Night vision monocular and trad archery at night

[highpoint forge]

A sheriff's deputy buddy of mine showed me his new 3d Gen night vision monocular system he uses to hunt coyotes and hogs with. It can be weapon mounted, helmet mounted or used with a head harness. They are not cheap. The visibility with just starlight was amazing, in fact probably one of the coolest things I have ever seen.  I then went into a pitch black garage and could see well in there too (flip on the built in IR illuminator and it's bright as a flashlight). So this got my gears spinning.....with that monocular on your left eye I bet you could shoot in pitch black darkness at hogs or whatever. Yes it's very techy but hear me out....it's just an idea.

How freakin cool would that be?

 http://www.nvdepot.com/monocs/pvs14.asp

[macksdad]

Well I guess to be able to see perfectly in pitch darkness is a very neat concept. But for myself I don't think it fits into my trad gear lineup.

[Mudd]

highpoint forge...."They are not cheap."

In my opinion... That statement is a gross under statement, the price I read off your link is obscene.

But that's just my opinion and it's just about the price and no reflection on the high esteem I have for you.

I appreciate it that you bring your thoughts and ideas to share with us. Please don't stop!!

Thank you!

God bless,Mudd

PS: I think I must live in the past and expect pricing to be what it was "back in the day".
Reality is.. prices are what they are and we either pay or do without but maybe if enough folks were willing to do without for awhile the prices might come down. (These thoughts might be better off for a different thread, maybe?)

[xtrema312]

I think it would be fun to go out at night and watch what  goes on, but not for 3K.

[lpcjon2]

I used NVG in the Corps and it is cool, But i can't see justifying the expense for just a coyote.get a red lens light.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Elusive wildlife's Kill Light XLR100


These are Bad Azs. I want one in Green light.

Sorry for the Pic that's the only one they have, but it will look great on My Recurve.

[JAG]

If you're gonna night hunt, why not wait for a full moon?    
No offense inttended to anyone!
Besides for that kinda money I could book a great hunt and buy some new wool!

[John Scifres]

I got a little Holiday bonus so I went ahead and ordered one of each.  Whaddyathink?

 

Here's my $5000 coyote.  Wish I could afford to get him tanned  

 

[lpcjon2]

John,
 How many bows and arrows could that buy.  

[highpoint forge]

First off. Good responses. DO NOT FOCUS ON PRICE. As he is LE the price is a third of the advertised price, and I used the link as an example. I'm discussing vision in total darkness here and trad shooting.

Thank you Mudd. Very thoughtful...again I am just playing with the concept. I hunt with gun guys who I'm trying to break of the habit of chasing packs of hogs at night with vehicles at their very large ranch. I suggested the night vision as a way to make these dudes stay put, stay sneaky, and pick off the hogs in the dark, rather than bum rushing them with guns a blazing from the trucks. Kids like toys, and this might disturb things a bit less.

I'm the lone trad archer in the group and they think I am crazy to hunt so close to game. I think their assault rifles and wheelbows are crazy.....it's a match made in heaven. Price is no object for these dudes. Don't get hung up on that part.


The NVG experience is unreal......adding an IR light is even crazier. Remember you CANNOT see IR light. Through the monocular it's like having a QBeam reaching out hundreds of feet while giving off no visible light. Ask any LE, military guys. This is nuts.

John that coyote looks pissed..........

[Stumpkiller]

I used to belong to an indoor league and for giggles afterwards we turned out the lights and shot at a candle flame.  The beauty of instinctive is you don't need a light.  ;-)

P&Y has something to say about hunting with "electronic devices" and NY frowns on a bow (or gun) mounted light.  Presumably, third & fourth generation IR receives and does not transmit.  But, hunting after sunset or before sunrise is restricted on large game.

Guess I'll pass.

TRAD Gang don't stand for " Technological  Research  And Development" do it?  If so, I can leave.  See what happens: first carbon arrows, now FLIR weapons systems.    

[JEFF B]

man i could go nuts buying Bows with that sort of cash!!

[highpoint forge]

I know it's a crazy idea...but I wanted to discuss it, all responses are welcome. Yes they are expensive. So are the pile of Black Widow bows I have of which I shoot only one. Maybe I am nuts too?

I will look into the legality here in TX. Don't think it's an issue though on hogs, coyotes, etc.

T.R.A.D.......now that is funny.

[SEMO_HUNTER]

I would definitely check your game laws before dropping the coin for one. Some states don't allow lighted devices, or illuminating, night vision, or any other form of night hunting with artificial light.

Missouri is kinda funny about that stuff.
They allow night hunting for coyotes, but you can't use an artificial light that casts a beam on the animal?? What is that all about?

On the other hand, you can hunt coons at night with dogs and use any artificial light you want to. Still don't get it?

Lighted sight pins on bows are ok, but no lasers or lights that cast a beam on the animal.

I know that sight pins don't come into play here with trad equipment, but I have a hard time understanding some states crazy regulations governing the use of lights.

I really don't know where my state stands on night vision equipment though?
I couldn't afford it anyway......even if it was permissable.

[Chester Thompson]

For hogs, anything goes, sounds like an interesting (expensive) way to be able to use trad equipment on hogs at night.

[Jeff Strubberg]

Leaving price out of it, you are going to have one heck of a time trying to go from shooting with both eyes and one dominant to monocular vision.  Matter of fact, unless you use some type of sighting device and sight it in one-eyed, I'm going to go out on a limb and say you won't be able to reliably take a shot.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

Id give it a shot. Pair up a night vision device with a ghillie suit and you wouldn't even need a bow. Just walk right up, put salt on their tail and catch em by hand.

I would be concerned about how my instinctive shooting ability would be affected tho...sometimes it takes me a couple shots to get used to shooting with just a pair of sunglasses. Can't imagine how one of these might throw me off.

And again, I hate to bring up the price but I can't justify paying that much for something that is that fragile, I can't drive fast, doesn't attract the ladies back to my house, and I would only use now and again.

Now, if you can get us all that law enforcement discount.....    

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Originally posted by highpoint forge:
I know it's a crazy idea...but I wanted to discuss it, all responses are welcome. Yes they are expensive. So are the pile of Black Widow bows I have of which I shoot only one. Maybe I am nuts too?

I will look into the legality here in TX. Don't think it's an issue though on hogs, coyotes, etc.

T.R.A.D.......now that is funny.

Yes, In Texas You can use a light on Your Bow to do hog hunting, coon hunting and I think Yote hunting..

[oxnam]

Man at a third of that price, sign me up, I would like to try one also.  I am not sure how well I would shoot with one eye and a completely different field of view but I think I could figure something out.  That would be a blast to try.  I wondering what it would be like or look like for shooting carp.

[bad arrow]

I think it'd be very cool. I'm a very amateur astronomer and have some interesting night time optics - an oldy but goody LX50 10" SCT telescope and of course a whole box full of relatively pricey eyepieces(my pride and joy, a 24mm Televue Panoptic), dew zappers and such to go with it. PLUS I've got a pair of 20x80 astronomical binos for those wide Milky Way sweeps. So yeah I can see me owning something like that....Phil