In 1987, the movie “Predator” introduced the masses to thermal imaging devices. Back then, this was otherworldly sci-fi-like stuff, reserved for the military and, later, law enforcement and firefighting agencies. Only a few crazy folks (like me) thought that a thermal imaging device could really help a hunter kill more game, or help find downed game in thick and challenging terrain. Of course, back then they were illegal for hunting use, and their extreme cost and lack of availability made it a moot point anyway.

As is the case with all technology, as time marches on, the equipment gets better, manufacturing processes evolve, and prices come down. For the past couple of decades, hunters in Texas, where after-dark hunting for predators and wild hogs is quite popular, as well as over in Europe, where nighttime hunting restrictions are not nearly as prevalent as in the U.S, are where the use of thermal imaging optics has been popular. Today, thermal riflescope and monocular manufacturers have been aggressively promoting their products, and with prices coming down and availability widening, more and more sportsmen have had their interest piqued. This is particularly true of the younger generations that grew up in a technology-driven world. They are the epitome of what Aldo Leopold, in his classic 1949 book “A Sand County Almanac,” once described as “gadgeteers.” 

Thermal imaging devices aren’t limited to riflescopes and stand-alone monoculars. For example, the Xinfrared T2 Pro converts a smartphone into a thermal imaging monocular. IRayUSA, who distributes InfiRay products in America, has a laser rangefinder monocular and the P2 Pro Thermal Camera for iPhone, while Seek Thermal has a compact thermal camera for smartphones and tablets. For a $7,000 MSRP there is the InfiRay M6T 25mm Thermal Vehicle Mounted PTZ with LRF 640x512 12 Micron 25mm, which the company describes as designed to “enhance scanning capabilities while on-board a vehicle.” It includes video recording, gyro stabilization, and mobile app connectivity with wireless streaming. Companies like Sightmark, Teledyne FLIR, Sionyx, ATN, Armasight, Holosun, Zeiss, Leica, Sig Sauer, Burris, AGM Global Vision, Bering Optics, Trijicon, and Pulsar, among others, offer consumer-focused thermal imaging products. And while prices generally remain high, options and availability are growing rapidly.

All this thermal imaging equipment is fueling a groundswell movement by the public to find more ways to be able to use them legally. In March 2023, the Sightmark website posted a state-by-state listing of their legality. It shows it’s legal to use thermal devices under specifically-defined circumstances in 40 states, primarily limited to the hunting of predators like coyotes and foxes, hogs, and critters like raccoons, possums, skunks, and in some cases, other furbearers. Hunting big game with thermals after dark remains verboten.

Here's the rub. Ethically, most hunters agree that spotlighting big game, even if you’re just scouting, is no good. Could you not argue that using thermal imaging optics to locate game in the dark is not an extension of that? Do big-game animals not deserve the respite from hunters that the night provides?

There’s no way to impede technological advancements. We’ve seen that in everything from ultra-accurate and relatively inexpensive rifles topped with turret scopes loaded with precision ammunition that make accurate shooting at a half-mile possible, to 500 fps-plus crossbows topped with rangefinding scopes that are now legal during some state archery-only seasons, to smartphone mapping apps, to trail cameras (that have been banned in states like Arizona and Utah for hunting), to high-tech, lightweight clothing and related gear, all that make hunters more efficient with less time spent preparing for, then executing, the hunt itself. In the thermal imaging world, in the next five years, look for the incorporation of mapping and GPS features, high-resolution video capability, and the use of artificial intelligence that will make target identification more certain. And get ready for thermal-equipped scouting cameras.

Here’s what many gearhead hunters don’t understand about the high-tech revolution. By becoming increasingly efficient, success rates increase exponentially. That means game managers have to control the harvest by limiting the number of hunters afield by reducing the number of tags issued and/or reducing season lengths, especially when it comes to hunting bulls and bucks. We’re already seeing the effects of this out West, where a combination of increased hunter success coupled with a growing population of apex predators like wolves, grizzlies and cougars, as well as black bears and coyotes, are taking a toll on elk and mule deer herds. Throw in the occasional big winter kill like we saw in 2023, and the number of tags issued drops. When tag numbers drop but demand remains high, you’ll find that nonresident license and tag costs increase to the point where the average guy is being priced out of the game. If more and more Joe Lunchbucket hunters give it up, that means their kids don’t grow up hunting. If it becomes primarily a rich man’s game, that does not bode well for the future of the sport. It’s a version of the law of unintended consequences.

There’s no doubt that thermal imaging devices are here to stay. The question is what, if any, restrictions will be placed on their use? It’s easy for a game warden to catch a spotlighter whose lights he can easily see, but he can’t see a thermal imaging monocular in use. Will the answer be to make it illegal to possess any thermal imaging device in the field during big-game hunting seasons? Or will some states go full metal Europe, where hunting at night for big game with thermal scopes is permitted in many instances?

Which brings to mind a question I’ve asked for decades: Just because it’s legal, is it ethical?

What’s your take? Drop me a note at editor@grandviewoutdoors.com. I’d love to hear your thoughts.