While playing with my new scanner during the day, I was watching a squirrel running all around on the ground & up in the trees. 50-75 yards was a piece of cake watching him.
Trying to spot a rabbit or pheasant in the wild would be a whole new ballgame, unless they were somewhat in the open, &/or not hidden in the grass or wood piles. Pheasants are notorious for burrowing into the cover when wounded. Warmer temps don't help either, as not enough contrast to show the heat signatures. Rocks can suck up the heat during the day, and still glow at night for quite a while.