Joel Alves, [05 Dec 2022 at 10:52:52]: Morning all. Interested to know if anyone has used or is using a thermal scope for nighttime work and if so, what brand and model and if you’re happy with it. Richard Harvey, [05 Dec 2022 at 11:04:57]: I use a FLIR Scout III - I am very happy with it. Invaluable for skittish animals or situations of no-light darting. I also sometimes use a Sightmark Wraith IR scope with IR torch, which is also good. Both lose a bit of depth perception/situational awareness. If you can get hands on one, I’ve found for those seriously skittish animals the best is a later generation military specification image intensifying monocle. You can then run a standard red dot on NV setting on the rifle and have full situational and depth awareness. FLIR Scout still invaluable in this setting for tracking animal after darting. HIKMICRO make a cheaper version similar to FLIR Scout, but I haven’t had a chance to test the quality. I should be getting one in January and will report back. Joel Alves, [05 Dec 2022 at 11:19:07]: Shot Harvey. Appreciate that insight. Very helpful Richard Harvey, [05 Dec 2022 at 11:23:59]: No problem. FLIR Scout isn’t technically a scope as such as no reticle (although they do have a military version which is much more expensive), but you can use the standard camera mount with an adapter to mount it on a rifle and use it without a reticle - it gets the job done. Andy Fraser, [05 Dec 2022 at 11:36:19]: Joel, EoTech and Holosun both make night vision compatible red dots (the lowest setting is visible and not too bright through a night vision goggle). Despite Holosun being a 'good' brand, I had one fail in less than a year. EoTech is bulletproof. You can then mount a night vision monocle behind the sight. Depth perception is an issue at night so range find objects around your bait during your preparation so that you have an estimate of distance. The 512 is nice because it uses AA batteries, but make sure you get the night vision compatible version. Joel Alves, [05 Dec 2022 at 11:39:30]: Thanks a lot Andy!! Probably a cheaper route to go as well as the thermal stuff is pretty pricey!
