Thermal Optics for Hunting Breakdown

Thermal Optics for hunting are becoming more and more accessible as the years go on. They bring a lot to the table when it comes to night hunts and hunting with lower visibility. They do come at a premium but if you are an avid hunter or pest controller they are invaluable in the field.

Today we are going to go over the basics and some of the more advanced aspects of thermals for hunting. 

Thermal Optics basics

Thermals or thermal imagers are specialized cameras that detect infrared energy instead of visible light. This means that the heat radiating off an object or animal is detected and then a small computer transfers this data into some form of understandable image.

Once the image is generated, you can see what is going on in the night. However this does not mean you can see everything at night. Thermals Optics only detect temperature variations and cannot see through solid objects even if you can see through them. This means using a thermal in your house or vehicle may not work if there is a pane of glass between what you want to look at and the thermal.

Thermals are great for night hunts, especially boar hunts, since the environment is usually going through a cooling cycle which makes the sources of warmth easier to pick out. If the environment is sitting in the 60 degree range and you suddenly encounter something at 80 degrees or more this can be an indicator of a live animal in that area.

Now this doesn’t give you enough data to make a shot but it does bring us to the next major category of dealing with thermal optics: range and identification.

Range and Identification

With spotting scopes and rifle scopes we are only limited by the magnification of the scope and the amount of light it can transfer. We can in theory see forever with the right scope/light combination. For thermals we can see for a long distance, but after a certain point the ambient temperature begins to meld together and things “wash out”.

Thermal Optics do not provide excessive detail at distance. Depending on the zoom of the thermal and the size/heat signature of the thing you’re looking at you may not be able to clearly determine what you are looking at.

This means you will have to get closer or spend a lot of time observing whatever heat is out there to learn what animals look like at various distances. Oftentimes you’ll get a heat “blob” or a warm animal outline. Just like learning how certain animals move in the day time, the same goes for using thermals with the added challenge of learning how the thermal interprets infrared.

If you are hunting boar, you will oftentimes be relatively close and be able to clearly tell what boar shaped heat signatures are actual boar. For other animals or pests, this will depend on the area you are hunting in.

Some thermal imagers even allow for tracking of heat sources allowing you to easily follow them as they move through vegetation. Even on days with a lot of humidity or fog (which throws off heat readings) some thermal imagers can put on a high contrast mode in order to make the signature stand out more.

Battery Life

Thermals are another hunting gadget that runs on batteries. This means we have to account for their battery usage. Compared to a other rifle optics, thermal optics use a lot of battery power. Now they can be recharged from power banks in the field, but this can take a long time depending on your model.

In order to combat this, newer thermals have power saving features like auto shut offs to conserve power. Some models can have up to 10 hours of battery life which can be multiple hunts depending on how long you spend hunting or one really long night.

Making sure you keep the thermal charged and any spare energy sources charged is another thing for your hunting checklist. There’s nothing more demoralizing than getting an hour into a hunt just for your thermal to stop working.

Connectivity

Another aspect to keep in mind is modern thermal imagers can connect to your phone or other internet connections. More and more thermal imagers allow you to stream or record with the thermal imager in order to better understand animal behavior at night, track your hunts, or share with friends.

This will help you analyze your performance or remember some of your more thrilling hunts. Alternatively, it can help you show others pest issues or what types of animals are moving through a given location.

Differences Between Thermal Imagers/Cameras and Thermal Scopes

It’s important to note that thermal imagers come in two varieties: cameras and scopes. Now both varieties do roughly the same things like detect heat, record, zoom, etc. But the difference between the two is how they are used.

Thermal cameras or normal thermal imagers are usually handheld but some can be mounted on tripods just like spotting scopes. This allows them to be used without a firearm or in conjunction with a firearm.

Thermal rifle scopes on the other hand are mounted directly to your rifle and have some form of aiming reticle. This will replace your standard optic and requires some ingenuity to zero. There are heated targets or improvised targets that you can make yourself in order to zero your rifle once the thermal is mounted.

Why Thermals Over Night Vision?

The next major question is why should you choose thermals over something like night vision? Both are relatively expensive and are significant investments for hunters that can yield a lot of results.

The major advantage of thermals over night vision is that thermals work in the absence of light. Since thermals pick up infrared heat energy, they do not need any outside light to detect that heat.

Night vision on the other hand is a light intensifier. The night vision tube(s) take ambient light or infrared light and magnify it enough for you to be able to see to some extent. This light can be from the stars, the moon, or from an infrared laser/illuminator.

If the light source is very weak or there is no ambient light, night vision will still leave you in the dark. Thermals will be able to detect if there is something warmer peeking out from being the bushes that might otherwise have blended in under night vision.

Ideally, you would have both, but given the current price of either, you will have to make a choice and thermal optics offer more than night vision at a similar price point.

Conclusion

Thermals are not for everyone, but they make hunting at night so much easier. If you are considering expanding your optical options, a hand held thermal is a good starting point. It can be used for recreation and hunting.

If you now feel the urge to add thermal optics to your hunting gear but don’t know where to start, we have both the Zeiss DTI 3/25 and 3/35 Thermal Imaging Cameras in our shop (they may be on backorder, so be patient). The DTI is a strong option for a handheld thermal imager with good battery life and a wide variety of features.