Thermal suggestions

[Jpuck6190]

In the market for a decent thermal for nighttime predators and hogs. Not looking for something bottom of the barrel but not trying to drop a down payment on a car either. Anybody have any recommendations? Or previous experience looking into something for the task? Dont need any extra frills and what not. Just want something reliable that I can shoot coyotes at night with. Thanks in advance

Edited March 5 by Jpuck6190

[Alleycat72]

I've run Trijicon and N-vision. At the moment I have a N-vision nox and a N-vision xrf. Both are fantastic. Iray has some good stuff also. I also run a pvs14  with a helmet. I've been night hunting for several years on permits and hog/coyote hunting in states were it's legal. What do you need to know? 

[Sleep profit]

38 minutes ago, Alleycat72 said:

I've run Trijicon and N-vision. At the moment I have a N-vision nox and a N-vision xrf. Both are fantastic. Iray has some good stuff also. I also run a pvs14  with a helmet. I've been night hunting for several years on permits and hog/coyote hunting in states were it's legal. What do you need to know? 

Did you get the 18 or 35 screen on the N vision nox

[Alleycat72]

47 minutes ago, Sleep profit said:

Did you get the 18 or 35 screen on the N vision nox

35mm

The 18mm if you want to run it on a helmet 

[Jpuck6190]

15 hours ago, Alleycat72 said:

I've run Trijicon and N-vision. At the moment I have a N-vision nox and a N-vision xrf. Both are fantastic. Iray has some good stuff also. I also run a pvs14  with a helmet. I've been night hunting for several years on permits and hog/coyote hunting in states were it's legal. What do you need to know? 

Basically im 100% intro level at the moment. Never have tried hunting after dark in my life. Through my early research I’m finding that for my specific task I’d be happier with thermal over night vision so that’s where my head is at out of the gate.  I recently acquired some land for deer hunting and we have a lot of coyotes. I’m really just trying to get something that’s not an absolute piece of china garbage. I’m no stranger to dropping money on hobbies so budget isn’t really an issue although I’m not trying to get the most expensive thing out there either. Some middle ground would be nice if there’s not a major sacrifice in quality. This isn’t something where battery life is a major issue because they won’t be very long sits. It’s all open land with 3-400yd max shots and that might be a stretch so I don’t think I’m 100% needing and range finding capabilities either. Same with recording not all that important to me. I’m not opposed to any features if they fall into whatever ends up being suggested but my main concern is just a decently clear image that’s not a piece of crap that I can go have some casual fun with. I appreciate your reply. 

[Alleycat72]

16 hours ago, Sleep profit said:

Did you get the 18 or 35 screen on the N vision nox

35mm

[Alleycat72]

4 hours ago, Jpuck6190 said:

Basically im 100% intro level at the moment. Never have tried hunting after dark in my life. Through my early research I’m finding that for my specific task I’d be happier with thermal over night vision so that’s where my head is at out of the gate.  I recently acquired some land for deer hunting and we have a lot of coyotes. I’m really just trying to get something that’s not an absolute piece of china garbage. I’m no stranger to dropping money on hobbies so budget isn’t really an issue although I’m not trying to get the most expensive thing out there either. Some middle ground would be nice if there’s not a major sacrifice in quality. This isn’t something where battery life is a major issue because they won’t be very long sits. It’s all open land with 3-400yd max shots and that might be a stretch so I don’t think I’m 100% needing and range finding capabilities either. Same with recording not all that important to me. I’m not opposed to any features if they fall into whatever ends up being suggested but my main concern is just a decently clear image that’s not a piece of crap that I can go have some casual fun with. I appreciate your reply. 

Thermal is kinda odd. For instance a bird shows up as a critter, but not all of it is there. An opossum and a raccoon look identical. The hair on the tail doesn't show up. A skunks tail hair will show up. Thermal is learning a new language as much is it is hunting. A medium dog and a coyote look the same. The distance that this occurs is based on resolution and atmospheric conditions. I've been doing it for years and some scopes are downright dangerous.           

      Price has started coming down a bit. I would look at a 640/60hz/12 micron unit. 50hz works fine as well. You will see some 30hz units. If you shoot running targets, 30hz can cause problems. 

I actually run nightvision on a helmet and a thermal on the gun. Nightvision is really cool, but it's really easy to hide from. It is better for identifying stuff. 

Identifying coyotes. It takes a little practice and you let coyotes go because you're not 100% sure. If I'm in a group and everyone is 100% shoot and one guy is 99%... we don't shoot. I'm not killing someone's dog even if it isn't supposed to be there. I will ask the dog though. A dog will bark and run away. Low pressure coyotes will not many a sounds, but the will circle you to get your wind an watch.