. The sort of people that poach are not the most careful. And its not far to think they would shoot at a shape if they would shoot at eyes. Also interestingly enough human eyes dont reflect. So i would prefer spot lighters as they give a warning the are coming.

Also have seen them used on the tops after dark and reported hunters to police and as far as I know nothing eventuated. The hunters flew in by chopper right next to where i had hiked to and set up camp and first night they proceeded to shoot a young 10 point and only take its head. I heard the shot at near midnight and the next morning i walked past there camp and they couldn't tell me how good the thermal was. I hiked further in and came back out to a tonne of backcountry wrappers shoved in a hole and a heap of beer bottles left in the tarn. I packed all of these out as i hadn't found a mature stag so pack was empty enough. Called up the chopper company and they reluctantly passed on party details and let me know they wouldn't fly them in again (due to rubbish mainly).

Anyway after the pointless waffling I think they have a place and are progression but the do also provide a means to do the wrong and dangerous things easier than other options.

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Originally Posted by Outdoors

Thermals are heaps safer than spotlighting or looking through a scope. You can identify the target and what's behind it to a certain extent. So long as you identify your target, line of fire and what's beyond.

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Issue is your last statement its not a given everyone does it. And at night the target doesn't get a warning whether that be deer or person.

Hell yeah i love me thermal makes up for my lack of hunting talent.

To answer the original post. It is my opinion only that if you need thermal gear at the present time to score a feed then you shouldn’t call yourself a hunter and take up something more appropriate like online gaming.

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Originally Posted by MB

What animals do you hunt that aren't a pest?




That is the elephant in the room. Once that fundamental issue is resolved, we can start having sensible discussions about how we hunt game animals.

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ok have read thru all the posts in this thread and have nothing constructive to add......
so here we go, if you cant see an elephant in the room without thermal get a guide dog and stop hunting...........
alot of guys have legitimate use for thermal just because you have it doesnt mean you are shooting on public land after dark ....just like you have a motorbike that will do 200 clicks doesnt mean you go that fast on the road.

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Originally Posted by Hiawatha

I worry that it is creating a culture where people just write a cheque and go shoot deer and more deer more easily. There is very little sport in thermal use that is for sure. I think we are in serious danger of totally and absolutely treating our deer like targets, more than the amazing animals that they are. There has already been an element of that creeping in with some (not all by a long stretch) long range shooting as well. C'mon lets be honest here. I know there are personal variations, but like no other tech ever invented I think thermal gear is potentially an issue. Not only that but when do the deer get a break?

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If we took that and ran with it we should all limit ourselves to .50 cal muzzle loaders, and ban optics too so people with older eyes can't go hunting but have to just watch it on the box. That way we will have more heart attacks in front of the TV in reach of a phone and with easier ambulance access.

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Originally Posted by Max Headroom

I intend to buy thermal kit at some stage, as a substitute for a mutt. It's cheaper to run than a dog, it doesn't bark, chew stuff, or crap on the lawn.

I also like the notion that I could use it for other stuff like looking for a hot spot that might flare up into a fire, and also to search for a missing person.

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Maybe thermal for pig hunting has potential as a more humane method than dogs? Just throwing it in, no beef in that game myself. (sorry, pork)