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Termal optics

There are rumors and reports of Thermal binoculars being used to hunt/ kill big blacktails here in Oregon. I would think elk as well. As I understand, they are not legal for hunting purposes here. This would be a game changer locating animals in heavier cover. Can a person look at a timbered mountain side and see through the trees for example? Maybe what I have heard is more hype than truth. Anyone else used these or hearing similar stories?

Don't know about the optics, but my father of Polish decent would pronounce termal for thermal! RiP Norm. scentmouse

If they aren’t illegal, they should be.

No you cannot really see through the foliage with them. Trees block them just like regular Binos.

Thermals are very common for yote hunting in KS. Like DConcrete said... you can't see through stuff with them. Got to have clean line of sight.

I know two guys from Norway who are commercial market hunters of Red Stag & moose. The thermals definitely help them find animals they otherwise would have overlooked while hunting. One interesting thing I noticed while looking through thermals over there was that a stag throws a much stronger image than a sheep. According my friends the difference in the thickness of the coats. When I was there the legality was being litigated due to a tragic incident where a guy shot his buddy at night while fox hunting with thermal imaging.

Good God. Imagine mistaking a #7 kilo fox for a #70 kilo man…..

Wonder how he gets along with the widow…

a thermal would let a person spot an animal in the woods and in the shadows much quicker than regular binoculars would. Picking up part of an animal would just be much easier. Not to mention what thermals can do at night that nothing else compares to.

I'll bet a dollar to donuts that there's guys using thermals to spot game ahead of the time that they could otherwise.

Yes the Norway thing was tragic. They were fox hunting in a dump at night with thermal. Unfortunately the victim peaked up over a pile & his head was mistaken for a fox. Target ID is the issue to me. If you can’t identify your target how could he have shot?

Lots of outfitters in Spain use them to find ibex in the mountains. You can glass a hillside in 2-5 minutes whereas with binos and spotting scopes it will take you sometimes hours. They help with night hunting of wild boars too. With good quality night vision you can see animals even in heavy foiled timber. Not the whole animal but often white spots. Yes it gives an unfair advantage most of the time.

Wow they would work way to good. Not ethical and I agree with others, you could spot stuff WAY faster and easily and quickly spot game even the best glasser would miss. Imagine above treeline goats & sheep and something is bedded in similar color rocks or snow with only a patch of fur visible. Thermal binos would see it easily.

Being color blind, I’d love to see how they would work for recovering an animal? Blood trail

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