Hunting with Thermal?

WhelanLad

WhelanLad

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G'day fellas!
so im suprised i havnt written about this before- but i also know its not Canadian hunting related; however.
in recent months Victoria (Australian state) has changed the "Deer hunting Laws" and regulations, in short
they have Allowed the use of Hand Held thermals on Public Land, whereas they authorites were caught off gaurd with the flood of thermal tech that they made a quick statement saying that thermal was banned on public and only to be used for Private Land...
much as the same story with a Spotlight of any sort-- not permitted in "deer habitat" - an more seen as a "pest control" method on private land..
Not sure about Canada- but aussies have little respect- an im being honest- little respect about the "game laws" that surround these specifically Sambar deer..
So its always been a problem with guys driving around High country tracks Spotlighting mostly Mature Sambar stags, the very saught after models exceeding 30 inches... what all stalkers and legal houndsmen strive for,dream about,spend alot of money about--
so we call the spotlighters "poachers" down here an essentially they shoot off roads into private / national park, rip off the head and move on.
essentially taking Game and Trophy game from recreational hunters-

long as story i wont get into it but you get that gist perhaps.

Well, now we had dramas with Thermallers- hiking into open country notirious for stags and "glassing" deer up in a matter of minutes as opposed to Days-

the fascination with "thermal" is real, i've seen it, i get it..

Now they are allowed in Public Lands but only handheld and only during the day--- same rules 30 min/sunrise/sunset .

Whats the gist with THERMAL in CANADA?

never hear much about it in hunting circles, dont see much about it on here? dont see any on youtube persay- no ones mentioning they are "glassing" with a Pulsar on 5 day back country elk or muley hunts?

Where do you sit with Thermal in legal "hunting" regs?
 
let me be clear- i do not condone thermal for public land or "hunting" deer/game animals myself.
i see it a great tool for pest or predator, on private land.
scopes are unreal i get that, thermal hand held makes "glassing" quite a easy task in what normally took a hunter skill an patience , finding movement in likely areas, scouted previously etc...
modern lads want it now and i think this monocular thing hands it to them

could glas up a big hill face in minutes narrowing in on game. long range is a trend here now prior but will boom now (400+m) an the stags should, or all deer should decline quite rapidly with big ones few an far between because being picked up so easily an the 30 number will come down to about 25 very soon as not being replinished as quick as they are being taken out.
 
thermal is uselss in tight bush or bush hunting so will be deer down in the gulleys- will not eradicate them, as much as the govt would like that
 
No clue on the laws here. But I do know some outfits sell thermion 2's only to military and Leo's. So would assume there are some legal restrictions on what we are allowed to have/ use.

To the point of pitlamping, guess it happens everywhere. Certain groups are allowed to do it over here, and some areas they even get payed per animal shot by the councils of said group. With some individuals shooting 200+ deer in a year at a 100dollar a deer.
 
Lakkenbak said:
No clue on the laws here. But I do know some outfits sell thermion 2's only to military and Leo's. So would assume there are some legal restrictions on what we are allowed to have/ use.

To the point of pitlamping, guess it happens everywhere. Certain groups are allowed to do it over here, and some areas they even get payed per animal shot by the councils of said group. With some individuals shooting 200+ deer in a year at a 100dollar a deer.
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the latter is merely a control method, we too have a "harvester" setup, private land, night shoot for chiller boxes, paid per kg.
it is infact a solution to any "private land pest populations" , pretty swiftly an effectiently- no doubt.
not alot of $ in it at the moment an deer numbers drying up in most parts with govt heli culling, plus illegal shooting, ontop of the rec take per year- loosely spurked around 160k in vic, from memory?
 
Cheers, as I understand our HUNTING laws/regulations. It is not illegal to use thermal but pretty useless for hunting as we can't hunt before/after sunrise/set. Farmers can as I understand use them for predator control on private land.
As it was your recent national Victoria Bitters day, here's a little fun poke. Cheers Bruce
 
Hunting regulations will vary by province - so no single/overall national approach.

In BC, the Hunting Regulation set out under the Wildlife Act states:

18 (1) A person commits an offence where the person

...

(o) while on a hunting expedition, uses or possesses infrared optics,


With "infrared optics" being defined as: an optical device with the capacity to detect infrared radiation;


It's also prohibited to hunt from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise - so time windows for use of thermals would be limited anyway.

So it's a no go in BC. Not totally sure what the penalty is but it won't be nothing.

Does not appear that infrared optics are explicitly prohibited for hunting in Alberta or Yukon, though the use of lights is prohibited and you might end up catching it in the ass anyway.
 
Cpollock said:
Hunting regulations will vary by province - so no single/overall national approach.

In BC, the Hunting Regulation set out under the Wildlife Act states:

18 (1) A person commits an offence where the person

...

(o) while on a hunting expedition, uses or possesses infrared optics,


With "infrared optics" being defined as: an optical device with the capacity to detect infrared radiation;


It's also prohibited to hunt from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise - so time windows for use of thermals would be limited anyway.

So it's a no go in BC. Not totally sure what the penalty is but it won't be nothing.

Does not appear that infrared optics are explicitly prohibited for hunting in Alberta or Yukon, though the use of lights is prohibited and you might end up catching it in the ass anyway.
Click to expand...
Thanks, someone beat me with a typewriter a couple years ago cuz I said it was illegal where I hunt. I didn't waste time with a response as it didn't matter in regards to how I conduct myself while hunting. Cheers
 
WhelanLad said:
the latter is merely a control method, we too have a "harvester" setup, private land, night shoot for chiller boxes, paid per kg.
it is infact a solution to any "private land pest populations" , pretty swiftly an effectiently- no doubt.
not alot of $ in it at the moment an deer numbers drying up in most parts with govt heli culling, plus illegal shooting, ontop of the rec take per year- loosely spurked around 160k in vic, from memory?
Click to expand...

What Lakkenbak is talking about in regards to pitlamping is certain groups in Canada use spotlights at night to shoot deer and other game while it’s illegal for everyone else. This is not pest control, culls, or reducing overpopulation. It is one group taking advantage of being able to do whatever they want while destroying wildlife populations in the process. For example, I am limited to 1 deer per 3 month hunting season that’s restricted to archery only for 95% of the time at $48/tag and would face hefty fines for hunting at night. Where as a native can hunt the exact same spot and kill as many deer as they please, with no seasons, no firearm restrictions, $0 for tags, and use spotlights at night.

Any money they collect are from the illegal sale of wild game meat.



I’d love to be able to use thermal for hunting coyote, fox and raccoon at night. But, it’ll likely remain a dream as we’re currently only allowed to hunt coon at night.
 
Believe it or not you are already using technologies everywhere when you hunt. The laser range finder, modern optics, high performance smokeless power in your cartridge, even the truck with all the computer controlled drivetrain that gets you closer to the spot are technology. Thermal is just another tool in the inventory. It can be useful but also have limitations.

The fact that I enjoy hunting with 100 years old rifles with iron sights does not mean nobody else should have a scope on their hunting rifle to give critters "a chance"
 
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scotteboy said:
I don't like any techno stuff for hunting.
No drones, no cameras, no thermal.
Gotta give the critters a chance
Click to expand...

nichijou-principal-vs-deer.gif
 
diegocn said:
Believe it or not you are already using technologies everywhere when you hunt. The laser range finder, modern optics, high performance smokeless power in your cartridge, even the truck with all the computer controlled drivetrain that gets you closer to the spot are technology. Thermal is just another tool in the inventory. It can be useful but also have limitations.

The fact that I enjoy hunting with 100 years old rifles with iron sights does not mean nobody else should have a scope on their hunting rifle to give critters "a chance"
Click to expand...
Of course all that is technology.
And I have no problem with scopes and never said otherwise.
I personally just don't use drones, cameras or thermal.
I don't care what others do.
Cheers
 
diegocn said:
Believe it or not you are already using technologies everywhere when you hunt. The laser range finder, modern optics, high performance smokeless power in your cartridge, even the truck with all the computer controlled drivetrain that gets you closer to the spot are technology. Thermal is just another tool in the inventory. It can be useful but also have limitations.

The fact that I enjoy hunting with 100 years old rifles with iron sights does not mean nobody else should have a scope on their hunting rifle to give critters "a chance"
Click to expand...
totally disagree-
none of the above give a "unfair advantage" in the hunt against the Deer / Game.
with thermal the Game simply cannot "hide" , an the unfair advantage is to the hunter for being able to find them on unfair terms-

i hear the above arguement all the time, how the Recurve bowman got pissed about the open sight rifleman etc, but its not the same arguement an honestly, many cannot comprehend that. ive learnt that over a few years observation and in heated discussions around thermals 'technology'

hunters understand, whereas shooters typically arnt comprehending at al an are often users of said devices.


oddly enough, even with it legal here now, none of the gurus are coming out of the closet an saying they are using them, when allmost everyone else knows they are ?!
bitghey
 
WhelanLad said:
totally disagree-
none of the above give a "unfair advantage" in the hunt against the Deer / Game.
with thermal the Game simply cannot "hide" , an the unfair advantage is to the hunter for being able to find them on unfair terms-

i hear the above arguement all the time, how the Recurve bowman got pissed about the open sight rifleman etc, but its not the same arguement an honestly, many cannot comprehend that. ive learnt that over a few years observation and in heated discussions around thermals 'technology'

hunters understand, whereas shooters typically arnt comprehending at al an are often users of said devices.


oddly enough, even with it legal here now, none of the gurus are coming out of the closet an saying they are using them, when allmost everyone else knows they are ?!
bitghey
Click to expand...
Have you used thermal for hunting? On the best day for thermal (overcast sky with little direct sun), if you can't see it with your eyes it won't show in thermal either. Thermal is also useless for stand/blind hunting. For stalk style hunting, thermal might help you pick up the game that's partially hiding behind dense bush but you still have to work to get close. It's not a miracle device, but just another tool that give you a but extra help.

I use thermal for bird hunting. It can be very effective under the right circumstances. I don't think thermal is useful for big game hunting during the day. Night hunting is of course, illegal in most places.
 
Cpollock said:
It's also prohibited to hunt from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise - so time windows for use of thermals would be limited anyway.
Click to expand...

The way I've seen it employed is to use it for scouting at night. Basically try to find a deer cruising shortly after light is gone, get an idea of where they are bedded for the night, and use that information to determine a plan for the next morning.
 
diegocn said:
Have you used thermal for hunting?
Click to expand...
yep- i use one now an then for predator control on wild dogs and foxes.
my smartphone also has a thermal on it so i could be using it alot more often now days with this said rule change but the way i hunt it would barely help my deer hunting.

in winter, during the day, the thermal an particularly higher end thermals, work unbelievably well finding heat signatures on hillsides up to 2 k away-

i know enough to know they havnt a place in fair chase hunting
 
Suther said:
The way I've seen it employed is to use it for scouting at night. Basically try to find a deer cruising shortly after light is gone, get an idea of where they are bedded for the night, and use that information to determine a plan for the next morning.
Click to expand...
yeah this is happening here now also- finding deer during the night to 'hunt' in the mornings - eluding that fair chase element to another degree ;)
 
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