Anyone have experience with thermal monoculars

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  • KIBarrister

    Opinionated Libertarian
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 10, 2013
    3,923
    Kent Island/Centreville
    I started looking at the Leupold LTO Tracker 2 HD and am really curious if anyone has experience. It seems like it could be a game changer in terms of getting in and out without spooking what you can't see, picking out game that is partially obstructed by foliage, and tracking what you shoot.

    I would love to get a scope with thermal (the ATN Thor looks pretty damned cool), but I can't justify that much expense at this point - and unless I move to the hills to really be able to take up coyote hunting at night or the like it seems like a waste. But, I can justify the $750 for a monocular. Amazon reviews are kind of all over the map, some describe it as the next best thing, others say it is underwhelming. I know you get what you pay for, and I'm not expecting Pulsar quality, but worth it? Anyone have one (or the competitor and cheaper FLIR Scout)?
     

    hobiecat590

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 2, 2016
    2,434
    The FLIR Scout is amazing, BUT pay the extra grand for the longer range for the same reason you buy a greater than 1x scope for magnification etc. IMO FLIRs are better than low light scopes. You can actually track pee/blood from a recently shot deer after dusk and hours later still "see" a warm body hours after a shot. In pitch black you can also see things as small as birds and squirrel. Larger animals like deer, bear, and humans are easily detected. YMMV
     

    ChrisD

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jan 19, 2013
    2,992
    Conowingo
    My brother purchased a Si-Onyx Aurora Sport color night vision monocular at the Annapolis boat show. It has the ability to take pictures and record video. He dropped it off to me yesterday to check out. The little bit I have messed around with it last night and this evening, I am impressed. He picked it up for around $300.00 at the show. I will be purchasing one of these if I can catch that price on it. I am thinking it will be beneficial early morning headed to the deer stand, or tracking in the evening, as well as use on the boat while underway after dark.

    Here is a link to the unit:
    https://store.sionyx.com/products/aurora-sport
     

    KIBarrister

    Opinionated Libertarian
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 10, 2013
    3,923
    Kent Island/Centreville
    My brother purchased a Si-Onyx Aurora Sport color night vision monocular at the Annapolis boat show. It has the ability to take pictures and record video. He dropped it off to me yesterday to check out. The little bit I have messed around with it last night and this evening, I am impressed. He picked it up for around $300.00 at the show. I will be purchasing one of these if I can catch that price on it. I am thinking it will be beneficial early morning headed to the deer stand, or tracking in the evening, as well as use on the boat while underway after dark.

    Here is a link to the unit:
    https://store.sionyx.com/products/aurora-sport

    Night vision is cool, and I have a set, but thermal seems to be light years ahead in practicality.
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,380
    Hampstead
    I started looking at the Leupold LTO Tracker 2 HD and am really curious if anyone has experience. It seems like it could be a game changer in terms of getting in and out without spooking what you can't see, picking out game that is partially obstructed by foliage, and tracking what you shoot.

    I would love to get a scope with thermal (the ATN Thor looks pretty damned cool), but I can't justify that much expense at this point - and unless I move to the hills to really be able to take up coyote hunting at night or the like it seems like a waste. But, I can justify the $750 for a monocular. Amazon reviews are kind of all over the map, some describe it as the next best thing, others say it is underwhelming. I know you get what you pay for, and I'm not expecting Pulsar quality, but worth it? Anyone have one (or the competitor and cheaper FLIR Scout)?
    The Leuopold is NOT a monocular, it’s only shaped like one, that fooled me too. It’s a very small screened thermal display camera basically. It works great. I’d absolutely NEVER try to navigate my way in the dark with it, but it will light up well with a heat signature in the woods, as advertised. I stone-dropped both deer I got so far this year, tracking distance of exactly zero inches total between the two. Didn’t get a chance to use it to track one, which is why I bought it. I’ve attached a pic (sorry for the rotation that I can never fix on this site) of the crossbow kill I had at 19 yds, the tracker showed her pretty hot for well over 3 hours before I climbed down at dark and gutted her. The controls are easy to use, the image is clear enough, and I have found myself scanning before going into my area as you suggested. Squirrels light up pretty good too, and deer wandering around my stand have looked cool in the viewer.

    So far, I love this imager, even have used it in my house to find air leakage in my air ducts (I can clearly see the blue rectangular shape of my ducts in the ceiling above the drywall in my Living Room, but one duct run wasn’t showing just the blue tint of the duct, its showed that the entire width of the joist cavity was blue, meaning the duct was leaking the cold air into the joist cavity instead of piping it up to my back bedroom, which is why that room is always hot as heck in the summer. I had guessed that was the issue, now I have irrefutable proof, and know exactly where I need to cut open to fix. I can’t wait to put this thing to use in the woods for real.
     

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    KIBarrister

    Opinionated Libertarian
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 10, 2013
    3,923
    Kent Island/Centreville
    The Leuopold is NOT a monocular, it’s only shaped like one, that fooled me too. It’s a very small screened thermal display camera basically. It works great. I’d absolutely NEVER try to navigate my way in the dark with it, but it will light up well with a heat signature in the woods, as advertised. I stone-dropped both deer I got so far this year, tracking distance of exactly zero inches total between the two. Didn’t get a chance to use it to track one, which is why I bought it. I’ve attached a pic (sorry for the rotation that I can never fix on this site) of the crossbow kill I had at 19 yds, the tracker showed her pretty hot for well over 3 hours before I climbed down at dark and gutted her. The controls are easy to use, the image is clear enough, and I have found myself scanning before going into my area as you suggested. Squirrels light up pretty good too, and deer wandering around my stand have looked cool in the viewer.

    So far, I love this imager, even have used it in my house to find air leakage in my air ducts (I can clearly see the blue rectangular shape of my ducts in the ceiling above the drywall in my Living Room, but one duct run wasn’t showing just the blue tint of the duct, its showed that the entire width of the joist cavity was blue, meaning the duct was leaking the cold air into the joist cavity instead of piping it up to my back bedroom, which is why that room is always hot as heck in the summer. I had guessed that was the issue, now I have irrefutable proof, and know exactly where I need to cut open to fix. I can’t wait to put this thing to use in the woods for real.

    Awesome! What kind of range are you getting to see them? It advertised 700 for the -2HD, but I’m assuming that is probably a bit of an exaggeration. I would really be good with half that in practice.... how is picking up signatures through the briar patches? I know it won’t see through solid cover, but dense brush?
     

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,380
    Hampstead
    I could see deer easily at just about exactly 100 yards, so far. 4 came up over the hill on the plateau I was hunting, one didn’t go back.....Once I saw them, I thermal’ed them to see for sure, they were clear as could be. In fact, I initially only saw 3, until I imaged them and saw the 4th one pretty clearly in the white-hot mode. I like the HD Green mode better so far. Be warned though, bright sunshine spots peaking thru the treetops to shine on the ground or a tree trunk look like a forest fire in the viewer. Might fool you when tracking a wounded animal.
     

    KIBarrister

    Opinionated Libertarian
    MDS Supporter
    Apr 10, 2013
    3,923
    Kent Island/Centreville
    So after going over the cost I’m thinking more and more to bite the additional cost and pick up a thermal scope. The Pulsar Core is where I’m leaning (ATN has a lot more features, and a smaller price tag, but from what I hear plan to need customer support and ATN is a nightmare)...
     

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