Thread: Thermal Optics under scrutiny?

Based on that article i can't wait for sierra to release gps trackable bullets

Thought of a VERY valid point about positive ID that hasn't been mentioned and is very much a real thing,I hunt with two fellas who have it. There is a proportion of the population who are to varying degrees red -green colourblind. Brown is in there too. Can't see bright red razzle dazzle paint sprayed on green grass,a Reddy brown deer,rabbit,that against a green background is infuriatingly frustrating to point out to these fine folks. The rest of us can see it plain as day.. just like the smear of green shit on meat.The simply cannot see it.no contrast between the different colours. Now a thermal handheld won't help with the Pooh's on the yummy bits,but it sure as God made little green apples will make finding bit of real-estate something live is in easier to locate. On same vein a camoclad hunter standing on bush/scrub edge with similar shade of vegetation behind and around then disappears for all of us. Not so if using thermal.the contrast of colour or shade aren't there but temperature is. So if Billbob is doing a sneak up on deer to poke a Broadhead through its ribs and is thirty yards away,meanwhile Danny is four hundy away about to set up his latest longer range venison slayer on same animal,if he happened to look through thermal,the two legged glowing blob of sweaty excited taxidermist should stick out like doggies danglies. Instead of a potential fatality or very pissed of in close hunter,Danny goes,fook that was close...and scans somewhere else for venison....billbob might look cuddly but I'm sure he wouldn't go well in a casserole and the mum in law definately would frown if put on BBQ.

Im colourblind. Ill outspot most people. And I test it regularly. There is a reason colourblind people were/are used to spot camouflaged objects in war. We are better at looking past the colours and identifying the shape and texture difference of objects. But I do struggle with small red berries and blood drops.

Originally Posted by whanahuia

But I do struggle with small red berries and blood drops.

Its all in the taste

If you ever find a cheap blue Lazer pointer.grab it. Makes life much easier for shooting partners when can point out the rabbit/wallaby 25 yards away in long grass. Hunting with Jack for years nearly drove me nuts trying to point stuff out to him.we got good at using geography to get him looking in right area,movement of animal usually did the rest...usually.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

If you ever find a cheap blue Lazer pointer.grab it. Makes life much easier for shooting partners when can point out the rabbit/wallaby 25 yards away in long grass. Hunting with Jack for years nearly drove me nuts trying to point stuff out to him.we got good at using geography to get him looking in right area,movement of animal usually did the rest...usually.

The Sytong thermal spotters have a laser function for that purpose. Goes a long way.

Deaded. Still had to get there, bone it, carry it. It was good for me. I'm not going to be shamed. Sometimes I'm a hunter, sometimes I'm a shooter. Depends on context. This time a charity wanted 23kg of venison ...

Originally Posted by Tahr

Deaded. Still had to get there, bone it, carry it. It was good for me. I'm not going to be shamed. Sometimes I'm a hunter, sometimes I'm a shooter. Depends on context. This time a charity wanted 23kg of venison ...

Attachment 259183

I hope my opinions havnt come across as shaming anyone. I think how you are using the thermal and what you are doing with the meat should be an example of really good use.

I do though think that as a group, we are not good at sitting down and working out what is appropriate and what sensible limits we should put on novel ideas/tech etc. So that its not abused and so that it doesn't have a future negative impact.

Your posts, by the way, have me very close to buying a Sytong clip on as a tool to control hares, and also so that I can accurately gauge my wild animal populations and manage them. Whether that be continue not to shoot, or decide to start harvesting.

As I said, Im not against them. Im just super cautious of and can see how they can have an unwanted impact.

Dead deer, that's all that matters.My son n law down Mossburn way.Him n mate out on farm bush edge,shot 4 deer last night.Just keep back steaks.Last Tuesday night,they shot only 2,big hind n spiker,only keep back steaks.No room in freezers for hqs.They see about 20-30 deer per night on different farms.Southland over run with deer on farms near doc land n private forests.

Ive just been made aware of an awesome article from Jeff Kerr on the issue we face with our Tahr herd in NZ Hunter. I had a quick read and one bit really stuck out for me. I think its what I rail against the most and what upsets me.

To paraphrase and borrow from him in his discussion on Tahr.

What hunting In NZ suffers from the most, is the tragedy of the commons.


https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Originally Posted by whanahuia

Ive just been made aware of an awesome article from Jeff Kerr on the issue we face with our Tahr herd in NZ Hunter. I had a quick read and one bit really stuck out for me. I think its what I rail against the most and what upsets me.

To paraphrase and borrow from him in his discussion on Tahr.

What hunting In NZ suffers from the most, is the tragedy of the commons.


https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

What you are suggesting I think is that hunters act in self interest depleting the resource and that the use of thermals might compound this. Not necessarily.

A conservation approach can go hand in hand with thermals (spotters in the case of public land), and can enhance it. E.g. the identification and culling of females only and avoiding shooting velvet stags. Modern spotters are capable of helping make these decisions and critically can help increase the over all take of females.

We the hunters just need to make good and appropriate decisions when we take full advantage of advances in technology, and thus mitigate the "commons effect".

Originally Posted by whanahuia

Ive just been made aware of an awesome article from Jeff Kerr on the issue we face with our Tahr herd in NZ Hunter. I had a quick read and one bit really stuck out for me. I think its what I rail against the most and what upsets me.

To paraphrase and borrow from him in his discussion on Tahr.

What hunting In NZ suffers from the most, is the tragedy of the commons.


https://www.google.com/search?client...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Applies to most things in life doesn’t it.

Originally Posted by woods223

Applies to most things in life doesn’t it.

Potentially any public resource that has no agreement on how to use or share. But most do have such. Our big game hunting resource is the odd one out.

Alas, until legislation changes to reflect the status of our higher order mammals as a valued resource instead of as a pest I don't see us being able to move the conversation forward in a meaningful manner.

I have found using a thermal around the farm as a brilliant tool. Not just for finding hares (esp when you are planting young trees!), but for finding studs on the side of the house, where the house is losing lots of warmth from, how much fuel is in the farm diesel tank from hundreds of m away, instead of having to go over and dip it. The list is endless. But back to animals. A mate and I were shooting hares on the property. One had gone to ground. Absolutely could not see it through the scope with the spotlight on. Mate with thermal was able to talk me on: "200, reference lone tree, two cow pats to the left, funny looking clump of grass, a foot to the left, hare in prone position" Bang! dead hare. Another time three of us were deer hunting. We'd spent half an hour, with what amounted to 12 grands worth of high quality binos checking out a highly likely spot in December. Not a sausage. Mate with thermal says "how many deer do you think are out there?" We both reckon there may be a couple we haven't spotted. "6. All within 3 hundy of us"
Even knowing just where they were, it took forever to find them in the scope. As it was the Xmas freezer filler trip we shot as many as we could. As the managers had said the gunships will come in if the numbers stay this high.

Originally Posted by XR500

Alas, until legislation changes to reflect the status of our higher order mammals as a valued resource instead of as a pest I don't see us being able to move the conversation forward in a meaningful manner.

I have found using a thermal around the farm as a brilliant tool. Not just for finding hares (esp when you are planting young trees!), but for finding studs on the side of the house, where the house is losing lots of warmth from, how much fuel is in the farm diesel tank from hundreds of m away, instead of having to go over and dip it. The list is endless. But back to animals. A mate and I were shooting hares on the property. One had gone to ground. Absolutely could not see it through the scope with the spotlight on. Mate with thermal was able to talk me on: "200, reference lone tree, two cow pats to the left, funny looking clump of grass, a foot to the left, hare in prone position" Bang! dead hare. Another time three of us were deer hunting. We'd spent half an hour, with what amounted to 12 grands worth of high quality binos checking out a highly likely spot in December. Not a sausage. Mate with thermal says "how many deer do you think are out there?" We both reckon there may be a couple we haven't spotted. "6. All within 3 hundy of us"
Even knowing just where they were, it took forever to find them in the scope. As it was the Xmas freezer filler trip we shot as many as we could. As the managers had said the gunships will come in if the numbers stay this high.

The more forestry blocks they plant the more deer they just print. Huge incubator for deer. Ex venison shooter has full time job culling deer in forestry with suppressed 308.