Night hunting can be challenging; however, depending on what you’re hunting and given the right equipment, post-sunset pursuits can sometimes prove easier. Hunters (and biologists) have long known the benefits of hunting various species of invasive animals and predators, and an increasing number of stage legislators, as well as fish and game departments nationwide, are finally recognizing the same. That said, make sure you know your state’s hunting regulations before trekking into the darkness. If nighttime hunting is permitted in your neck of the woods, the only remaining concerns are what species you’re hunting and what tools work best to make your job easier. Enter the Pulsar Thermion Duo Multispectral Riflescope — more on this industry-first digital optic in a bit.
North America’s model of conservation, employing hunting as a foundational tool, has proven throughout the 20th century and now into the first quarter of the 21st century to quite a successful endeavor. As the most common example of the program’s success, the nationwide whitetail deer population had spiraled down to a dangerously low estimate of 500,000. Today, more than 30 million roam our wild places. Of course, as we coexist with wildlife as well as manage healthy wildlife herds, we also are cognizant of significantly large, virtually uncountable populations of wildlife such as common, huntable predators like coyotes, bobcats and foxes, and invasive species, like feral hogs, also predatory and scavengers in their own right. To be clear, coyote and bobcat populations are large enough that researchers really don’t know — don’t even estimate; however, in many places, hunting them is a permissible year-round with no bag limits (again, check your local hunting regulations).
Feral hogs are estimated at more than 6 million, with roughly 3 million calling my great state of Texas home. At just six months, generally after 12 months, feral sows can breed up to twice per year. The gestation period is 115 days ,and litter sizes average four to eight piglets, commonly with 1:1 boar to sow ratio. To say we have a pig “probulation” is an understatement. In Texas alone, feral hogs are responsible for a total of over $400 million in damage annually. The bottom line: eradication-style hunting is an important part of trying to slow the exploding population. It won’t be long before experts are unable to estimate their numbers as well, and they are far more damaging to livelihoods, habitat, indigenous wildlife and our overall ecosystem. As a point of note, biologists agree 70% of Texas’ feral hog population must be killed annually simply to keep the population where it’s at, not even to begin reducing the population. That’s a mountain of a task, especially considering hogs are most active at night. Of course, those pesky predators — coyotes, bobcats, foxes, etc. — also are most active at night. So, when is the right time to get them in your sights? Always at night. At least 90% of my personal hunting occurs between dusk and dawn, and it’s quite a different experience. Day hunters MUST give it a try.
Hunting success relies heavily on senses, ours and our prey’s. While the sense of smell on coyotes, bobcats, foxes, cougars, feral hogs and other nocturnally active wildlife is vastly superior to ours, impaired nighttime vision can work decidedly well in our favor if we have the right equipment. Throughout history, night hunters have employed all types of illumination, from torches, lanterns and spotlights to high-intensity color LEDs, laser illuminators, generational night vision, digital night vision and thermal imaging. The latter is growing in popularity more than any other, and for good reason: Where there is a clear line of sight from the optic to a subject in a field of view, NOTHING hides from thermal. If the subject has a heat signature, even a simple heat transfer, it’s not just mildly detectable, it glows! There is no mistaking adult-sized (mid-size game animal) heat signatures within an optic’s detection range.
In January 2023, Pulsar Thermal and Night Vision unveiled game-changing technology: multi-spectral imaging. To be clear, thermal imaging is NOT night vision. Pulsar’s thermal technology, high microbolometer sensor resolutions, pixel pitch noise equivalency temperature differential (NETD) and algorithms work together to produce rich imaging, day or night. If there are temperature variances, they are represented in a sharply contrasting field of view. In a nutshell, the amazing field of view you see during daylight is most often just as good, sometimes better, at nighttime.
Of course, the Pulsar Thermion Duo capitalizes on what people love most about daytime AND nighttime shooting. The Duo, available in two models, DXP50 and DXP55, delivers vivid 4k full-color digital imaging for daytime use as well as premium thermal imaging for anytime shooting and hunting — in our consumer hunting and shooting world, it’s the most effective 24-hour riflescope ever released. The two technologies, 4k color and thermal imaging, can be used independently or simultaneously using what was another Pulsar industry first years ago, a picture-in-picture (PiP) feature that only takes up 10% of the display’s field of view. With the PiP located at top-dead-center of the display, users can utilize the feature with negligible impact on the overall field of view.
Getting a bit nerdy here, the Pulsar Thermion Duo Multispectral Riflescope, again available in DXP50 and DXP55 models, boasts 4K full-color imaging, 640x480 microbolometer thermal sensor resolution, <25mK NETD sensitivity, 17-micron pixel pitch, F1.0 enhanced germanium glass, 1024x768 AMOLED display, eight-color display palette, 10 reticle styles in nine colors, five rifle storage profiles, One-Shot-Freeze zeroing, onboard video and Wi-Fi, 1024x768 HD photo and video output, IPX7 waterproof rating, long 6-hour battery life (rechargeable lithium-ion internal and Pulsar’s APS2 external batteries) and recoil rating up to .375 H&H and 12-gauge. Both models feature 2-16x digital magnification for thermal imaging. The DXP50 includes digital channel magnification (color) of 2-16x, while the DXP50’s digital channel magnification is 4-32x.
The Thermion Duo is housed in a traditionally styled riflescope body with a 30mm tube diameter for easy mounting and, using Wi-Fi connectivity, is compatible with Pulsar’s proprietary Stream Vision 2 App. Using the app, shooters can connect a smartphone or tablet to use as a secondary display or remote control. The connection also can be used to wirelessly transfer photo and video files as well as to update device firmware. The package includes an external APS2 battery, short and tall battery (turret) caps to accommodate the longer-lasting APS3 battery (sold separately), microfiber cloth, dual-battery charging station, wall plug, versatile USB/USB-C to USB-C cable and a durable, soft-sided carrying case with a shoulder strap. Learn more about Pulsar Thermion Duo Multispectral Riflescopes and other premium, industry-leading thermal and digital night vision optics at www.Pulsarnv.com.
