I have a Hogster and and a Super Hogster. While I like them I think there is likely something much better on the market. I like higher magnification. The digital zoom is cheesy and the native just isn't enough for my blind butt.

I am thinking of selling a few guns that I don't shoot and dropping some coin on a thermal. Trijicon reap-ir or Hunter? Something else? With say an 8k budget what is the best. My shots range from 75-150 yards.

Are you hunting wide open west Texas land? Would an IR NV not meet your needs?

I have had an IR Hunter 640 for probably 8 years, and it still works great. I would definitely recommend it.

What features do you want?
Rechargeable battery?
Recording?
Laser range finder?
Base mag?
640?
Traditional scope style or typical thermal style scope?

The super Yoter 50 mm is better than the hogsters

Nvision is the next logical step up

I'm happy with my Pulsar Thermion 2 XP50 Pro except for the length and weight. Super clear image that's better than the XQ50 Trail and XQ50 Thermion I've been using. Also the battery run time is really good, they made a major improvement with the Pro. Important to me, it's not made in China!!!

Probably my biggest complaint with the IR Hunter is external recording....I recorded everything at first, but after a few years I quit because of the hassle. It's 2.5x base mag which I think is about perfect, at least for the hunting I do. I use an external battery pack that lasts a long time. Personally, I have no need for a range finder.

The land isn’t wide open. Lots of brush but cleared areas mixed in. I really like how I can scan with a thermal and animals will pop out. I’m not sure I would like night vision.

I don’t really want rechargeable batteries. I might forget to charge them. I like being able to throw in new batteries and go.

I don’t really care about recording. I haven’t recorded anything yet. It might be nice and something I start doing but so far I haven’t.

No need for a range finder.

The higher base mag the better. That is my biggest gripe about my current units. I’m sure someone will chime in that they have made 500 yard shots with it but I struggle sighting it in at 100 yards and moved up to 50 yards so I could see clearly and feel confident in what I was doing. Maybe it is just my personal preference but I like a lot of magnification. With a regular scope for example I will turn it down while walking around or whatever but before I make a shot I will crank it up to the max power (usually 9-15) even at distances of 100 yards. It feels really odd to me shooting with such low magnification at 100 yards.

The 640 I assume means the number of pixels. The more the better I guess.

I don’t really care about what style it is.