For cheap night vision, about the only option is one of the digital scopes, such as the ATN 4k, Sightmark Wraith and the Sightmark Photon RT. I have owned two Photons, both XT's, a 4.5x and a 6x. I sold the 4.5x, didn't like the resolution. The 6x with the newly designed lens cap that controls light entering the scope, is an improvement. I still have it, but the ATN 4k seems to see better and less grainy. The new Photon RT is supposed to have better resolution than the XT. I also owned the ATN X-Sight 2 but the 4k is a very good improvement.
You asked which digital scope I would recommend. I will just say that the 4k is good. I haven't looked through the Photon RT or the Wraith, so I can't make a judgement personally, and only know about them from videos I have seen. The 4k suits my needs at the bait site, but I do wish it had a contrast adjustment since I sometimes feel that the background and animal is not as distinct from each other as I would like, and the view appears a bit bright at times. I wish I could adjust that for a better picture from one mode to another. I generally use medium mode at the 60 yard distance. I also sometimes have an editing issue when importing the video files. I don’t know why but think my particular program doesn’t always like it. Sometimes the video files work well and sometimes they don’t. Still, this scope should work well for your purpose, but I think the other two scopes could be contenders too. As time marches on I feel certain technology will improve and yield better scopes with better resolution etc. For now I am satisfied with the 4k, but I would like to try a Wraith to see if there's a difference.
Stepping up to a Gen 2 scope will be about three to four times as much money as a digital, depending on the scope, and a Gen 3 is closer to $4,000.
The digital scopes gives a guy the ability to "play" without breaking his wallet. They do require IR light and are not stealthly like thermal, but in most cases that's not a big problem. I mean, hunters have been using red lights that cast a light upon the ground for decades and with good success, so the red glow of an illuminator is not bad when considering that. I have found that some coyotes are scared of the red glow that an 850nm IR gives off, and others pay little attention to it. I guess it's an individual thing.
Either way, for the majority of shooting 100 yards and under, you definitely need one of the lower magnification scopes. The 4k in 3-14x would be good, and the Wraith with its 4x would probably be OK. The Photon is available in two models, a 4.5x and a 6x. One problem with the digitals is the narrow field of view, so you need a scope with lesser magnification.
I personally would like to try the Wraith, hoping the resolution is as good as it seems in some videos I have seen, but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the issue of no audio nor ability to plug in a DVD recorder to get audio. I keep hoping Sightmark will change that in future models.
For bait hunting, a digital scope works just fine, especially at shorter distances. My bait site is 60 yards from my little cabin. I could see well enough to shoot further but 60 seems to work well for me and I have dropped several coyotes at that distance.
Here is a recent video of a coyote I shot at about 70 yards with the 4k and illuminator set on medium power. The scope was set on 3x, so you can see the field of view. When the video begins, the coyote is illuminated with a large 940nm spotlight that I have mounted on a tall post that is 25 yards from the bait site. I control the light remotely on and off as needed. It is stealthy, giving off no glow and allows me to see what is at the bait site when the alarm goes off. With regards to the weapon-mounted 850nm illuminator, you can see the modes when I switch from low, medium and high. On high I watched deer the other night at 160 yards and could see pretty good. You can see the ridge top straight ahead in the thermal video that comes after the coyote kill.
Here is some bobcat footage with the ATN 4k at 60 yards, and also a thermal scope. I just videoed the cat, didn't shoot it.
Just for fun and comparison, I will show you a coyote kill with a home-made night vision outfit. I built this unit for about $230,
but that price did not include an illuminator nor small 12-volt battery that I already had. Maybe one day the digital scopes will
become as good as this little bullet camera is.
Some guys like to indicate that you have to spend thousands of dollars to hunt with night vision. And while that may be true to
a point if you are out calling coyotes, it doesn't necessarily mean you can't play and have a barrel of fun for cheaper. I think
this little $230 unit did a pretty good job on this coyote. When digital scopes become as good as this bullet camera, then I will
most likely be satisfied. For now, I keep yearning for better.