Double Naught Spy
Well-Known Member
You won't need thermal or NV if your only shots are under the feeder.
Night vision during full moon?
- Thread starter crazymonkey
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You won't need thermal or NV if your only shots are under the feeder.
Josh06
Well-Known Member
Get a good light for your rifle and you'll be fine if hunting from a box blinds on 40 acres. Google predator lights and the options are plenty. I've killed several hogs just using the light mounted to my scope when hunting from a blind over feeders.
JustMe2
Well-Known Member
Agree with all comments above. Here's some clarification.
Why is the canopy or cover important for choosing NV or Thermal? First, because NV uses moon light or star light to illuminate an animal. If an animal is standing in the shadow of a tree, hay stack, etc., it's not being illuminated by the starlight and you can't see the animal. Yes, there are shadows at night. Thermal detects the heat generated by animals, plants, buildings, etc. and does not need illumination from another source to see. So thermal is not affected by a canopy or shadows created by moonlight, etc.
Second, thermal can see through or around bushes, leaves on trees, etc. and NV can not. A covert flashlight/illuminator added to your rifle to supplement starlight will reflect too much light off closer objects like tree branches which blind NV just like approaching car headlights blind you while driving, so you can't see the animals.
Why use white or red lighting over a feeder? Because the animals get used to the light and continue to feed at night - even the deer. For a one time hunt, lighting over a feeder is much more cost effective for you because you can use a normal rifle scope, especially if it has an illuminated reticle. A light that remains on all night is better at not scaring animals than one that turns off and on numerous times during the night.
Why is the canopy or cover important for choosing NV or Thermal? First, because NV uses moon light or star light to illuminate an animal. If an animal is standing in the shadow of a tree, hay stack, etc., it's not being illuminated by the starlight and you can't see the animal. Yes, there are shadows at night. Thermal detects the heat generated by animals, plants, buildings, etc. and does not need illumination from another source to see. So thermal is not affected by a canopy or shadows created by moonlight, etc.
Second, thermal can see through or around bushes, leaves on trees, etc. and NV can not. A covert flashlight/illuminator added to your rifle to supplement starlight will reflect too much light off closer objects like tree branches which blind NV just like approaching car headlights blind you while driving, so you can't see the animals.
Why use white or red lighting over a feeder? Because the animals get used to the light and continue to feed at night - even the deer. For a one time hunt, lighting over a feeder is much more cost effective for you because you can use a normal rifle scope, especially if it has an illuminated reticle. A light that remains on all night is better at not scaring animals than one that turns off and on numerous times during the night.
Double Naught Spy
Well-Known Member
Yes and no. Thermal can't even see through plate glass, much less seeing through a non-clear solid like bushes, leaves on trees, etc. NV can see 'through' them as well as thermal. The difference is in how they are viewed.
Thermal sees via radiated heat energy. So the animal is its own source of "illumination" whereas with NV, you are depending on reflected energy from animals. Put an animal under a canopy (or inside bushes) and there is very little light energy getting to the animal to reflect off of it and much of what is reflected is going to be blocked by the foliage. Even if the NV pics up reflected light from the animal, it may be so dim in comparison so the outside of the bushes that you effectively cannot see anything of the animal.
Now, if the animal is painted with glow-in-the dark paint and walks in the bushes, you will see it with NV about like you would with thermal as the animal's paint is now broadcasting light energy out of the bushes and you will see that through the various gaps, almost like thermal.
Most animals don't glow in the dark in the visible spectrum and so are hard to see or invisible when they get inside of foliage.
Looks like I've got a lead on borrowing a burris bt50 for the week I'm out hunting. Hopefully it will give me an opportunity at night . Might need to leave my paramount pro with him for the week in trade.
Texas Speed Bump
Well-Known Member
If you don't want to spend the money on special "hog lights" you can make your own like I did. Order these solar-powered lights (two lights per unit and two units in the box...4 total), $40 from Amazon (BAILABA Solar Outdoor Lights 2 Pack Waterproof Motion Sensor Flood Light). Then order a set of red and green Christmas gels, $7 also from Amazon (Christmas Gel Filters - 14 pieces). Open up the lights, use it as a template to cut the gels to fit inside. You can do green or red. The lights have a couple of different settings but I like the one that stays on dim once triggered and goes to bright anytime there's motion. It's a sweet deal for less than $50.
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JustMe2
Well-Known Member
Not correct - NV can not see through them as well. Thermal sees through bushes and tree leaves because bushes and leaves on trees are not solid and have openings between the leaves/branches to let animal heat through. As you contradicted yourself below NV can't see anything in the shadows unless it is painted with radioactive iridescent paint. I don't remember ever seeing any painted animals.
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Double Naught Spy
Well-Known Member
LOL, you are saying I am not correct and then using the same information. You are a hoot.
