thermal monocular vs thermal scope

[Doghunter23]

I am starting to save my pennies for a better coyote nigh hunting setup. We now have a month long night thermal and nigh vision season for coyote.
So my question to you most esteemed and knowledgeable internet gun nerds is... what is the better setup for fast shooting coyote calling? I mostly hunt government big oak timber flats, so the action is fast and close range between 20 and 100 yards. I need to get my things together quick both in spotting and identification, no fox or bobcat for part of the season.
Should I run a thermal scope on top of the AR 15? Or mount a thermal monocular on a helmet for fast scanning and run a red light on the shotgun.
I currently have a cheaper night vision on the rifle and it keeps auto-adjusting the brightness and makes it very difficult for scanning the noises in the woods.
Also what do I need to buy for proper ID on the move? I looked through my buddies Steiner thermal scope, and was absolutely blown away by the Kraut space magic. Do I need to go all the way to $3,500 for the Steiner to see similar performance?

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Thermal Monocular for Detection and Thermal or NV Scope for Shooting!
We have a FLIR Scout III 640 that is almost NEW coming up for sale. Bought several Scout IIIs and gave one to Jill's dad-he never used it. It is currently on it's way to FLIR Teledyne for a Free checkup. We like to send our Thermals and NV back to the Manufacture every couple of years to make sure they are in calibration. As soon as we get it back from FLIR Teledyne we will Post for sale.

 

[ARlife4me]

many like thermals, but nv doesn't slack. i have a co-op that attaches to the front and dedicated nv optics. 1 attached to the helmet wouldn't be a good suggestion as you'll keep bumping the optic with it. if you have a rds w/nv capabilities the helmet mounted would work.

 

[Pursuer]

I would seriously consider a handheld or helmet mounted thermal scanner before upgrading your rifle setup. A good 384 unit can be had for around $2k that will perform in varying weather conditions.

 

[SKanez]

I would seriously consider a handheld or helmet mounted thermal scanner before upgrading your rifle setup. A good 384 unit can be had for around $2k that will perform in varying weather conditions.

I'll second that. And for the OP's tight quarters (20-to-100 yards), I'd want the lowest base magnification I could get my hands on.

 

[Pursuer]

I'll second that. And for the OP's tight quarters (20-to-100 yards), I'd want the lowest base magnification I could get my hands on.

Absolutely, I hunt open fields and near cover/fence rows. I have a 2x base mag scanner and you'd still be surprised on how some will sneak up an ya. If they're out there a ways I'll just get on my rifle to ID them.

 

[Chase723]

If you can swing it, helmet mounted thermal scanner (even better if you can run dual band thermal and night vision), and then dedicated thermal weapon sight on the rifle. I use a Nox18 on my left eye, PVS14 on my right eye, and a HaloXRF and a LAM on the rifle. The integrated laser range finder in the XRF is a great tool and works awesome. Really hard to judge distance at night otherwise. For your distances a Nox35 on the rifle would be great.

 

[Doghunter23]

If you can swing it, helmet mounted thermal scanner (even better if you can run dual band thermal and night vision), and then dedicated thermal weapon sight on the rifle. I use a Nox18 on my left eye, PVS14 on my right eye, and a HaloXRF and a LAM on the rifle. The integrated laser range finder in the XRF is a great tool and works awesome. Really hard to judge distance at night otherwise. For your distances a Nox35 on the rifle would be great.

I was kinda thinking a thermal helmet scanner, and a red lens spotlight attached to shotgun with a pressure switch. Thought the shotgun with light might be fastest close up.
Don't really have the funds for both. Or just get a thermal scope for AR.

 

[Doghunter23]

Two weeks back, I called two of them in for my oldest. They bounced in to within 5 steps, he got spooked bad and missed both.