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Coyote hunting with thermals
- Thread starter amork
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I've been using a thermal for the last three or four seasons, I love it. It takes some practice getting used to identifying what a coyote looks like when they're out there a ways. But I tend to look for a coyotes mannerisms when they are out there a long ways to give me a clue at what I'm looking at. Once they're inside of four or five hundred yards it's pretty easy to tell. I'd also recommend to practice shooting off of whatever tripod you plan on using out in the field, standing or sitting. Good luck!
benbhunter
Member
This is my first full year having one. Go out at least once a week, put 2 dogs down last night. It's definitely something that takes a bit of practice to get down but is very addicting.
Flintlock shooter
Well-Known Member
I'm going into my 12th season of hunting with thermals. It is a lot of fun and as #benbhunter said, very addicting. You will learn every time you go out!! If you have specific questions, please feel free to send me a private message and I'll provide you any info that I can. I especially enjoy shooting them at longer ranges in the dark.
While I have done some coyote hunting with thermal, my main use with it has been depredation for deer and hogs. I also do some beaver and armadillo control with thermal. Before this I used regular white light and/or IR night vision. Thermal has been far superior for my purposes compared to the other methods. There is quite a learning curve with thermal. The more you use it, the more capable and proficient you become with it. Sitting at night with thermal is a lot of fun. With thermal the night comes alive with different animals and just observing can be quite entertaining.
The next thermal I buy will have LRF capabilities. I have to make a lot of long shots and judging distance at night can be difficult. For the time being I get by by using a mapping program or rangefinder in the day time to create a range card for the fields I hunt. Or Mil/moa system in the thermal scope. LRF would of course be much easier
The next thermal I buy will have LRF capabilities. I have to make a lot of long shots and judging distance at night can be difficult. For the time being I get by by using a mapping program or rangefinder in the day time to create a range card for the fields I hunt. Or Mil/moa system in the thermal scope. LRF would of course be much easier
HRM Johnny
Well-Known Member
I am curious. Is there a brand of thermal scope that you would recommend above the others? Also, what specifications, or features do you prefer?
I'll give this a go and hopefully not confuse you more. Just understand that I have only hunted with AGM thermals. So I can not tell you much about the quality of other brands except for ATN. While I'm sure there are some folks that love them. I have enough friends that have had them to know I'll never buy one.
If I had the money I would likely go with the Dual Purpose Pulsar. It has thermal plus a daytime mode. It also has recoil withstanding capabilities to 375 H & H. I just talked an older friend of mine into one and he loves it. Its only downfall is no LRF. To many folks, LRF really isn't very important though.
For longer range I like a 50mm lens and a higher base magnification. You will spend most of your time at either base magnification or one step up from that. Your picture will tend to get grainy as you increase that magnification. The base mag on my AGM adder is 4. My scope is 384 resolution. You will get the clearest image at base power. If you increase magnification by one notch you go to 8 magnification and roughly cut your resolution in half. Simply, you lose image quality. Going up also changes your holdover points on mil/moa type reticles. 640 resolution has a significant advantage. It is very clear at base power and still gives you a good clear picture when you zoom to the next power.
There is no free lunch here though. A higher base mag optic will give you a narrower field of vision. My Adder with its higher base power and 384 resolution can make closer running shots like you see hog hunting a little more difficult because of the reduced FOV. If I know I'm going to be in very tight cover and no long range opportunities I'll opt for my Rattler v2 with its lower base power and wider field of view compared to my Adder.
AGM has introduced the Clarion model to try to give you the best of both worlds in this respect. It operates in 640 at 3 base power with a 60mm lens which is good for longer ranges yet has a narrower FOV. Flip a switch and it stays at 640 resolution but gives you 35mm lens and operates at a lower base power which gives you clear pictures at closer ranges and a larger field of view. Go to AGMs website and read through their Description and their data sheet on both the Clarion 384 and the Clarion 640. Not suggesting you buy these models but reading about them will hopefully give you a clearer picture and better description of base power and field of view so you can choose a scope that best matches your uses at the ranges you will be hunting.
I like a scope with at least a 50hertz refresh rate which allows the scope to refresh quickly and gives you the best image quality.
One of the most important features for me is battery life. I hate having to carry extra batteries. My AGM Adder gives me up to 15 hours. The Rattler V2 gives up to 11hours per battery. It comes with 2 batteries and they can be changed out in about 15 seconds. The older Rattlers are good scopes but the battery life is pretty short. It takes cr123 batteries which can add expense and be a pain to change during a hunt.
This is likely just preference but for the longer ranges I frequently run into I like a scope that mounts with regular rings. This allows me to level my crosshairs and in theory be a little more accurate when I have to hold over.
Most thermals will allow you to press a button and put them in sleep mode. A quick press of that button wakes the scope up instantly. I learned very quickly to always carry my rifle in sleep mode. For one thing when it is awake you have visible white light shining out of the eyebox which can get you busted. The other thing is, especially with my Adder and it's rolling adjustable turret, you can very easily press buttons that don't need to be pressed and end up losing an opportunity.
Lastly, don't make the mistake of buying a scope with a really low base power if you need to shoot at longer ranges. Lots of my friends only shoot hogs at very close ranges and bought their scopes based on that. Later they found out if they wanted to stretch out and hunt and identify coyotes for instance they found they didn't have the right tool for that.
I hope I haven't confused you even more. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
HRM Johnny
Well-Known Member
Thank you very much @Turpentine21
Yes sir, Anytime
I do but I'm not very serious about it. I had a weird deal yesterday where my dog was barking at some deer and getting all excited. I scanned a ridge 800 or so out and saw 2 yotes running at us. I got set up and was able to tag the first one at 210. It was daylight. I was a bit surprised at how well the bark worked. I've had a bit of success with canine distress but this was a first for me.
What thermal/scope are using on that rig?
Good info, I'm looking at getting into the Thermals but have lots of questions and that helped, thanks for your post.
It's a pulsar clip on. Pulsar Krypton FXG50.
Thanks
