Thermal Scopes

Choosing a thermal scope for hunting

A thermal rifle scope does not amplify light. It reads the heat signature an animal gives off, which is why it works in complete darkness, in fog and in light rain, and why it finds animals that night vision would miss behind grass or standing crop. What it does not give you is detail: you see shape, size and movement rather than markings.

Two numbers decide most of the choice. The sensor, 320 or 640, sets how many pixels land on the animal, which is what lets you tell an animal from a fence post rather than merely spotting something warm. The lens, from 25 to 75 mm, trades field of view against reach: a short lens finds animals faster, a long lens reaches further. The Hawk thermal scope line covers both sensors across all four lens lengths, and the Mini line covers the compact end.

If you hunt at night over fields and feeders, the trade-offs are worked through step by step in our guide to choosing a thermal scope for hog hunting, and the question of reach is covered in how far you can shoot with a thermal scope.