First ever night hunt

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peterk1234

Member
My first time using our thermal. We were looking for rabbits but spotted this guy bedded about 350 yards away. I needed to get close since I only had a 22lr, an m&p 15-22. We had a very strong crosswind and no moon. At 90 yards I knew I had a chance.

I gotta say, I love the night hunt. What a great experience. I'm looking forward to clamping the thermal on the 223.

I'm very happy with the Wave. And I'm so happy I went with a LRF and ballistic calculator. It really helps with initial id of an animal, and making a good shot.


 
Congrats on your first nighttime success! Spend some time looking at animals with that thermal. Especially if you have different seasons for fox and coyotes. Itā€™s a little tricky to ID what youā€™re looking at for some at first. You donā€™t want to shoot someoneā€™s dog or other game out of season.

Have fun, and be safe!
 
Good shot with a 22lr. I'd use something a bit bigger. I've thought of putting one on my 22 but haven't seen any dillos or possum recently.
 
popper43 said:
Good shot with a 22lr. I'd use something a bit bigger. I've thought of putting one on my 22 but haven't seen any dillos or possum recently.
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Yup. Not my primary choice for a coyote. I already have the thermal sighted in on the AR. Once I finish working up a new load for my 223 BA it will get clamped to the as well.
 
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little concerned about that video. The voice says "It's a rabbit. No......it's a fox", and apparently it was a coyote? I cannot stress enough the importance of positively identifying your target before pulling the trigger, or even pointing a loaded rifle at it. šŸ˜³
 
My first ā€œhuntsā€ didnā€™t even involve bullets in the rifle. Spend a few nights just looking. No calling, just looking at critters. Yeah you may spot something you could shoot, but learn to ID everything you possibly can first. Spend time watching K9ā€™s gaitsā€¦theyā€™re all different. Coyotes walk different than fox and dogs. Coons and possums walk differently.

And rabbits look nothing like a fox or coyoteā€¦
 
Hence my original post, fellas. The rabbit, fox comment vs the title of the video vs the title of the threadā€¦ Well I immediately thought some time spent learning to ID things with a thermal was needed.
 
Let me clarify. I had clear identification. I had crept up to within a 100 yards. I started my stalk 350 yards away and also spotted the animal earlier while it was walking. I have 40 years of hunting under my belt and am quite familiar how different animals move and look. The voices you here are my son in law and his friend and they are trying to watch via an app on a cell phone. I can't imagine what it must have looked like to them as I'm tracking the moving animal with my scope. I had a very clear visual.
 
Sorry, didnā€™t mean to come across condescending, just didnā€™t want anyone making a bad mistake. I too had hunted for 40+ years during the daytime, but that night hunting was completely different for me. I didnā€™t trust myself, lol.
 
Spurchaser said:
Sorry, didnā€™t mean to come across condescending, just didnā€™t want anyone making a bad mistake. I too had hunted for 40+ years during the daytime, but that night hunting was completely different for me. I didnā€™t trust myself, lol.
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Ya, I took out it a half dozen times at night on properties that held deer, cattle and random critters. While shapes help with id I was amazed how much more I would determine by watching how things move. The other big thing, at least for me, is the range finder. Don't know how you id without one. It's it a deer at 500 yards or a bunny at 200? Knowing the distance really helps to narrow down the possibilities and can save you a lot of unnecessary walking.
 
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