Night Vision Rifle Scopes

[Seahawk]

Some background:

We have been seeing a coyote on the various game cams we have set up. Large male in very good shape.

This past Monday, the guy who runs the hunting part of my farm was in a stand an hour before sunrise and heard coyotes under the stand. He is from California and knows the markers.

I have goats, chickens, horses dogs and cats so it is time to get serious about the coyotes. We are also trying to re-introduce Quail and Turkeys to the area.

In that vein, does anyone here have practical knowledge on nigh vision rifle scopes?

I have read dozens of articles and priced any number of scopes. All over the map and price range.

I have a lot of hours flying Gen 2 and 3 NVG's in helicopters but need some practical advice.

Thanks!

[legion]

There was a good write-up of the various generations of Night Vision and related technologies (such as infrared) in American Rifleman a few months ago. It explained the pros and cons of each as well as why one costs more than the other.

The bottom line is that you have to pick what works best for your application and that is not necessarily the most expensive option.

As you are looking at hunting something living, the stuff that uses infrared is a good option (though I forget what it is typically called) and IIRC, is much cheaper than the analogue night vision (which amplifies background light).

[jyl]

Darn, there is all kinds of fun you can't have if you live in a city

[onewhippedpuppy]

I recently spent some time sitting next to a field engineer friend on a flight, we are both into guns so this topic came up. He was going on about how good the new night vision scopes were in conjunction with an IR flashlight. I don't recall the brand but he did mention that his most recent setup that he mounted on an AR was about $1k. The guy works in the world of EO/IR and is retired military so he halfway knows his stuff, plus he has more money sitting in his 4x8 gun safe than I have in cars. I'll try to reach him and see what he likes.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by legion

There was a good write-up of the various generations of Night Vision and related technologies (such as infrared) in American Rifleman a few months ago. It explained the pros and cons of each as well as why one costs more than the other

That was great advice...thermal is winning. I need to find a local with a thermal. The price difference is quite something. Thanks!

Originally Posted by jyl

Darn, there is all kinds of fun you can't have if you live in a city

True. The reverse is, however, true as well

[onewhippedpuppy]

ATNcorp.com

Recommendation from my friend. Cool stuff, some of it is pretty pricey though.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

ATNcorp.com

Recommendation from my friend. Cool stuff, some of it is pretty pricey though.

On the list...looking at some cheaper versions: https://www.amazon.com/X-Sight-Smart-Night-Rifle-Compass/dp/B079TDC1XS/ref=pd_sim_200_6?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B079TDC1XS&pd_rd_r=eb7abf88-de20-11e8-9fd1-195db928a9fd&pd_rd_w=ytmIY&pd_rd_wg=BpZxC&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=FVWQVP1EBW41GMGM1S2W&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&refRID=FVWQVP1EBW41GMGM1S2W

Thanks! This is a 4/5 time a year deal, I will not be rucking this thing...

The trump card is that tomorrow is my birthday: 62 and never been kissed. Happy birthday to me

[id10t]

Any decent scope will increase visibility and apparent brightness on a decently moonlit night.

That said, tree stand, bait pile, shotgun, maybe a red dot sight or glow in the dark front bead. I'd go for smaller shot like #4 buck or BB or similar "bird" shot, full or modified choke.

[Jeff Higgins]

Check your state's hunting regulations and make sure it is legal to shoot them at night. All states have set hunting hours; what differs state to sate is whether those hours apply to "non-game" or "pest" or "nuisance" animals.

Here in Washington, coyotes are considered "unclassified wildlife" and can be hunted year 'round with anything you think you can kill them with. They can be hunted at night, except during some big game seasons:

In order to hunt coyotes in Washington State, a valid small game or big game hunting license is required (RCW 77.32.010). Coyotes are unclassified wildife and are not regulated by WDFW. Since they are unclassified, any weapon may be used to hunt them. There is no bag limit and coyotes can be hunted year round.

Hunting or pursuing coyotes with dogs is prohibited.

Coyotes may be hunted at night EXCEPT during the months of September, October, or November in any area open to a centerfire rifle deer or elk season.

Here is a link with some of the pertinent rules in Maryland. It looks like they are legal to hunt year 'round during daylight hours, and at night per some "furbearers seasons and bag limit chart". For whatever reason, it won't let me copy and paste any text. Probably want you to buy a copy of the regs or something:

https://www.coyotehunting101.com/coyote-hunting-maryland/

Beyond that, I don't know a darn thing about night vision scopes.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Happy birthday Paul!

Jeff, when you live in the country on a nice plot of land with similarly oriented neighbors, such rules don’t matter as much.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

The trump card is that tomorrow is my birthday: 62 and never been kissed. Happy birthday to me

Happy Birthday old guy!

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Happy birthday Paul!

Jeff, when you live in the country on a nice plot of land with similarly oriented neighbors, such rules don’t matter as much.

ditto

and

ditto

[Tobra]

Happy birthday and happy hunting.

[Evans, Marv]

Happy BD Paul. 62 is the new 32, so full steam ahead!

[Seahawk]

Thanks, Gents. Marv I only hope I look as good as you in the coming years...hard to pull off!

[911 Rod]

I don't know squat, but ...couldn't you just use night vision glasses?

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I don't know squat, but ...couldn't you just use night vision glasses?

All good. I have a lot of NVG hours flying helicopters...old stuff. There is some seriously cool NVG/thermal googles out there but I don't want a mortgage.

Night vision devices are not "see through", or glasses. What you are looking at is a chemical representation:

All Night Vision products amplify existing light, allowing you to see in dark conditions too dark for the naked eye. Night Vision goggles, monoculars and binoculars collect and amplify existing light through the objective lens, which is then focused on the image intensifier. Inside the intensifier, a photocathode is "excited" by the light and converts the photon energy into electrons. These electrons accelerate across an electrostatic field inside the intensifier and strike a phosphor screen (like a green monochrome TV screen) which emits an image that you can see. It is the acceleration of electrons, which provides gain and enhances the image.

I want to shoot what I am looking at, hence the scope.

Thermal is still ahead.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

Check your state's hunting regulations and make sure it is legal to shoot them at night. All states have set hunting hours; what differs state to sate is whether those hours apply to "non-game" or "pest" or "nuisance" animals.

I absolutely appreciate your post, Jeff. You are right on the money - sometimes we can get ahead of the airplane in a bad way.

The local Fish and Wildlife guy lives a few miles away and we have chatted about this quite a bit. He uses my pistol range quite a bit.

The laws are evolving and the local folks are on the side of farmers. He has given me the green light. I don't expect to hunt Coyotes until it get much colder. They have plenty to eat now.

I don't relish this in any way: I want an unfair advantage and get it over with as soon as possible. Coyotes are not native here and are apex predators.

[Cajundaddy]

I am a regular ratter with air rifles and a bunch of Youtube guys are putting together their own DIY IR cameras and utilizing the standard daylight scope as an illuminated sight. I have not done this yet but it looks like you can assemble one for less than $100 in parts. Worth a look if you are handy and like small science projects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7qAIwysavo

[FOG]

Seahawk,

Get ahold of a crew chief (maybe an AMSO) who runs/ran one of the Night Labs and shoots. Their position puts them in contact with the manufacturers who have demo units. I haven’t looked in a few years so my info is out of date.

Outside of the obvious resolution check on the latency/lag on the FLIR units, some of the less expensive units this can be quite noticeable but can be addressed with planning. Remember most of these folks are electronics entities and don’t design in for thermal POI shifts. These zero shifts with temperature can be significant so test to make sure they are at least repeatable (elastic instead of plastic).

S/F, FOG