Thermal Scanner Recommendation

I too am looking for a scanner, I have nearly zero experience with thermals and none in the last 5 years.

How far out can you pick up an animal with the ST6? How far can you tell a dog from a deer?
 
Bluebird said:
I too am looking for a scanner, I have nearly zero experience with thermals and none in the last 5 years.

How far out can you pick up an animal with the ST6? How far can you tell a dog from a deer?
Click to expand...
Detect deer sized critters well over a mile, coyote/coon 3/4 that but not really identifiable. I have watched flying squirrels at 300yds. and mice scampering through picked crop fields at a couple hundred.
Coyote from a deer is relevant to your experience somewhat by their movements. Inexperienced person, I would say 300ish depending on conditions.
 
Agree with jmeddy. Detection of critters (heat) is achievable from distances way beyond shootabilty. Identifying what you’re looking at depends on a few things, with the person looking through the device being the biggest thing! Time spent looking at a lot of known targets is really important. Studying the shapes, the way they move, the way they hold their tail, how the tail looks all must be taken into account before pulling the trigger. Depending on what resolution device you go with and what kind of atmospheric conditions you’re dealing with, solid “visual” identification can be anywhere from 100 (or less) to 400 (or more) yards.
 
Bluebird said:
I too am looking for a scanner, I have nearly zero experience with thermals and none in the last 5 years.
How far out can you pick up an animal with the ST6? How far can you tell a dog from a deer?
Click to expand...
For me, I prefer more FOV in a scanner than getting an absolute identity at distances you're not going to be shooting at anyway.

If I spot something way out there, I generally get in the scope to get a positive ID.
 
Even with a good scanner, at a distance, all I see are potential targets due to thermal clutter. Rocks, bushes, ect. all retain heat. Movement is what gets my attention. There is kind of an art to scanning and detecting animals.

I would imagine in the future, scanners will be equipped with AI that helps the user identify living things from the thermal clutter that is filling the screen.

Unfortunately, that is when thermal will likely be banned because it is not "fair".
 
Being I just got the ST6 lite and have a few days of field time with it, I can say that at 300 yards I can easily tell the difference between a canine and a deer with it at 1.5x.
Like others, I see it's movements and if it looks like a dog I get on it with the scope to confirm.
Once you get time behind a thermal you'll catch on pretty quick identifying critters and won't need to carry a shovel around.
SJC
 
I ordered the Lumi H35R from Predator Hunter Outdoors. Shawn and Blake were both very helpful and patient with answering all of my questions.
 
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