Hello From Maryland
- Thread starter JPK
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TEXASLAWMAN
Lone Star Boars Owner
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
SUS VENATOR CLUB
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Welcome JPK.
Thanks guys.
Frank, you wrote: "Welcome! We can save you $$ while spending it for you, that is for sure!"
Ha! That is going to be true. My son and I are new to predator and vermin/varmint hunting, have done a little hog hunting in NC, SC and TX. I have been looking at gear and trying to use what lights I have for predator hunting here in MD this season, since deer, duck and goose seasons ended, and have quickly come to the conclusion that there must be a better way than visible lights. So, the good news is just reading here and elsewhere I have realized that I can save the money on lights and apply it to the next level(s.)
I have done a fair bit of reading and I think I have come to the conclusion that for my situation here in MD that we would be best served function and budget wise by starting with a good thermal clip on for versatility and because I have some excellent day time scopes, a digital scope and a digital clip on, again for versatility. But, we have no dealers around here to be able to look at or sample options.
Despite the advice to start with a PVS14, I think I am going to start as described above since we don't have a whole lot of ground we need to navigate, at least currently. One of my hunting grounds is about 400 acres, 50 or so tilled but flooded October 1 through April 15, 35 tilled and mostly dry, and the balance wooded, mostly pines rather than hardwoods, and a lot of unwalkable salt marsh, the other is about 100 acres, 75 tilled, 10 hard woods, 15 pines, plus maybe 50 acres of salt marsh, and I've been walking that ground for about 10 and 25yrs respectively, in the pitch dark, usually with no lights (I will admit to still occasionally getting "turned around" though.) Also, I think a good portion of our predator and vermin/varmint hunting here will be from stands.
One high hope I have for the thermal is to be able to park my butt in a deer tower overlooking the salt marsh at the larger club where we have sika deer and just watch, trying to learn more about their movements and patterns. Sika are a relative of the elk and are very nocturnal and for the most part live in the marsh, where a man cannot move with any degree of stealth and may sink up to his doo dads at the next step. They have an extended breeding season beginning in late September and running maybe into January, at least I hear bugling through those times. And I also hope the thermal with help with recovery. Sika are smaller than our whitetail, a huge sika stag might go 140lbs dressed, most trophy class stags dress around 100-110lbs or so, but they are tough and don't bleed like whitetails. Moreover, the blood trail can be very difficult to follow since much of what does come out drops to the water in the marsh. Combine that with typically shooting them at the very end of legal shooting time, 1/2hr after sunset here, and recovery can be difficult at the least.
I would welcome any thought or suggestions on how to spend the $$$'s!
Edit: BTW, I found a used Photon XL 4.6 for sale on Predator Masters and decided to test the NV waters with that. It should be here Monday, along with the T20 IR flashlight that comes with it. I ordered a Burris QD mount for it and a QD mount for the EO Tech currently on our AR so I can get it mounted.
Thanks,
JPK
Frank, you wrote: "Welcome! We can save you $$ while spending it for you, that is for sure!"
Ha! That is going to be true. My son and I are new to predator and vermin/varmint hunting, have done a little hog hunting in NC, SC and TX. I have been looking at gear and trying to use what lights I have for predator hunting here in MD this season, since deer, duck and goose seasons ended, and have quickly come to the conclusion that there must be a better way than visible lights. So, the good news is just reading here and elsewhere I have realized that I can save the money on lights and apply it to the next level(s.)
I have done a fair bit of reading and I think I have come to the conclusion that for my situation here in MD that we would be best served function and budget wise by starting with a good thermal clip on for versatility and because I have some excellent day time scopes, a digital scope and a digital clip on, again for versatility. But, we have no dealers around here to be able to look at or sample options.
Despite the advice to start with a PVS14, I think I am going to start as described above since we don't have a whole lot of ground we need to navigate, at least currently. One of my hunting grounds is about 400 acres, 50 or so tilled but flooded October 1 through April 15, 35 tilled and mostly dry, and the balance wooded, mostly pines rather than hardwoods, and a lot of unwalkable salt marsh, the other is about 100 acres, 75 tilled, 10 hard woods, 15 pines, plus maybe 50 acres of salt marsh, and I've been walking that ground for about 10 and 25yrs respectively, in the pitch dark, usually with no lights (I will admit to still occasionally getting "turned around" though.) Also, I think a good portion of our predator and vermin/varmint hunting here will be from stands.
One high hope I have for the thermal is to be able to park my butt in a deer tower overlooking the salt marsh at the larger club where we have sika deer and just watch, trying to learn more about their movements and patterns. Sika are a relative of the elk and are very nocturnal and for the most part live in the marsh, where a man cannot move with any degree of stealth and may sink up to his doo dads at the next step. They have an extended breeding season beginning in late September and running maybe into January, at least I hear bugling through those times. And I also hope the thermal with help with recovery. Sika are smaller than our whitetail, a huge sika stag might go 140lbs dressed, most trophy class stags dress around 100-110lbs or so, but they are tough and don't bleed like whitetails. Moreover, the blood trail can be very difficult to follow since much of what does come out drops to the water in the marsh. Combine that with typically shooting them at the very end of legal shooting time, 1/2hr after sunset here, and recovery can be difficult at the least.
I would welcome any thought or suggestions on how to spend the $$$'s!
Edit: BTW, I found a used Photon XL 4.6 for sale on Predator Masters and decided to test the NV waters with that. It should be here Monday, along with the T20 IR flashlight that comes with it. I ordered a Burris QD mount for it and a QD mount for the EO Tech currently on our AR so I can get it mounted.
Thanks,
JPK
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Welcome to the madness. Look forward to seeing some blood on the ground soon. As long as you don't sink up to your doo dads!!!
Welcome to the site and glad to see you diving into NV and thermal. It's sounds like you have a good plan and if sitting in a blind/tower is what you mostly do then a thermal scope will serve you well to shoot but I have a few things for Ya.
In my opinion digital is a waste of money. They work OK out to 200 yards in prime conditions. The problem is that MOST of the time they need and Illuminator to do so. Animals can see this light and it will spook them, have seen it happen many times.
With thermal you can't ID targets like with NV. You are seeing an object not an image. You may know its there but might not be able to tell what it is.
For watching animals I'd go with Gen3 NV. You will be able to see details better like color patterns or species. You could get a PVS-14 and 3x magnifier.
Just my .02
In my opinion digital is a waste of money. They work OK out to 200 yards in prime conditions. The problem is that MOST of the time they need and Illuminator to do so. Animals can see this light and it will spook them, have seen it happen many times.
With thermal you can't ID targets like with NV. You are seeing an object not an image. You may know its there but might not be able to tell what it is.
For watching animals I'd go with Gen3 NV. You will be able to see details better like color patterns or species. You could get a PVS-14 and 3x magnifier.
Just my .02
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TEXASLAWMAN
Lone Star Boars Owner
LSB TURKEY BUZZARD PRESERVATION SOCIETY
SUS VENATOR CLUB
LoneStarBoars Supporter
For coyotes I say thermal they blend in to much with regular night vision. Also for hunting thermal gives plenty of resolition for target Id you joust won't know which one is the spotted hog or if it's a albino coyote.
Welcome.
