Discussion of night vision solutions and product used for hunting that include IR illuminators, Intensifier tube technology, digital IR camera technologies, thermal, and star light technology.
Digital Crosshairs 1000 Night Vision on 762/39 AR15
When I get ready to go night vision hog hunting this is the beast I reach for!
A lot of talk on all the boards about what the best hog gun is. In my opinion if you consider knock down power, accuracy out to 200+ yards, and ammo affordability the 762/39 AR15 wins hands down.
My hog gun is pretty spruced up and really gets the job done.
The scope specifications include 6-24x50mm, side focus, 30mm tube, Mil Dot reticle, and lock turret. It is a quality no name scope I found on Ebay with great glass. I can see .22 caliber bullet hole on the target at 100 yards easy.
The AR15 lower is Anderson Arms multi-caliber with an upgraded Rise RA-434 3.5 lbs single stage flat trigger that I just love! The upper is a Bear Creek 762/39 with the 16″ stainless steel barrel and 1:10 twist.
For night vision I am using Digital Crosshairs Night Vision clip-on, 1000R model with the sound and video recorder. It gets me 200+ yards of night vision with this scope and I can use all the magnification power of the scope with it.
Hog Gun 762-39 AR15
I have heard complaints about 762/39 cal AR15s having problems feeding ammo. Not a problem at all for me with DURA-MAG magazines. These sturdy steel mags have feed perfectly for me with no jams at all. Some of the other mags I tried did occasionally jam which is not acceptable on a hog hunt!
This gun is not at all particular about ammo and I just shoot Wolf Polyformance 123 GR HP. I am not the best shot and can get 1″ to 1.5″ groups with this ammo at 100 yards depending on how well these 60+ year old eye happen to be working that day. Best of all it averages only 40 cents a round.
Learn about Digital Crosshairs Night Vision Clip-on products at:
Hunting with a night vision scope or night vision clip-on is a great way to hunt hogs, coyote, and other nocturnal predators.
Night vision uses projected invisible IR light that animals and people can not see to brighten up a field for viewing . Many of these systems can see 200+ yards in total darkness. The distance they see is mostly dependent on the power of the IR illuminator used.
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
Unlike thermal scopes that see heat signatures, night vision scopes see IR and other light that is reflected back into the scope. Reflected back is the key phase here. I was recently hunting a very large peanut field in South Georgia. We used a thermal monocular to scan the field for hogs and spotted a group of them about 500 yards away. That is way too far for the IR night vision on my gun. Remember, night vision sees reflected IR light so in order to see something 500 yards away you would need an IR illuminator that was powerful enough to shine 500 yards. It is possible but would weigh a ton mounted on a rifle so gets impractical. That is why I use a hand held thermal monocular when walk and stalk hunting large fields and need to scan over 200 yards.
Scanning horizontally across a field with night vision is different from looking down at a feeder. It goes back to reflected IR light. When I was standing in that peanut field in the dark, my IR illuminator was reflecting off the ground and peanut plants. Above the peanut plants was 500+ yards of nothing but darkness, nothing at all to reflect back off, that is, until I found the hogs.
So, let me paint the picture. Night vision looking at black hogs in a dark peanut field. Everything from the ground up appeared brightly lite up from the IR. The black hogs gave a good contrast from the bright peanut plants but were less distinguishable from the black background of the horizon above them. If they were white or brown hogs, they would have been much clearer against the dark background.
If I were in a stand looking down at these hogs the background would not be the horizon, it would be the peanuts and soil. A much better contrast. See the difference. If I were standing in the field looking toward a tree lined edge of the field the trees and brush would make a good reflective background to see the hogs versus looking into an open field.
The moral of the story here is, no matter what night vision scope or scope clip-on product you use, the quality of your view will only be as good as your IR illuminator light source.
Digital Crosshairs Night Vision Clip-on
Learn about Digital Crosshairs Night Vision Clip-on products at:
Night Vision Hog Hunting with Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
Night vision hog hunting can be costly but for some of us the thrill is well worth it. Night vision hunting is quite different than hunting during the day. For one thing, you don’t have to hide, the darkness is your blind. Think about it, most predators hunt at night for this reason and so do I. It a real thrill!
But what does night vision hog hunting cost? In addition to your rifle or crossbow and scope, you will need night vision equipment. There are a lot of choices when it comes to this. Thermal scopes, night vision scopes, digital night vision scope and night vision scope clip-ons pretty much cover your rifle optics choices. Hand held thermal monocular are a great addition if the budget permits. This lets you easily scan the darkness without having to raise your gun and look through the scope. This is just the equipment cost and to be fair some hunter on a low budget use a powerful green or red flashlight to find their pray. For occasional hunters most outfitters offer the option of renting night vision equipped rifles for the nights hunt.
Night vision hog hunt pigs getting skinned after hunt
The cost of night vision hunting after you get the equipment is still pretty costly. See the table below for the cost of my hunt this week at Owen Farm Hunting Preserve in Alapaha, Ga. This is was a good deal. Many hunters pay that much just for the outfitter. You can save some cash by processing your own hogs but for $50 each I rather pay someone.
Alapaha Night Vision Hog Hunt 8/10/21
Hog Outfitter
$ 300.00
Processing 2 Hogs
$ 100.00
Hotel
$ 77.00
Gas
$ 40.00
Total
$ 517.00
Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on with harvested hog
Learn about Digital Crosshairs Night Vision Clip-on products at:
Karl at Black River Search and Rescue uses Digital Crosshairs 1000
As a former Police Officer, Sheriff’s Deputy, Training Officer, SWAT Operator, and Canine Officer. He is a trained and certified SAR Tech with numerous SAR operations conducted with multiple different police agencies. …
Digital Crosshairs 1000 Night Vision Clip-on Review
“Purchased the DC 1000 system for night hog and coyote hunting as well as for night operations for search and rescue (Black River Search and Rescue). The system is awesome – works well and provides a clear picture out to 200 yards! I’m hard on equipment and almost immediately broke the post that supports the video screen. 1 call, and I had a new post for free, AND an upgraded tightening key! Then I lost my battery pack charger. Another call, and 3 days later I had a free replacement!
The equipment works awesome, and Henry Johns’ customer service is extraordinary! I HIGHLY recommend the Digital Crosshair products!”
Digital FOV, LLC is proud to introduce Digital Crosshairs 1000R-V2. This is the latest night vision clip-on in the Digital Crosshairs 1000 product line. It now includes drone industry HD video and audio recording and playback technology.
This product captures a night vision hunting experience as a HD motion picture with sound. It captures video from your scope and sound onto a Micro SD Memory Card ( supporting up to 32GB) which can be played back on the attached targeting display or on any desktop or mobile device that can read a memory chip.
This product mounts on any scope in less than one minute without proprietary adapters. No need to re-zero the scope. The included IR illuminator and targeting display mounts using a standard picatinny rail scope adapter that is included in the kit. Just mount it, turn it on, and go hunt. No programming, aps to download or sighting-in required. Now your best Leupold, Vortex, Nikon, Burris, or Schmidt Bender can be used in total darkness at ranges beyond 200+ yards.
The Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on product line has a modular design that allow for the integration of the “best available” night vision camera boards, lenses, IR illuminators, battery technology, and recording devices in the industry. “The philosophy at Digital FOV is to integrate the best technologies in the industry, not try to build them”, said Henry Johns, Chief Technology Innovator at Digital FOV, LLC. This design feature also enables Digital Crosshairs 1000s, that are purchased today to be upgraded by the company as the technology improves.
We think Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on is a great choice but here is some general information to think about when deciding on a night vision product.
Night Vision Clip-on – Digital Crosshairs
It don’t have to cost thousands of dollars to kill a few hogs in the dark!
About Night Hunting-
All dedicated night vision and thermal scopes will cause temporary night blindness after looking through them in the dark. Your eye pupils will shrink from the light in the scope and will take a few seconds to re-open and adjust to the darkness. Only exception are Digital Crosshairs and NiteSite products that use LCD displays.
It is very hard to judge distance when you are in the dark and your only field of view is through your night vision device.
No night vision scope is as clear as a high quality day vision scope. It is the best of both world using a clip-on.
Check with your night vision manufacturer about maximum caliber weapons they support.
Digital Night Vision
Pros
Cons
Gen 2 or better equivalent at lower Cost. More natural image, easier to identify target than thermal
IR reflects off leave & brush affecting visibility
Use Day or Night
Smoke and fog decrease visibility
Tougher, more rugged
Requires IR illuminator for optimal use
Cost less than thermal and Intensifier tube technology
IR illuminator has faint glow that may give your position away
Clear target identification at 50 to 150+ yards
Optics do not compare with high quality day scopes
Many have video output and/or record capabilities
Some have programmable features may not be practical in fast pace hunting situation
Fast startup time, sometime instant on
Camouflage is often still effective.
Can see through windows
Better visibility in rain than thermal
High contrast black and white night vision image
CMOS night vision sensors do not have limited life span like intensifier tubes and thermal
Intensifier Tube (I2) Night Vision
Pros
Cons
More natural image, easier to identify target than thermal
Fog, smoke and dust obscures the image
Gen 3 on has longer range than most digital night vision
Larger/Heavier
Cheaper than thermal optics
Worthless during the day or in lighted rooms
Benefits from IR illuminator but Gen 2-4 intensify light without IR
Camouflage is often still effective.
Sensitive can be damaged if exposed to bright light
Bright lights and fire stacks will cause them to shut off for protections
Limited lifespan
More expensive than digital night vision
Cannot handle large caliber weapons
Optics do not compare with high quality day scopes
Thermal Night Vision
The major difference with thermal-IR is that thermal-IR is emitted by an object instead of reflected off it. No light source is required with thermal.
Pros
Cons
See in any lighting conditions – Day and Night
Nearly impossible to positively ID person except with most expensive equipment
See through smoke/fog/dust/sand
Image requires some training to interpret
See through leaves, brush and thin materials
Hot objects like rocks and hot building in urban areas will wash out human and animal heat signatures
Track residual heat (handprints, footprints)
Long startup/warm up time
Works in absolute darkness
Thermal optics cannot see through windows
Give off no light, will not give your position away
Extreme cold can affect the quality of a thermal image
Long range target acquisition
Generally more expensive
Many have video out capabilities
Larger and heavier
Fast target acquisition
Does not work in rain, misty, very humid conditions
Durable solid state technology
Optics do not compare with high quality day scopes
Closing thoughts
To some extent, buying night vision is like buying a car. There are some really good choices out there and a few lemons. One thing to remember, you can’t see in the dark so if you plan to move around stalking none of these will help you get around.
Digital Crosshairs night vision clip-on has an LCD display that give off just enough light that you can see where you are stepping, but not so much as to alert the animals you are hunting.
Digital IR night vision scopes are getting very affordable. With a good IR illuminator, hunters are seeing 100 to over 200+ yards in the dark. But “Digital” means electric! One detail that can ruin your hunting weekend is getting poor quality batteries or heading out with under charged batteries.
Good IR illuminators usually runs on rechargable 18650 lithium-ion batteries. As your batteries drain in voltage, your illuminator gradually gets dimmer and dimmer. Remember, the human eye can not see the infra red light from your illuminator so except for the performance of your night vision scope, you have no indication that the brightness of the illuminator is decreasing. A battery with a low mAh rating when charged will start off bright, but the voltage will drain faster than good batteries. Get setup and then 20 minutes or less into your hunt you start wondering why your system is not working as well as you expected it to. Digital IR night vision and I2 (intensifier tube) night vision benefits from the IR illuminator light. When the IR dims, your system dims. I stress this point. It would be better if the illuminator just shut off but it doesn’t. A hunter would know its time for another battery if it just shut off.
The 18650 lithium-ion batteries sold today are labeled from about 2100 mAh (milliamp hours capacity) all the way up to over 9000 mAh. So if you order the 9000 mAh batteries from China on Ebay you should be ok, right? That is what I thought but after doing some research I discovered that 18650 lithium-ion batteries can not physically be made to go that high. The offshore manufacturers are actually selling a lie. They just lie about the mAh rating for marketing purposes. After all, how many people know that much about battery technology except electrical engineers.
XTAR VC2 battery charger
With the average battery charger you don’t know the real mAh rating of your batteries or the charge level. Don’t risk your hunting trip, get something like the XTAR VC2 USB LCD Screen Battery Charger Capacity Tester. It has an LCD display that show the batteries voltage and mAh level so you know for sure and don’t have to risk bad batteries messing up a great hunting weekend.
Get good batteries and a good battery charger/tester. That way, a $2.00 battery won’t mess up a priceless hunting opportunity.
Night vision hunt using Digital Crosshairs night vision clip-on
Night Vision Hog Hunting and Small Town Economies
Hunting season has always brought the weekend hunter’s dollars into rural areas for a welcome influx of revenue. Everyone is happy in the fall to see the camo wearing hunter who spend hundreds if not thousands with hunting guides, hotels, restaurants, meat processors, ice, taxidermy, gas, and even at convenience stores on beer and potato chips. Yes, hunting season is an important seasonal revenue generator for rural communities.
Historically it was primarily deer, turkey, and small game seasons but now the wild hog population is turning hunting into a year round revenue opportunity in many areas. In states like Georgia, Florida, and Texas where wild hogs are a serious problem, hog hunting season is a year round, day and night opportunity for everyone in the industry.
In the small South Georgia town of Alapaha, Owen Farm Hunting Preserve was just doing day hunts during traditional hunting seasons with a little hog hunting after deer season ended. Hogs are mostly nocturnal so this was pretty limited to early evenings and morning hunts. This fall they purchased two low cost night vision clip-ons called Digital Crosshairs 1000, which for $600 each allowed them to have two hunters in the field at night hunting hogs at premium price. This was revenue on the table just waiting to be claimed. Now they have wild hog night vision hunts booked for months in advance. Not only does this bring in revenue for Owen Farm Hunting Preserve, but the meat processor, a local farm house that is rented to hunters for boarding, and the local stores are all gaining. Most of the extra dollars they make are being circulated several times in the local community before leaving adding to the health of the town.
The wild hog problem combined with lower cost night vision equipment has opened doors for rural areas to capitalize. The new affordable night vision hunting equipment enables outfitters on a low budget to now enter the game without risking thousands of dollar on expensive night vision gear. Before it cost $3000 to $4000+ for good night vision gear and if it had to go in for repair the outfitter had to bear the lost revenue from canceled hunts. Now with products like Digital Crosshairs 1000, low budget outfitters can compete with the big guys. Only in America!
For the rural community it is not just the outfitter that benefits. Every hog that is killed for meat has to be butchered and processed. Rural area meat processors are also making year round income whereas before the popularity of hog hunting, most of their revenue came from a very short deer and turkey season. It may seem small but meat has to be packed in ice and trucks run on gas, sales of which are another hog hunting related influx of revenue to small towns. It all adds up.
Many of the dollars earned in rural areas are spent several times in rural areas before they leave. The outfitter who earns dollars from hunters is spending it on gas, housing, food, entertainment, church donations, child care, car repairs, and other things at businesses in their communities.
Yes, wild hogs are a true problem for the ecology and farmers. Truth be told, they also are an income opportunity for many workers in rural areas where there are not many other income opportunities.
Digital Crosshairs 1000 IR night vision IR clip-on uses the latest high definition IR night vision digital technology to give you results like this for only $600.
Night Vision Digital Crosshairs 1000 on Savage
It clips on to any scope and turns it into a night vision scope with visibility often beyond 150 yrd.
Un-like mid-range and lower cost expensive thermal, you can clearly identify game. Unlike Gen 2+ use it in the daylight too. Digital is the future!
Learn more about Digital Crosshairs 1000 at www.digitalcrosshairs.net or call 404-590-6513.
This video was shot using Digital Crosshairs 1000 at Owens Farm Hunting Preserve in South Georgia.
New Digital Night Vision
A Money Making Opportunity for Hunting Outfitters
Advances in low cost digital IR night vision products like Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on lets outfitters get into the night hunting business for an investment as low as $600.
BYOG – “Bring Your Own Gun” guided night vision hunts, since it mounts on any scope in minutes. BYOG and ammo futher reduces the outfitters cost.
With most digital night vision systems, you can expect to get digital high contrast black and white night vision 150+ yards out, how far do your average clients shoot? As a business decision, why pay more?
How much money are you leaving on the night vision table? While you sleep, others are raking in the cash with happy hunters enjoying an exciting experience.
Hog shot using Digital Crosshairs 1000 night vision clip-on
If your an outfitter taking hunters out at night with a dedicated night vision scope or thermal, you can’t see what they are shooting unless you have two night vision devices. Then you still don’t really know what they are looking at. With digital products like Digital Crosshairs 1000 just look over the hunters shoulder and everyone in the group can see what they are targeting. A lot more fun for everyone and safer for you as a professional guide.
Return on investment? How about one or two hunts and it’s paid for. The rest is all profit! Don’t wait, start earning night hunting cash now.
