Do you enjoy watching thermal videos?

I enjoy watching both. Of course, some are better than others which is to be expected. I video every stand for educational purposes for myself. I also enjoy making and editing the videos for YouTube viewing. I'm not being paid for it nor am I sponsoring any products or trying to sell something. The wonderful part for each of us is that we can select what we want to watch.
 
Spurchaser said:
If I didn’t night hunt I wouldn’t get too many opportunities. I still have to work for a living and the day job doesn’t leave a lot of daylight for me to get any hunting done except on weekends.
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It's just another productive way to hunt for me. I will see more coyotes in one night than I would in a whole season trying to get hunts in Saturday or Sunday during the day. I like to see the lit up image coming in from a thousand yards away when during the day I wouldn't know the coyote was there. They do enough damage I like to see the upper hand.
 
I guess I'm in the minority camp. I like watching thermal videos, it's the only way I get to see them. I have never seen a daytime coyote that wasn't sick or dead. They get a lot of hunting pressure here in Michigan. Anyone and everyone takes a shot at them during the day so they don't come out. With thermal being more popluar now they are even hard to see at night out in fields. This is something I don't enjoy. It takes all of the fun out of calling and hunting them. Before I went to thermal I spent about 2 years trying to use red lights and also never saw them, only heard them. I will say though that the quantity of coyotes I have seen with thermals is increasing as my technique improves.

Edit: Before I ever hunted them in the dark with red lights I tried day hunting them in areas where I knew there were coyotes. I had farmers and hunting friends with cameras on their properties and they would see them. I never saw a thing in the day for about a year. That's when I started climbing the tech tree and moved to night calling with red lights and I would at least hear them. Around that time I found this forum and got a low cost thermal and started to actually see things moving but because I couldn't make things out at several hundred yards I never shot any. Finally, I made the jump and got a nice thermal and finally started seeing and shooting them way more often.
 
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I really don't like watching any coyote videos. The experience and adrenaline rush of seeing a coyote come in first hand is why I hunt. The actual kill is just incidental.

It's like watching sports on TV. I could care less. I would rather be out doing something than watch other people doing something.
 
I video primarily for my own education on what happened during a stand. Whether anyone else likes or even enjoys the videos I post on YouTube or Rumble is secondary. My most recent video of a hunt posted in the Calling in the East section and titled "Coyote Redemption" is a very good example of why I video my hunts. Without the video, I would have sworn that either my rifle or scope was off when I missed that 200 yd. shot. My guess would be that many of us know that when we're shooting a bunch of coyotes successfully we get in what I will call "the groove". Your confidence swells and it seems like you almost can't miss. Then there are times, for me at least, when I lose that confidence and the opportunities become fewer, and I feel pressure on whether I can make the shot.

It hasn't been a stellar fall season for me, and honestly I've felt a lot of pressure on shots that I normally wouldn't even consider difficult as well as opportunities to even get a shot. It had taken a long time to get that pair to commit, and when the female hit the downwind and started to boogie out of there, I knew the male wasn't far behind. Still, it was a routine 200 yd. shot that I've made hundreds of times. So I felt my hold was good and couldn't believe the coyote didn't fall out dead. Thankfully, he stopped at 312 yds. and gave me another opportunity which I connected on. When I reviewed the video, I couldn't believe what I saw when the shot broke. It's a wonder I didn't shoot one of his feet off, but had you asked me, I'd have sworn that I was dead on that coyote at 200 yds. That's why I video, and I have a handful of friends who learn from any enjoy my successes and even my failures. So, to each his own, I guess.
 
LONEHOWL said:
I like watching all kinds of hunting videos but thermal vids just don’t do it for me, and I’m not sure why? What say you?
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I've watched all types of coyote hunting (day & night) videos. They are interesting to watch. However, what interests me the most. Is coyotes just being coyotes(non-hunted). I've observed many hundreds of coyotes being themselves while out hunting. Watching them being their selves, as a single, an alpha pair or a family group. I have gained more insight about coyote behaviors doing that. Versus any form of hunting them. Other than stalking them.
 
DoubleUp said:
I video primarily for my own education on what happened during a stand. Whether anyone else likes or even enjoys the videos I post on YouTube or Rumble is secondary. My most recent video of a hunt posted in the Calling in the East section and titled "Coyote Redemption" is a very good example of why I video my hunts. Without the video, I would have sworn that either my rifle or scope was off when I missed that 200 yd. shot. My guess would be that many of us know that when we're shooting a bunch of coyotes successfully we get in what I will call "the groove". Your confidence swells and it seems like you almost can't miss. Then there are times, for me at least, when I lose that confidence and the opportunities become fewer, and I feel pressure on whether I can make the shot.

It hasn't been a stellar fall season for me, and honestly I've felt a lot of pressure on shots that I normally wouldn't even consider difficult as well as opportunities to even get a shot. It had taken a long time to get that pair to commit, and when the female hit the downwind and started to boogie out of there, I knew the male wasn't far behind. Still, it was a routine 200 yd. shot that I've made hundreds of times. So I felt my hold was good and couldn't believe the coyote didn't fall out dead. Thankfully, he stopped at 312 yds. and gave me another opportunity which I connected on. When I reviewed the video, I couldn't believe what I saw when the shot broke. It's a wonder I didn't shoot one of his feet off, but had you asked me, I'd have sworn that I was dead on that coyote at 200 yds. That's why I video, and I have a handful of friends who learn from any enjoy my successes and even my failures. So, to each his own, I guess.
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I agree. What I see on my recordings isn’t what I thought I saw in the scope.
You mentioned education, well I’m almost embarrassed to say it, but I recently realized why I’ve missed sometimes. Sounds stupid, but I finally realized my tripod was too high. All my shots were being jerked over the target according to the videos. I lowered my tripod where I have to lean down into it and shots are now hitting where I’m aiming.
I flock to this site hoping folks are smarter than me and remember to hit that record button because I absolutely enjoy watching their thermal videos.
 
Never seen in hunting video's because it's all about the shot but if I hunt heavily traveled areas I watch family groups hunt together. You can pick out the alpha and the mother a lot of times by how they act. Then turn the call on to bring them in to affirm my assumptions.
 
Night hunting doesn't do anything for me. The closest Ive come to enjoying night hunting was calling fox in snow covered landscape with a bright moon but that was pretty close to day huntting.

I enjoy hunting days, live seeing the landscapes, birds, and other animals.

I watch a few videos on YouTube on my tv, I don't watch on my phone or computer, most get shut off before getting to the end.

I did buy a light set up, gun light and headlamp from an ADC guy in WA when he retired. I made one stand, went back to the truck and crawled into the bunk and got a good night's sleep. I kept charging the battery and used the headlamp for getting to the duck blind until until LED lights running on AA batteries were brighter and lighter. I think I finally threw the headlamp, cap, belt and battery away last year.

No night hunting videos do not interest me in the slightest.
 
I like to watch them. If they're a bit long, I'll scroll ahead.

I try to hit record when I have one on the way, and feel I might as well post it too.

They can be an eye opener when looking to see WTH happened the night before, as well as things you didn't see in real time.

I don't spend hardly any time cutting, splicing, etc on the few videos I've posted, but others have to spend hours for a few minutes of video.

I think watching & commenting on them is the least we can do for the time they spend posting them for our pleasure.
 
DoubleUp said:
I enjoy watching both. Of course, some are better than others which is to be expected. I video every stand for educational purposes for myself. I also enjoy making and editing the videos for YouTube viewing. I'm not being paid for it nor am I sponsoring any products or trying to sell something. The wonderful part for each of us is that we can select what we want to watch.
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Well said Owen, especially the last sentence.
 
dale06 said:
I hunt with video capable thermal equipment, but never “record.” I’ve watched a few thermal kill thermal kill videos and will watch some more. But it’s sure not on my list of must do things.
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The thing about videoing your shots is that it can be VERY humbling when you miss--you will ask yourself, "why did I pull the trigger?" or some such unprintable version :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:. Can save a lot of time looking for ones that run off also when I clearly see a miss.
 
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