Need suggestions on decent night vision scopes that don't cost a ton. I hunt in east Texas woods and have a 50 yard max shot, any input is appreciated, I currently have a green light on remote control but is sometimes spooks the pigs.

Check out the Optics forum for more information already posted

Sightmark Photon 4.6x

My brother may be selling his. It is an ATN. Not sure which model and how much but ill ask him tomorrow if you are interested.

I have a Gen 2 ATN that's pretty good out to 100 yd. on a fair moon, but I put a good IR flashlight on my rail that turns it into a 200/250 yd proposition under any moon at all. Best $250 I ever spent. Here's another trick. Buy some $15 IR lights (12 volt) for security cameras. Place them on a T post overlooking your feeder/corn and the cheapest night vision will work really well. You can run them all night with a feeder battery. Keep in mind that in the woods you're gonna get a lot of " flash" off of nearby vegetation that will hamper your vision. Good luck !

Sightmark Photon 6.5 - Cheap, lightweight, works great during day or night and uses 2 AA that last a long time.

Thanks for the suggestions

The Photon 6.5 may be a little too much magnification for the distance you are shooting.
I have a Photon 5X (predecessor of the Photon XT) on my back up that I loan to friends to introduce them to night hunting.
It has taken quite a few pigs in many different folks hands.
Hard to beat for the price.

I have two buddies who have the X-Sight who have yet to get anything but massive cases of frustration.

^^^^^^^^^^^ Is this a rifle mounted light, or something mounted at a bait site/other?

If you decide to go with NV.....consider that you might need/want to have some means to 'scan' the area other than using the scope itself.

It can become tiring using a rifle mounted NV device to check an area. Many folks will use some type of NV monocular/binocular. But your situation (say watching a nearby feeder), might not require that.

Any of the digital NV scopes mentioned should serve you well and not break the bank.

Good luck to you,

Flint.

^This
I would not recommend the ATN X-Sight
I have the 5x18, wish I had never bought it

I have a light fixture with a green flouro bulb at the feeder I can activate remotely. It works pretty well but it is frustrating when they spook, as I do not get to go very often.

If you choose not to go the NV route, then a couple of things you might look at.

1. Mount the light as high up and as close to the bait site as possible. The more 'overhead' the better. The reason for that is that the hogs are much less likely to spot the source of the light and it will not create as many 'shadows' as something mounted lower. I use red LED lights this way to good effect.

2. Turn the light on before dark and LEAVE IT ON (if you are not already doing so). If you wait until hogs are under the feeder or are approaching, then switch on your light, you are just begging to spook them. Regardless claims to the contrary (Hogs can not see Green/Red light) you will find that they see 'something', even if only a shade of gray. Not to mention the shadows it produces. Nothing is absolute, but I find that hogs are more willing to walk under a light that is already on, than to stay around once one is shined on them.

Try these two things...and see if it helps.

Best of luck to you.

Flint.

Some great info on this thread....

I actually do not need "night Vision " if they will come into a lighted feeder, always been reluctant to leave it on as I was under the assumption they would avoid the corn.

If you can, get it up high and overhead. Light intensity and angle of incidence are pretty much what determines if hogs will react to it.

It has been my experience...that hogs would MUCH rather walk under an area bathed in light (of their own volition in their own time) than have a light suddenly shone upon them.

Yes, they might 'hang up' on the periphery, but they almost always work their way in. I've also had much better results with Red light than green. But if the green is not too intense/bright...you might do fine with it.

Do everything you can to minimize 'shadows' (caused by placing the lights at low angles or too far away from the bait site).

Give it a try, what you are doing now...is not giving you the results you desire.

Now, before anyone jumps in here and tells me about their green/red/purple lights set on a fence post 10 yds from the feeder...and your hogs RUN to it. Yes, I know. I have some like that too. Those type of greedy, unwary hogs are NOT the ones we are worried about. Anyone will kill those. But pressured hogs...with a smart 'Lead Sow' won't go for it.

Spend a little time changing things up, experiment. You'll find the best combination for YOUR set up and will spook fewer hogs.

I'm going to raise the lite up currently on a tree at 5' I'll move it up to 10' and see what happens

I had a scope that the cross hairs would light up with a dimmer on it. i used in for might hunting in NY you didn't need much like on your target the down side it was not a great made scope and it didn't take much to knock it off zero. i bout it when it first hit the market i have head they make them much better now if you can see your target then when you turn on the cross hairs you were good. i bet it would have worked well with hogs. i think it was a bighorn My cuisine in New York bought one last year and said he has dropped his rifle sever times and it held the zero might be worth looking into i had no problem shooting coons with just moon light

Even a bit higher, if possible. I mount mine a minimum of 12'. 15' would be better if you can accomplish that.

I promise you, you'll have no problem seeing anything that walks underneath it.

I use an extension ladder to get my lights up that high. Its not convenient, it takes some effort, but has worked well for me.

Even if the hogs spot the source of the light, they often don't associate it with a threat. They have no natural predators (save for humans) that attack from above.

Then just turn the light on and wait. That way...even if the hogs see the light, they can do so at a distance and decide whether or not it presents a threat, most often they will come in...even if cautiously.

This is in contrast to them coming in (in darkness), suddenly getting 'lit up', shadows (that weren't there before) are created AND they see a big 'Ol honking light source appear just 5' high and likely pretty close to them.

If you were a hog....what would you do? I'd haul my hairy butt out of there so fast.........

No doubt, you've witnessed that already?

Let us know how it goes, and best of luck to you.

Flint.

I can go 15' no problem I can see my crosshairs no problem when the light is on I will head out Saturday afternoon and report back.

Yes, actually the darker it is...the easier it is to see animals that are illuminated. Right at 'dusk' is the worst.

My scope has an illuminated reticle, but I can see the black cross-hairs just fine if the hogs are under the light.

Hope you don't get rained out, looks like we will where I am, otherwise...I am going to go as well.

Good luck to you Sir,

Flint.

I use a pulsar n750 and it has worked great on hogs and coyotes. With a decent IR light I have no problems getting out to 200 yards. My friend has a atn x sight 3x model and he has no problems with it. Now on the other end of the spectrum, last hunt down near freer my hunt buddies used the wicked lights green model with much success hitting hogs under the feeders at 125 yards.

One of the best and least expensive tactics I've used is to mount a few " solar powered landscape lights" on the legs of the feeders, and train the light heads on the center of the bait pile. Since these lights come on and go off every evening and morning, the animals get used to them and any of the shadows they may create. At 100 yards I can see the black cross hairs of my scopes quite well enough to send those hogs to Hog Heaven.

If you have lights on or near your feeder would there be the possibility of a GW saying your using artificial light to hunt deer?

G/W could 'allege'just about anything they wanted, but artificial lights on feeders or rifles are such a commonly accepted method for hunting hogs, that he would have a tough case based on that alone.

On your part...about all you'd need to do is present evidence or testimony that hogs were (or had been on the property). Provided you don't have a freshly killed deer with you, you should be fine!

Most GW will make the right call.

I now use a Photon NV scope, and for me it's an excellent solution. Previously however, I used a battery-powered, solar-charged, motion-detector light from Harbor Freight that came on when the hogs arrived. It never seemed to bother the hogs when the light came on. I left it out even when I wasn't around, and it seems they got used to it. I would check my game camera to see what and when something was coming in to my feeder (a pig pipe), and then decide if I wanted to go out and wait or just get up before dawn. It depended on when hogs were showing up.



Here's a photo from a game camera, you can see a spot of light which is coming from the left.

The light I used is here: http://www.harborfreight.com/60-LED-Solar-Security-Light-69643.html

I'm sure colored lights are better, but this worked for me. The nice thing about having the motion detector was that I could sit downwind and relax until I saw the light. Then I knew something was there. Just don't place the light so that it shines toward you, or you won't see anything when it come on except the light!