Gear & Optics

That was one of the furthest shots I’ve even made with a thermal optic, at night, on a hog. My guide and fellow hunters were cheering my shot, and I certainly felt good about it. But I also knew the REAP-IR made the shot possible.

It is said a dry duck hunter is a happy duck hunter. For the many that hunt marshes, ponds, lakes, and rivers the need to enter the water is inevitable. Depending on the depth of the water you may opt for knee boots, waist waders, hip waders, or chest waders. 

Yes. Chainsaw. Today we are going to take a look at what I feel is an underrated bit of survival kit, and perhaps the greatest labor saving device in the inventory. Now obviously, this falls way down the line from food, water, medical, and safety. (Safety means guns, stuff to feed them, and preferably friends with them.) But after those needs are met, I absolutely feel this is something you should be considering.

If you’re a hunter, the SnipePod can be a crucial piece of gear. It gives you a stable yet flexible base to take sitting shots over brush and grass, and it significantly less than any other sitting bipod on the market (and less than many prone bipods as well). For $145, that’s not a bad deal.

Thermal optics have long been the domain of the, uh, not poor. While some people have a job that can justify the upfront cost, it has not been a realistic option for the masses. Granted, prices have gone down. But not down to the point of accessibility to the masses. Until now.

The new infiRay Cabin CBL19 thermal monocular is now available to the US market, through a relatively new company, iRayUSA. It features a high-resolution display and a 384×288 sensor core. The result is a crisp, detailed image that’s able to detect heat out to 1,070 yards.

I had an opportunity to use the binoculars for a short time on a prairie dog shoot in Wyoming and came away impressed because the Fusion X binoculars pack a lot of functionality into an affordable package. The binoculars are backed by Bushnell’s transferable lifetime warranty, which translates into a defined life of 20 years for the binoculars and five years for the electronics.

For many of you reading this and just jumping into the world of thermal optics, do not fret, it is not as complicated as some may suggest. While Thermal scopes are not cheap, they are an absolute game-changer in the world of night hunting. 5 years ago, I would have never believed how powerful of a tool thermal would become in my hunting game.

Stabilized binoculars are pretty rare on the civilian market, but they have a huge following in military circles. The stabilized part comes from an internal gyroscopic stabilizer, a mechanical device that makes them self steading. It is a weird concept, for sure. But in practice, it is basically magic. It really does work and is a game-changer for binocular work.