Thread: Thermal Optics under scrutiny?

Thermals, just another tool that can be used to great effect or missued depending on the context and operator.
From seeing videos captured from mates thermal scope used for culling it's pretty easy to identify a deer at 400 yards.
The same people who spotlight on doc land will thermal on doc land, a small portion of the hunting community giving everyone a bad name, same across any hobby.

I recently took borrowed a friend's monocular to hunt on the public land. Aside from the safety and ethics debate, I found the act of looking through a little electric screen horrible compared with the meditative hours you can spend behind glass. Binoculars connect you more intimately with the landscape; the thermal separates you from the landscape.

Also, I didn't see any animals.

Originally Posted by Bucko

I recently took borrowed a friend's monocular to hunt on the public land. Aside from the safety and ethics debate, I found the act of looking through a little electric screen horrible compared with the meditative hours you can spend behind glass. Binoculars connect you more intimately with the landscape; the thermal separates you from the landscape.

Also, I didn't see any animals.

Yep there an aspect of "disconnect" about thermals v binos, the difference is spending hours looking through binos to see nothing & 5 minutes through a thermal to see nothing and knowing it's time to move on.

Or as i found out as a new thermal handheld owner, seeing deer through the thermal and not being able to find them through the binos even when i knew exactly where to look!

I suspect your opinion would change had you spotted one through the thermal.

As to harm .... It's similar,actually very similar to spotlighting. Makes it easier to find an animal..but just like spotlight or indeed a helicopter,animals learn to hide.in last two years my favourite bush hunting spot has changed,animals stay deeper in the bush MOST of the time. But I'm still able to tip one over if try hard enough.its still shit loads easier than during the late 80s early 90s.had add up last night.3 pigs,5 chammy and 33 deer have come to my freezer in last 30 years of hunting it.

No not a pest a resource that needs managed.now wallabies different story. Lots of fun but if not kept at them they just keep making more little hoppers

My mate has thermal. Hard core pighunter in open country.first thing in morning will be spotting hillsides in the dark from truck for pigs... Cocky wants numbers kept down so it's a tool to help do that. A deer within driving distance gets shot too.he won't shoot one if can't drive to it!!!! But if he doesn't keep on top of numbers,someone else will get in the gate and he be hunting groundless. Balancing act.

While we're at it, we should debate the use of anything bigger than 308, suppressors, binoculars and spotting scopes, dogs, quads, compound bows, topo maps and smokeless powder. Hell, why do we even need black powder?

The constant march of innovation can't be stopped, so we shouldn't be having this debate. What we should debate is how to ensure that the technology is used in a way that the resource (in this case, public hunting land) is maintained and people are kept safe. Unfortunately the loose cannons will provide all the ammunition necessary to have thermals banned or at least controlled.

And anyone who believes Pandora's box can't be closed need just look at semi-auto centrefire rifles and see what can be done by an overzealous government.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

While we're at it, we should debate the use of anything bigger than 308, suppressors, binoculars and spotting scopes, dogs, quads, compound bows, topo maps and smokeless powder. Hell, why do we even need black powder?

The constant march of innovation can't be stopped, so we shouldn't be having this debate. What we should debate is how to ensure that the technology is used in a way that the resource (in this case, public hunting land) is maintained and people are kept safe. Unfortunately the loose cannons will provide all the ammunition necessary to have thermals banned or at least controlled.

And anyone who believes Pandora's box can't be closed need just look at semi-auto centrefire rifles and see what can be done by an overzealous government.

So I see a theme developing. Ive seen it before too. It never happens in time though. Should we not be able to come up with sensible limitations on new tech if we can foreshadow its Mis-use and know that such will lead to an impingement of freedoms on us all?

10 shot mag anyone?

Originally Posted by whanahuia

So I see a theme developing. Ive seen it before too. It never happens in time though. Should we not be able to come up with sensible limitations on new tech if we can foreshadow its Mis-use and know that such will lead to an impingement of freedoms on us all?

10 shot mag anyone?

Ok I see a point here.sensible limit has ALREADY been drawn...not mounted on rifle is pretty clear,when in conjuction with no shooting during hours of darkness. Which in itself is daft if have small game permit and could target possums to prevent need for poison drop.

It's got everything to do with animal number management. If the recreational hunters shoot more,the govt won't have to do so,either by poison or Arial culling.

I almost always target hinds or yearlings, they're tastier

If I were to buy a thermal, it would be to make the most of the very limited time I have to get into the hunting grounds, and maximize my opportunity to spot a deer, giving me the opportunity to shoot it. While hunting is always a pleasure, sometimes i actually would like to take home a deer. I'm not excellent at stalking, so I need all the help I can get!

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

If I were to buy a thermal, it would be to make the most of the very limited time I have to get into the hunting grounds, and maximize my opportunity to spot a deer, giving me the opportunity to shoot it. While hunting is always a pleasure, sometimes i actually would like to take home a deer. I'm not excellent at stalking, so I need all the help I can get!

Are you a Wellington NZDA member?

Originally Posted by Tahr

Are you a Wellington NZDA member?

I'm not a member. Have considered it, but never took the next step.

Originally Posted by Bol Tackshin

I'm not a member. Have considered it, but never took the next step.

Happy to host you in and get you engaged. Some good club hunts coming up.