I'm looking for prices to come down to earth. Something good to 200 yards to complement the DNV scope. Trying to get under 1k$.

Under 1K, Flir TK. If you can stretch the budget a little bit, Pulsar LD19S for $1600 is way, way better.

I've seen TK's at various cabelas bargain caves for $250-$479.

I'll look into that one. Thanks.

If you can find them for that, then I'd jump on it. They normally run between 6 and 700.

MDMORROW,

Any reports on the new Leupold?

I haven't used it personally but I have several buddies who have. The general consensus is its ok, but it throws a good bit of light back on you which spooks pigs. Would be decent from a blind possibly. Its really designed more for finding downed critters than for hunting. Kind of like those cell phone adapter ones. Lots of light wash back.

Certainly an option for a dude on a budget but for the roughly the same price that little flir TK is probably the better unit for hunting since it's more of a regular type monocular.

Thank you for the feedback. I'm not a blind hunter, and would like a handheld unit to find the sounder. And I've got large expanses of crop land to scan. Looks like the Leupold is not the way to go.

Ive noticed keeping the pastures mowed helps tremendously on the NV on the back wash of ir. I was thinking, duh, the thermal could see through the grass better. Also hearing mixed reviews on the Leupold unit.

Thermal is tough in tall grass or brush, even with the best units. A lot of the time you're lucky to see a small part of the critter so when running grassy spots don't hesitate to investigate the smallest heat signature.

Do the thermal units send out an ir spectrum or anything? I was under the impression it was a difference in the heat signature the sensor detected.

They don't send anything out. They created an image based on the varied radiation emitted by objects which is commonly seen as variations in temperature. The take data in but don't send anything out.

Why is it way better?

Identification & detection range. Past 50 yards the TK sucks at identifying hot objects. On humid nights it's even worse.

That's good to know with the humidity around here. It just hangs in the air around hog thirty. I wish the budget was that much. But I'd rather save up for something that works for my purposes.

I just got one of the Pulsar LD19S units. I've only had it out once, going out again this week.
Initial impression is that it's pretty good for the price. Pulsar claims it can spot a human at 500 meters. We saw cows (I know cows are a lot larger) at twice that distance. They were just white dots, but we could tell something was there. We spotted deer that were invisible in shadows at 80-100 yards and could easily identify them.
My initial impression is that it'll probably identify hogs at a quarter mile if there's no obstacles like tall grass or brush in the way. They'll be visible farther out, but maybe not immediately identifiable.
So, it doesn't make a hunter Superman, but it certainly offers an advantage. If you're hunting from a blind or over bait at a distance under 200-300 yards, it'll be more than adequate.

Thank you for sharing.

Misinformation.

I got as many benjamins as you can afford to lose on a bet to back it up. I'll pull a few stacks out of the safe if you think I'm being humorous. I.m not

Misinformation needs to be confronted. and nuked in the bud.

I'm not here to misinform anyone.
If the TK works for you great. I hunt two to three nights a week & have several thermals. Take it for what it's worth.

Misinformation....my apolgies. in hindsite, that may have been a bit strong, (I'm at work balls deep in a mess and a little stressed.

fwiw, if you don't need to click links embedded in browsers, DONT CLICK ON THEDARN THING!!!!

You might be able to use the "flap" eyepiece for a pv14 on the leupold. I haven't held one but I use this eyepiece on my HD38A monocular.

Pappy good to know. How is the battery life? I was watching deer in the yard at sunset and realized there were several more in the shadows when they moved. This was about 120 yds down the treeline.
I am kinda confused on the different flir models. One seems to have a very small objective area. I guess I feel like it isn't enough sensor for the range. I have been wrong before.

Yeah that's definitely out of the budget. Sure does sound nice. I'd just have to hold off on that much. For now

I would hold off and save a bit more if you're wanting something of decent quality. A cheap price is usually soured by poor quality in the long run. Goes for a lot of things. Thermal you most definitely get what you pay for though. There's plenty of guys on here that are very experienced with thermal and I would imagine they would agree. The base model pulsar handhelds are about the starting point of acceptable thermal.

Good to know, thanks. Well I guess it will have to wait for now. Im right in the middle of buying another tractor.

We had the new Pulsar handheld out over the weekend..
Pretty good unit

Just FYI, I purchased a TK about a month ago. Was not impressed at all. I sent it back a week later. At 30 yards I could make out a raccoon. At 50 yards I could still see movement but if it stopped it looked like everything else in the background. I tried all the different settings and and really could not get good clarity or resolution. Past 50 yards all I could see was if a blob went running by nothing standing still. At 100, good luck, could not make out anything at all.

Out again with the Pulsar LD19S last week. It's not a high-end unit, but my overall impression is pretty good. We hunt a combination of pastures and wooded areas. We spotted a couple of groups of hogs several hundred yards out in a pasture. They were moving away and we couldn't get into position for a shot, but without the Pulsar unit we wouldn't have even known they were there. We're noticing some trends in hog movement that might help us better position ourselves in the future. We didn't have a clue about some of this previously.

In another spot, we staked out a position along a small seasonal creek that runs through part of the property. We have a pig pipe and motion light there. We shot a 250# boar one night that had been showing up on camera. The next night, nothing came to the pipe and light, but while we were there we identified two separate hogs that traveled along the other side of the creek but kept going. If we decide that's a trend, we'll move our position to better intercept those pigs in the future.

Overall, the Pulsar LD19S is not a super high resolution, long range hog identifying machine, but it does provide enough useful information to justify the purchase in my opinion.

That sure changes the game.

Like everything they say buy once cry once. Buy $700 -800 no good when really needed 1200-1600.

I seem to have a better tk unit. In a fairly open field I can see deer at 300yrds. I can identify them at 150. I've counted individual pigs in a herd at 150. I've watched a feeder at 80yrds and could tell 2 rabbits were playing and eating. I could only tell by there movement but enough to let me know they were rabbits. Picture is not great don't get me wrong but you will know the animal is there. $600 is a little much but if you can get one under $400 you will be ok. I'd be happy to show my tk unit to someone if interested and not to far away. Bought mine used under $300. I can't afford $2000 for a decent thermal.
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