Thermal Night Vision Identification Game

Decrease cost of NV equipment/gear. I've noticed night hunting population in Texas has grown.
Neighbor made a huge mistake using his NV gear last fall. Won't go into details but let's just say it cost him dearly.
Positive identification is essential in any hunting scenario but can be tricky using thermal (any NV) gear, especially at extended ranges.
So guess the animals in the video and win something out of my AR-15 Box.

I am shocked no one has jumped on this already, so I will start. I know some of these are wrong, but just going by what I saw on the video:

1. Raccoon
2. Coyote
3. Deer
4. Raccoon
5. Deer
6. Coyote
7. Deer
8. Deer
9. Feral cat/housecat
10. coyote
11. opposum
12. Small hogs vs group of possums
13. deer
14. deer
15. hogs with cattle behind
16. feral cat
17. coyote
18. hogs
19. deer
20. bobcat
21. deer
22. hog

I'm hoping your buddy didn't shoot someone's cow by mistake, or his prized breeder buck. It's certainly hard to tell in a lot of those videos. Some are very clear and some are almost impossible to distinguish. It's also hard to judge size in some instances. Having said that, I think I've determined the majority of the animals.

1. Raccoon
2. Deer
3. Deer
4. Pig
5. Deer
6. Coyote
7. Deer
8. Deer
9. Feral Cat (Judging by the long tail, it's no bobcat, and I don't think it's big enough to be a cougar. Ocelot is possible though unlikely.)
10. Calf (My other guess would be a fawn. I think the loping run indicates that it is not a coyote)
11. Opossum (Again hard to tell the size. It's possible that it's a pig)
12. Pigs and Raccoons
13. Deer
14. Deer
15. Pigs and Cattle
16. Cougar (Going with cougar here, though it could be a feral cat. Hard to judge the size.)
17. Deer
18. Pigs
19. Deer
20. Bobcat
21. Deer
22. Pigs

I'm interested to know which I got correct. I think I could pretty easily identify the difference between target and non target species, but some of those images are too far away or too indistinct for me to risk taking a shot.

Good test - and yes, some are far enough out that no way would it be responsible to take a shot until they came closer for easier ID. But, here is a guess......

1) raccoon
2) deer
3) deer
4) hog
5) deer
6) coyote
7) deer
8) deer
9) bobcat
10) coyote
11) hog
12) deer
13) coyote
14) deer
15) hog
16) coyote
17) deer
18) hogs
19) coyote
20) coyote
21) deer
22) hog

Hey, this was fun!

1. My neighbor's cat
2. Not a hog
3. Bambi
4. Hog
5. Not a Hog
6. Prairie Poodle
7. Bambi's Mom
8. Chupacabra
9. Bobcat
10. Water Buffalo
11. Pig
12. Fuzzy Thing
13. Song Dog
14. Hogs
15. Hogs & Cattle
16. Black Cat
17. Bambi's Mom again
18. More Hogs
19. Who Knows?
20. Muskrat
21. No, they're not all the same animal. There are at least three animals in view!
22. Big Fat Pig!

You knew someone was going to do this, didn't you?
--

ID is a must with thermal. A deer or a cow laying down, especially in the grass, can look just like a pig. Always take your time and settle in and wait til you're 100%. Also, equally as important, make sure you know what all is down range past the critter you're shooting at. Same as the daytime but night can be disorienting, especially if hunting an unfamiliar property. Google earth satellite maps are your friend along with good scouting in the daytime.

Good exercise

1. coon
2. Yote
3. deer
4. hog
5. deer
6. Yote
7. deer
8. deer
9. kitty
10. yote
11. pig looking up maybe
12. pigs
13. deer
14. too far to tell
15. cows with pigs
16. cat
17. coyote
18. pigs
19. coyote
20. bobcat maybe
21. deer probably
22. fat daddy pig

Any word on when we're gonna get those answers? I'm still interested.

May 15

For a game/contest, that's great! I don't doubt that some folks can interpret the scenes better than others - that's why this post exists.

But it is also a simple reminder to not consider taking the shot unless you know exactly what you are shooting at and what is behind it. Isn't that how we hunt in daylight? I wouldn't reduce my basic rules because the sun went down.

Great examples of that basic principle!

Marc

good advice. how about one with digital NV?

Absolutely. It won't be a cheap mistake if you smoke a deer or a cow on accident.

1. Raccoon
2. Deer
3. Deer
4. Hog
5. Deer
6. Coyote
7. Deer
8. Deer
9. Cat
10. Coyote
11. Hog
12. Hog
13. Deer
14. Deer
15. Hog cattle
16 cat
17. Deer
18. Hog
19. Deer
20. Coyote
21. Deer
22. Hog.

Several of those I'd need more the 10 seconds to be sure.