So I bought some cheap digital Night Vision toys.

[FrankenCub]

Lol yeah I know the lazyitus pretty well. I've been known to succumb to it. Been lazy about going out early AM bird hunting.

Three times in this past week I've missed a chance at wacking a coyote in my back yard. The first time I noticed the rabbits weren't in the yard, which is weird. I lit up the yard with a flashlight and just inside the woods line was a coyote. No wonder they were in hiding. The next two times I was taking one of our dogs out and coyotes were in the same area, just inside the woods line. Of course the flashlight gave them away. A friend of mine is trying to help me get my Encore sold so when it goes I'm getting a NV scope for the AR!
I can walk out on the deck without spooking them. They just dont like the flashlight.

 

[JamieZ]

Lol yeah I know the lazyitus pretty well. I've been known to succumb to it. Been lazy about going out early AM bird hunting.

Three times in this past week I've missed a chance at wacking a coyote in my back yard. The first time I noticed the rabbits weren't in the yard, which is weird. I lit up the yard with a flashlight and just inside the woods line was a coyote. No wonder they were in hiding. The next two times I was taking one of our dogs out and coyotes were in the same area, just inside the woods line. Of course the flashlight gave them away. A friend of mine is trying to help me get my Encore sold so when it goes I'm getting a NV scope for the AR!
I can walk out on the deck without spooking them. They just dont like the flashlight.

Do you have any red lights? Red lights not pointed directly at them but a little above their heads might not scare them as bad.

For a couple of years before my atv accident (happened awhile back) I would hunt them with red lights. A couple of times I called them in and even took shots. My biggest problem was that I would get so excited about seeing one in the middle of the night that I wouldnt take my time and I would just pull up and shoot,,,,,,,,and miss.

Ive gotten coyotes to come in more than foxes. Damn fox was crying like hell on the walk over to me and my buddy and we were like what the hell is that noise,,,,,,,,,,we didnt even see it till it got 10ft from us because we were in the woods,,,,,,,,,soon as we saw it, it saw us and booked.

Right now is the perfect time to be calling coyote with a female invitation howl,,,,,,,,,,,its breeding season.

 

[FrankenCub]

I have a couple red lights but they're not bright enough to get out 60yds. That and being color blind doesnt help lol.
I haven't seen many fox around, maybe 3 in the past 2 years. A lot of coyotes though, I'm sure they're keeping them away. They're usually very vocal around here but this week has been fairly quiet for some reason. Last night I seen 3 sets of fresh tracks coming out of the woods next to us, through our yard...30' away from the deck, and into the back woods. Coyotes have been busy, just quiet.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I have a couple red lights but they're not bright enough to get out 60yds. That and being color blind doesnt help lol.
I haven't seen many fox around, maybe 3 in the past 2 years. A lot of coyotes though, I'm sure they're keeping them away. They're usually very vocal around here but this week has been fairly quiet for some reason. Last night I seen 3 sets of fresh tracks coming out of the woods next to us, through our yard...30' away from the deck, and into the back woods. Coyotes have been busy, just quiet.

Try a dereelight night master. I can pick up eyes 400 yards out, probably further if I had the room.

 

[FrankenCub]

Try a dereelight night master. I can pick up eyes 400 yards out, probably further if I had the room.

I thought about getting brighter lights, which would probably work in snow. But once I'm not in snow I'm back to the color blind issue. I'll see their eyes but the light will blend in with the background and may not see the body clear enough.
I found an X sight 2 on Craigslist last night but can you believe the guy said he has too many handguns to be interested in a trade? Lol. Didn't think there was such a thing as too many lol.
Oh well. I need to run to town today maybe I'll check out one of the LGS's.

 

[JamieZ]

I thought about getting brighter lights, which would probably work in snow. But once I'm not in snow I'm back to the color blind issue. I'll see their eyes but the light will blend in with the background and may not see the body clear enough.
I found an X sight 2 on Craigslist last night but can you believe the guy said he has too many handguns to be interested in a trade? Lol. Didn't think there was such a thing as too many lol.
Oh well. I need to run to town today maybe I'll check out one of the LGS's.

They have refurbished models on Amazon for 200 less than new and they get great reviews.

Amazon.com : Sightmark Photon RT 4.5-9x42S Digital Night Vision Riflescope (Renewed) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Sightmark Photon RT 4.5-9x42S Digital Night Vision Riflescope (Renewed) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

 

[Jaywmustang]

I thought about getting brighter lights, which would probably work in snow. But once I'm not in snow I'm back to the color blind issue. I'll see their eyes but the light will blend in with the background and may not see the body clear enough.
I found an X sight 2 on Craigslist last night but can you believe the guy said he has too many handguns to be interested in a trade? Lol. Didn't think there was such a thing as too many lol.
Oh well. I need to run to town today maybe I'll check out one of the LGS's.

That dereelight is a focusable light. Sometimes I think it too bright. I have identified around 200 yards.

 

[JamieZ]

So I actually went out tonight. Night started off real early,,,as soon as it got dark because I didnt want to get caught in the rain.

I opened up the garage and pulled out into the driveway. Huh,,,whats that noise. Sounds like shit falling off the roof. Ahhh wtf its raining. So I go back inside.

Pissing and moaning I decided to reload. I loaded up 40, 204 rnds. Then me and the dog went upstairs.

I let him outside and I decided to step out on the porch and check the rain. It stopped!!!

Threw my shit on and waited for the dog to come back in. Then I went.

It was a learning experience once I sat down and got everything setup. Learning experience because now I was in the dark and wasnt sure what buttons to hit.

Started the caller and started looking around.

The monocular is fantastic and focuses well

The scope works well but doesnt focus as well. Enough so that it bothers me,,,No.

I am happy with my purchase,,,,,,,,,,,though I still didnt see shit. Would of liked to fire the damn gun. I thought for sure I was going to see a fox tonight.

Anyways,,,I'm in the process right now of trying to upload videos from the mono,,,then I will do the scope.

 

[JamieZ]

What looks like a sign is 200yds away. While looking through the mono its much clearer than the video. It wasnt all grainy like you see in the video

 

[JamieZ]

Couple of things I need to figure out. 1. It says I can just plug the usb from the scope into the computer without downloading any drivers and the computer should pick it up,,,,,it doesnt. 2. When taking video to make sure I have it on the highest resolution,,,just found out there was 2 resolutions and I dont know if I had it on the high one or the low one.

Right now Im dowloading to an app on my phone then emailing to the computer,,,,,,,,,,,there is a ton of converting going on

As you can see,,,the scope doesnt focus as well as the monocular. Though what you see is not what I am seeing when I'm taking it. What I see is much, much better but like I said,,,still not as good as the monocular.

 

[FrankenCub]

Did you try both with scope on and off, also turn it on after plugging it in? My Canon camera wont detect unless its turned on after plugging it in. Either that, get a USB adapter to put the card in.

If that tree stand looking thing is at 200yds, that view isn't that bad even from video. That mono though, nice.

Another thought I had, I seen digital helmet mount binocs, and my Holosun is IR compatible. But that's gotta be odd feeling trying to look through the binocs and sight like the military does. Guess if I trained myself with it long enough I'd figure it out lol.

 

[JamieZ]

Did you try both with scope on and off, also turn it on after plugging it in? My Canon camera wont detect unless its turned on after plugging it in. Either that, get a USB adapter to put the card in.

If that tree stand looking thing is at 200yds, that view isn't that bad even from video. That mono though, nice.

Another thought I had, I seen digital helmet mount binocs, and my Holosun is IR compatible. But that's gotta be odd feeling trying to look through the binocs and sight like the military does. Guess if I trained myself with it long enough I'd figure it out lol.

Thank you,,,that worked. Plug mono/scope in then turn units on. Some little window popped up and asked me if I wanted to download, clicked yes and they went to a Dropbox. Its the same program that my Strelok ballistic software saves rifle information.

That tree stand looking thing,,,is a treestand.

Its for sure 200yds from where I was sitting,,,,,,and I want to say plus because it could be more..

Another thing my buddy told me to do. He said look through the mono with your non dominant eye,,,so that if you see something and then switch to the scope your dominant eye wont be feeling fuzzy. Problem is I cant get myself to do that all the time,,,its just not comfortable using my non dominant eye.

Looking through the mono is very comfortable but when you pull that eye away and look through that eye at a different light intensity or no light at all,,,it feels kind of whacky, fuzzy.

 

[JamieZ]

So my finale reviews...........

1. Monocular

Pros

A. Can see plenty far enough and its clear with just the included built in IR light, unit focuses well

B. Accepts 4 AA batteries, rechargeable or not

C. USB port you can plug in an external battery bank while hunting or use the port to hook it to your computer to download pics or videos you took

D. Comes with an App that can wifi to the unit and change minimal settings.

E. The App can also be used to see exactly what your looking at through the mono on any Android or Apple device. Such as a phone or a tablet

F. Allows you to download videos with audio or without audio, allows you to take pictures

G. While hunting you can adjust the IR intensity and the image light intensity in the viewfinder while looking through it

H. Has a small rail on the side of unit where you could mount an external IR light to see further than 320yds

Cons

A. USB port is on the bottom of the unit right next to where you would mount a tripod shoe

B. Not a fault of the unit but the technology. While scanning with the unit your eye is comfortable,,,when you take your eye away it feels like when you get hit with a bright light when you are in the dark,,,,,this is when you look in the dark and then switch to the scope

Finale thoughts

I think the monocular is excellent for someone who is new to night vision and wants a less costly option. I like it!!

 

[JamieZ]

Finale review..............

2. Scope

Pros

A. Can see 200yds

B. Accepts 4 AA batteries, rechargeable or not

C. USB port you can plug in an external battery bank while hunting or use the port to hook it to your computer to download pics or videos you took

D. Comes with an App that can wifi to the unit and change minimal settings.

E. The App can also be used to see exactly what your looking at through the scope on any Android or Apple device. Such as a phone or a tablet

F. Allows you to download videos with audio or without audio, allows you to take pictures

G. While hunting you can adjust the IR intensity and the image light intensity in the viewfinder while looking through it

H. Has a small rail on the side of unit where you could mount an external IR light to see further than 200yds

Cons

A. You can see 200yds but scope doesnt focus that well

B. A better IR light will let you see further and possibly will make things seem focused a little better

C. They made the damn USB port to small,,,,Had to crush the metal cord sleeve end to get it to fit in the port

D. Not a problem with the scope really but scope doest sit far enough back on an AR without making it harder to pull your charging handle. I will remount scope and then deal with how much it hangs over the charging handle. Shouldnt be a big deal because you only pull the charging handle once. My face wasnt close enough to mount my eye to the rubber end comfortably

E. The record button is on the back of the IR light. Seemed kind of touchy last night need to play around with it today

F. This should of been on Mono cons too,,,,,,,,,,,,,Scope and Mono are a joke for daytime use,,,if you even wanted to use it during the day

Finale thoughts

The scope will work fine for me. It doesnt focus very well. It does focus well enough to see and hit your target. I will probably buy a more powerful IR light just to see if it helps with the focus picture quality but I dont think it will but who knows. I will remount the scope and that should make me more comfortable looking through it. All and all I am about 80% happy with it for what I paid.

 

[JamieZ]

One more thing for the Con sections on both units.

4.5 power is good

One button push to get to 9 is good too,,,, if 9 power was clear.

9 power sucks

 

[JamieZ]

New review and more video coming in a week. I purchased a more powerful Infrared Light for my scope to see if it would be any better clarity wise. It will for sure be able to see longer distances because everything Ive read from reviews says this light will make your scope reach out to 800yds. One of the reviews was using my exact scope in 6x12 power. Paid 169 plus tax off amazon

More money, lots of hopes and life goes on

Best IR Illuminator for Hunting - Coyote Reaper® XXL | Predator Tactics

Intensity adjustable and focus adjustable

 

[Shoots100]

Great scope and mono writeup.
The better more adjustable IR light will do wonders for your focus and also for the scopes battery life.
For not spotlighting your face when coming off the scope, buy a PVS 14 shuttered eye guard.
It fits right inside the scopes rubber eyepiece.
For adjusting your eye when moving off the scope, close your eye and let it adjust to the darkness before opening.
IR lights are a bitch, especially when it flowers while looking into a snowy field or on close up objects.
Try to use the lowest IR light setting you can while scanning and then turn it brighter for trigger time.
I'm Looking forward to reading about your future hunts.

SJC

 

[JamieZ]

Great scope and mono writeup.
The better more adjustable IR light will do wonders for your focus and also for the scopes battery life.
For not spotlighting your face when coming off the scope, buy a PVS 14 shuttered eye guard.
It fits right inside the scopes rubber eyepiece.
For adjusting your eye when moving off the scope, close your eye and let it adjust to the darkness before opening.
IR lights are a bitch, especially when it flowers while looking into a snowy field or on close up objects.
Try to use the lowest IR light setting you can while scanning and then turn it brighter for trigger time.
I'm Looking forward to reading about your future hunts.

SJC

You have me thinking when it comes to the pvs 14 shuttered eye guard for the mono,,,,thank you for the enticement of spending more money

I would like to try the close your eye thing but how long does it take? Reason I ask is because when I'm pulling my eye off the mono to switch to the scope hopefully it means there is something coming.

Flowering? Not sure what you mean but I noticed while looking totally right there was a branch 10ft away,,,the IR reflected off of it and I couldnt see past it. Im wondering if this problem would occur if I'm looking into a woods at a 100yds away. If my view would stop at the first trees even though the woods isnt thick.

I will remember that,,,use IR at minimal until trigger time.

Thanks for the info

 

[Shoots100]

The PVS14 guard is cheap. You can find them on Egads.
Your going to have to test how long it'll take to get your eye back to normal before switching to the scope.
If you keep the brightness setting on your mono dim, you can still see the reflection of eyes from a long ways away with the IR.
Just put a reflector on a post or tree and see what settings work best.
I always mix up flowering for blooming.
When looking into tree's at closer ranges, the scope will always dim out the background, but the reflection of the eyes of anything out there will always be seen in the shadows, but you won't know what it is, just that something is out there.
Place a reflector on a tree inside the wood line and you'll see how easy it is to see it, compared to looking for anything moving not looking in your direction.
Once you get more time behind the optics and get the brightness settings correct, you'll be fine.
With all that money spent on NV gear, I expect to see some results in the near future.

SJC

 

[FrankenCub]

With all that money spent on NV gear, I expect to see some results in the near future.

^ I'll second that! Lol
I got to searching gun broker last night and see they have an old stock Armasight Orion starting for like $200. I like the simplicity, either on or off. I'd like to start off gen2 but damn, they start at $1200 or something like that. At this rate I'll have start donating blood platelets at the local blood sucker. Might do that anyway, could make me $200-$300 a week lol.

 

[JamieZ]

You 2 are pushing your luck expecting me to get something. Though I just reaffirmed permission to hunt some good property where Ive called them in before,,,,,,,,,then shot and missed LoL

 

[Cleck]

I'm loving this nerdy shit, hahaha. I couldn't stop laughing at the scope on the rifle because of how awesome it looked. Thanks for sharing this writeup w/ us, what a steal you got that stuff for, lol

 

[JamieZ]

I'm loving this nerdy shit, hahaha. I couldn't stop laughing at the scope on the rifle because of how awesome it looked. Thanks for sharing this writeup w/ us, what a steal you got that stuff for, lol

Scope looks huge on the rifle but it doesnt seem to cause any issues weight wize. Weight wise the gun feels good.

 

[Shoots100]

You 2 are pushing your luck expecting me to get something. Though I just reaffirmed permission to hunt some good property where Ive called them in before,,,,,,,,,then shot and missed LoL

You just doubled your chances of getting something.
You should also look into baiting.
As the temps get colder and game gets scarcer, they'll be looking for an easy meal.
I set up a pop up blind 100 yards away.(More $$$$ spent)
Helps control scent and keep you out of the elements.

SJC

 

[FrankenCub]

I put left over food out by the woods line, keeps them near lol.

 

[Tisto]

For those of you interested... SPOT-ON HUNTING LIGHTS manufactures excellent custom hunting lights, and Kevin is a great guy to deal with. He builds them here in N.Y. I have two of them, a model T-20 with a green emitter, and a T-50 with a red emitter. Both have adjustable columnators to adjust the beam pattern. Both run on rechargeable 18650 batteries. They cost around $ 125 depending on what you want. I have used a ton of other kill lights, but these are by far the best. I have a 1" QD scope ring on each one so they can be mounted on a rail. They can easily be used as a scan light when not mounted. Kevin also builds excellent IR illuminators for use with night vision too.

Disclaimer : I have no relationship with Kevin, other than I bought his products, and found them to be of the highest quality. If I determine that an additional light is necessary, I will go to him first.

As far as nightvision vs thermal goes, I have a Gen2+ nightvision scope, and last fall I purchased a FLIR thermal scope. Both have pro's and con's. Since they work on different principles, comparing them is a bit of apples and oranges. Scanning for coyotes is best done with thermal, hands down. All you need to look for is a heat signature. That being said, the thermal weapons scope is very useful for hunting, but it takes a bit of getting used to. Nightvision works great as a weapon sight, but can't be used during the day, and when scanning through it, requires you to identify an animal by shape. If the animal is partially hidden by brush, it can easily be missed. Nightvision does not see through dense fog, snow or smoke while thermal sees through these barriers very well.

I have been a serious predator hunter for many years. I have had dozens of gadgets, and tried a bunch of gimicks. Bottom line is, coyotes are smart critters, and only quality equipment will serve you well. Wasting money on junk only gets you frustrated and poor.

 

[FrankenCub]

Being color blind I have a hard time with colored lights at night, I do have red lights I've tried. Haven't tried green but general consensus I've read is coyotes are more likely to see it unless its held higher above them, which doesnt do me much good to positively identify a clean kill shot.
I have a bunch of lights that use the 18650 batteries and honestly not that impressed with battery life. It just seems to me they fall off to quick before needing a recharge. Even the few quality batteries I have, although they are a bit better than the others.

I've been watching a ton of videos on NV and thermal. Even the lower budget thermal rifle scopes are way out of my budget, but do seem like a great option. Gen2 NV also out of budget unfortunately.
I really dont want the extra options that digital has, I'd rather just turn the sight on and be done with it. Looking like I may not have a choice though.

 

[Tisto]

Ok, here's your next best option: a friend of mine has one of these, and it works extremely well, considdering he paid less than $ 150.

Bought off Amazon.

RHYTHMARTS Nightvision scope with HD camera, 5" screen, and IR illuminator. $ 135.99

This thing has a camera that you mount on any regular riflescope. Then it projects the image onto a screen. It works amazingly well for $150 ! And, you can put it on any scope with no modifications. Check that out. Exactly what you need.

 

[Shoots100]

For the part time hunter, digital is the way to go.
You don't have to worry about blowing tubes, they run on std batteries and the price is usually right.
I have older thermal and DNV that have no bell & whistles and a newer thermal that has it all.
I started out not caring if I got my kills recorded, then caring and missing shots because of it, to not caring again.
I hunt all thermal, have a backup thermal scope and DNV to back that up.
There are budget thermal and NV options now and decent used NV for sale all over the place.
Do stick within your budget, as Once you get bit by thermal, even low budget thermal, you might find yourself contemplating if you can get by without eating lunch for a year and getting loans to feed your addiction.
I might start the first chapter of Thermal Anonymous.

SJC

 

[Tisto]

Shoots,
What thermal are you using ? I bought a FLIR Thermosight Pro PTS 536. My first thermal unit. It works awesome !!!! I wound up getting it for just under $ 3200. Most places selling it for $ 3800 or more. I'm super happy with it, but it eats batteries. The only other thing is the focus ring is very hard to adjust.