Night Hunting With and Without Night Vision Optics

The light of the December moon was silver when it squeezed past the clouds to bathe the ground in front of my high seat. When it slipped behind the wall of cloud, I stared into pitch black darkness. Tree and stump shadows appeared and disappeared. Leaves shimmered metallic in the cold light. 

When visibility is reduced to a minimum, I often get the feeling my other senses work better. That’s no surprise, as it helps to compensate for my eyes‘ shortcomings. I seem to hear better. Every rustling leaf sounds like an elephant’s stampede. Also, my instincts seem to be sharper. I can’t exactly name the perception. But when it’s dark, I often get a certain feeling that something is different just before game approaches my stand. When that happens, I will slowly raise the gun and rest it silently on the highseat‘s shooting rest – just in case. More often than not, something appears a few moments later. 

So that’s what I did that winter night when that feeling hit me again. I stared into the surrounding bushes, trying to find the first movement of an animal. Or hear the first slight grunt or squeal of a wild boar. It took several more minutes, but then, a shadow rose from dense cover. Then another. More followed, and soon, a small sounder of one sow with five piglets fed close to the trees. They stayed 15 yards behind the bait placed in front of me. They turned up the soft and wet soil in search of roots, worms and snails. No boar seemed to be interested in the corn my brother and I had placed in the small clearing. At first the pig family avoided the lightest parts of the opening where the moonlight hit the ground. But whenever the moon vanished behind a cloud, they spread out. When it came out again, they retreated to the shadows. The reticle of my fixed 8x56 scope couldn’t find a spot on one of the piglets for a sure shot. 

Patience. Finally one piglet failed to step back into the shadows, giving me a silhouette to put the crosshairs on. After the muzzle blast and the rest of the sounder had disappeared into the trees, I could see the dead boar on the ground 50 yards in front of my seat. 

Closed high seats like this one add a bit of comfort on long, cold winter nights. 

With a healthy dose of night vision optics, either thermal or infrared, the result would not have been different. But the time required to get a shot would have been shorter, I guess. But patience, coupled with the right weather conditions and a fitting moon phase, were adequate. What made a huge difference for me was the satisfaction I felt. That wouldn’t have been the same had I used night vision.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposing night vision in general. Actually, I think it offers several critical advantages when hunting at night. But when I learned the ropes of hunting in my childhood, night vision was not only forbidden, it was largely unavailable for civilian use. Night vision and lamps for hunting were also considered "poachers methods" in my personal environment. 

Of course, that has changed. And that’s a good development. More variety in methods and less restrictive hunting laws lead to more opportunity and more fun for each individual hunter. And also, no technology decides whether a hunt is ethical. Each hunter determines that by if and how he employs it. So if you’re using some form of night vision to cleanly take game at night and it’s legal where you hunt, more power to you. And if you don’t like to add such technology to your repertoire, that’s great, too. Hunting is supposed to be fun, legal, ethical, and successful. What you value most should lead the way to your methods. As long as you’re not stepping across the line of legality. 

For me, a feeling of “too much technology” keeps me from using either lamps or night vision. But I have to admit that I don’t have a "superior" stance on that. I’ve tried illuminated reticles, range finders, wind/weather apps, trail cams, and GPS dog collars. But these are just some of the more recent high tech tools raising ethical concerns. Just think about scopes, variable scopes, compound bows, crossbows. Old as those are, we still debate their application. When is technology too much? Where do we draw the line? Quite frankly, within laws and regulations, each hunter should be able to find his or her own position on the matter. That noted, I’d like to give you a few pros and cons about the implementation of night vision into your hunting plans. 

To me, the most important reason to not use infrared or thermal imaging while out in the field is “too much hunting pressure.” When even the darkest spots and hours become huntable, where and when is game supposed to rest and forage? And, because nocturnal animals usually let down their guard at night, it becomes easier to take them. Of course, self restraint can and should minimize excessive harvest. But, typically, hunters take advantage of the opportunities before them. You’ve gone through all the trouble to sit for hours in the dark, a so-so animal appears, can you resist? So I fear that game has no time to get away from pressure. Constant pressure will then have animals respond with chronic stress. As a veterinarian I know that chronic stress can result in reduced overall health. 

To me, hunting satisfaction rises in proportion with difficulty. Playing the wind, working the short dawn and dusk magic hours, moving silently, using cover and terrain – those are challenges. Employing technology that lets me see and sight in the dark makes it easier to succeed, but my satisfaction decreases.

A subtle downside to new gadgets is reduced cash for the hunts themselves. You end up with the tools, but not the time or finances to use them! Craving the newest and best is nothing new to me. Honestly, with just a little less self reflection and control, I’d be broke from all the stuff I’d like to own. But while night vision helps a lot, it never was nor will be quintessential for success. So it’s more a question of want-to rather than have-to. Ultimately, more hunting and new adventures are worth more to me than new, high-tech gadgets. 

Besides the money night vision devices cost, they also cost development of basic hunting skills. Locating animals by reading sign, glassing, listening, and just plain knowing your hunting grounds is an ancient, honorable skill that defines the word “hunter.” Do we really want to sacrifice that on the altar of technology? 

One could argue that this is the way the world goes. It’s progress. Primitive skills lose importance as time goes on and new tools are developed. Perhaps, but they don’t have to. I find more satisfaction in depending on field craft than a truckload of equipment. Consider thermal imaging, for instance. Using it to locate game behind vegetation during daylight hours is too much of a good thing for me. Red hot spots on a screen are easy to detect. But is that a hunter’s skill? Is depending on such tech the way it’s supposed to be? Day use of night vision is a shortcut I don’t want to take. 

The silver light of the moon creates a unique mood for your night time pursuits.

Now that I’ve thoroughly trashed night vision electronics, let’s look at a few really good reasons for using it. Because, actually, it’s quite a fascinating option for overcoming the constraints of darkness.

The most glaring advantage is when targeting predators and feral hogs. Not only do you see more of them, but you’re more certain of what you see. Is it a big, lone male? Or a female with dependent offspring? No guesswork, no mistakes, fewer regrets. This is a benefit I cannot refute. 

Another huge plus is the increase in shot opportunities. I know, I basically criticized just that. But circumstances dictate one’s point of view. If you’re a landowner, farmer, or someone leasing ground in a country with messed up rules for damage to crops (yes, in Germany, the hunter is financially responsible for the damage wild animals do to crops, believe it or not), you’re extraordinarily thankful for each swine you can take out. Keeping pressure up on damaging hogs or predators year round, regardless of light conditions, is key to keeping requests for refund low. I am in the fortunate position to not be held accountable for crop damage. But if I was, I’d use night vision without hesitation. But this is animal damage control, not sport hunting. 

What many people like about their use of night vision devices is the huge number of animals they’re able to detect and observe. There’s practically no boring downtime you need to "endure" while in a treestand. And I can’t argue with that. Slow sits sometimes test my patience more than I like to admit. I’m as guilty as the next guy for leaving my stand earlier than planned. Seeing some kind of wildlife, even rabbits or squirrels, might entertain me enough to keep me on stand.  

The biggest value I see in added technology lies in overcoming individual disadvantages. For example, a friend of mine happens to have poor hearing. Hearing aids don’t help him. So he can neither hear deer or wild boar approaching his position, nor can he hear the sound of a crashing deer after a lethal shot. By using thermal imaging, he can compensate somewhat for the lack of acoustic input. 

To me, the decision to implement night vision boils down to this: does it take away more than it adds for your personal satisfaction? Since everyone has a unique set of expectations and wishes for their outdoor experience, no single answer can be right for everyone. But for the hunter who wants to try his or her luck at night without the aid of technology, I’d like to give a few for success.

First, play moon phases. You don’t even need a full moon. A half moon can cast enough light. Lunar calendars and phone apps provide details on moon phases and rising/setting hours. 

You should also plan for the direction of the moonlight shining into your shooting zone, ideally an open meadow. In a field with light colored vegetation or snow, backlighting often works better than direct light on the animal. 

The moon may not be your only light source. Clouds often reflect an amazing quantity of light from nearby cities and suburbs. It’s astonishing how much light falls onto the ground in populated areas. I’ve shot more than a few wild boar and foxes in the glow of road lamps, passing traffic, nearby houses and once even a decorated outdoor Christmas tree! 

My favorite venue for a night hunt is snow or a layer of frost on an open field or meadow. The contrast between game and ground is dramatic. Crystal clear and chilly nights are particularly beautiful too. A comfortable chair, the right clothes for staying warm, a hot drink, and no time pressure. Ah, nothing can beat those nights. 

Thanks to a fresh layer of snow, this fox was an easy target.

If you’re interested in hunting at night, there are also a few aspects that actually favor night time over daytime. In suburban areas, you’ll encounter fewer recreation seeking city folks. And since predators or wild boar/hogs are the typical target species, adapting to their activity maximum is a no brainer. So if you bait them or use game calls, it’s easier to bring the animals in closer after nightfall. The closer range makes precise shots in the dark a lot easier, while darkness conceals your movements perfectly. Both calling and baiting work great at night, as animals often feel a lot safer in the dark. The close proximity is a huge plus in my opinion, as I definitely like being close a lot better than long distance hunting and shooting. Box blinds or closed high seats add to that and also add to your comfort during cold winter nights. 

There’s one last thing I want to mention if you want to become a dedicated night predator yourself. Looking at a phone screen is a dealbreaker. It’ll mess up your night vision. Let your eyes adjust to the low light. Notice that you’ll see better at “the edges” than center. This is because the light detecting rod cells in your eyes are more highly concentrated outside the color detecting cone cells near the center. There is also a tiny dead spot where your optic nerve attaches to the back of each eye. Practice “seeing” in the dark without staring directly at your target and you should see more effectively. Don’t yield to the siren call of social media. It takes several minutes to fully adjust your eyes to darkness. Minutes you won’t have when game approaches your stand. 

Night vision devices definitely increase our options as hunters. Whether or not digitally enhanced vision is for you, well, you decide.