Anyone used night vision optics for dusk and dark shooting times?

Is it even legal to take night vision equipment out of the U.S.?

I don't know if it's legal to take them out of the US, but not all hunters are from there. - I hunted with a client last year who bought out a NVG scope for one of his rifles. We didn't use it for the Leopard because the magnification wasn't powerful enough, but did use it on a hyena and it worked pretty well.

I don't really think the technology of NV equipment is really up to scratch for Leopard hunting yet. - Give it a few more years and they might have sufficient magnification. - They'd be worth their weight in gold if they had something like 10 - 15 magnification.

That said, I know some of the local Parks Board guys here who sometimes use NV and/or IR equipment for PAC (etc) animals at night. Mostly Hippo, Buff and Elephant. IR apparently doesn't work with cats as they see it.

Have used a veriety of NVG's over the years, mainly for anti-poaching. The Gen 1 and 1+ are useless. The Gen II stuff seems to be ok- especially from a blind where you could pre focus.

The Gen III stuff we were lent by Delta and the SAS for antipoaching was superb. I don't do leopard from a blind, but I could think of nothing more useful than one of those head sets- not just for seeing the leopard, but equally important, seeing who else is occupying the path as you sneek into and out of the blind! On all three Leopard hunts that I conducted in the Zambezi Valley (quite a few years back) I ran into either lion or elephant on the walk in - and that is more excitement than most people want.

Clients can get a permit to take Gen II or III civilian spec stuff out of the USA. The PSV7 etc goggles are Mil spec, but there are some superb civilian stuff available that is bettter immage quality than the mil spec, just not as robust.

I have tried it on leopard and it is ok but the quality of optics i was using was poor, i am sure that if you have GenIII it will be great, especially on a morning feeder where you walk in and want to see what is going on before there is enough light for binocs and scopes. Ganyana if you dont do Leopards from blinds then how do you hunt them? Dogs?

Scott- I don't do Leopard hunts. I tell folk to book with a PH that has a passion and a flare for leopard hunting. I quite like to accompany leopard with hounds, but would rather leave the set up to the houndsman- he knows the area, his dogs etc. He will deliver the results. I just run along to make sure Mr spots doesn't give the client a face lift and tummy tuck.

i've used it quite a bit. there's a different world at night, and i've found it really enjoyable to sit back with a good NV & watch the animals. I have found out that the infrared illuminators aren't to be used. Eles. especially can see IR light. In a leopard blind you can sit back and watch the cat feed, or in one case we watched a couple mating. We were watching lions on a bait and the antics of the hyenas around were kinda comical. They wanted that bait but were afraid to go tackle the pair of lions. Gne III is the only worthwhile NV

I have never had any reason to use the new stuff thats out there. perhaps because it requires a power source and is complicated but mostly because I have never had the none existent problem that has been created on the internet and in some rags...

A Leopard sitting in a blind at under a 100 yards and usually at 40 yards and crunching bone and meat is a pretty easy target even at night with about any decent scope..You put the x on him and pull the trigger.

I believe many folks us tend to go out of there way to complicate things in life, others just love new toys, but for hunting time proven methods still work the best.

Don't buy anything sold by "Newcon", the name says it all. The product is horrible and if you return it under warranty they unilaterally declare the problem to be "customer-caused". I have struggled using one of their low end units on Coyotes (we raise sheep) and the thing has rattled itself loose twice, even on a 222. You need to be within 75 yards to be able to acquire the target, even with the IR illuminator.

Unfortuntely, the good stuff is horribly expensive. This new digital scope looks interesting though and not outrageous, I may try one of those.

quote:

They'd be worth their weight in gold if they had something like 10 - 15 magnification.

Shakari,

Take a look at the ITT (McMillan) Gen III 2.5 x 10. It has a 56mm objective and requires extra high rings and a comb on stock that is high enough for normal cheek weld.

I have used mine on bolt action M40 and M21 (Remingtons), and semi auto AR-10 and AR-15.



I dont think it would be very sporting on leopard. Visability is too good!

Best light gathering is on 6 X.

The boxy Night Vision package you see on occular end can be replaced with a day optic for use during daytime. Return to zero is not perfect but decent.

Andy

I have some experience with the unit Andy has shown.

It works good and has several advantgages over many other Night Vision devices.

It mounts to the rifle with 30MM rings, not some special or odball base, so it will fit most all hunting rifles.

The daytime occular allows the scope to be sighted in, and used as a conventional scope.
The big square thing at the back of the scope is the "night vision stuff".

It uses 2 AA Batteries.

It has a built in infra red light source,that can be "aimed" where the scope is looking.

This is a great feature as if you are shooting on a moonless night, as in heavy cover the NVD still works.
The scope would also be useable in a building with no windows, cave, etc.

The scope is variable, most NVD's are not, but Andy is correct @6X gives you the best "viewing".
One disadvantage is that the scope is not fast to use at different distances in a hurry, as it must be focused for one distance at a time.

This unit would work excellent on leopard, heyena, honeybadgers, bushpigs, all varmints, wild pigs in the USA etc. WHERE LEGAL of course.

Most NVD [and even some regular scopes with Ballistic Cams and Mill Dot Reticles] cannot be exported out of the USA with out approval.

I do not know if "taking it hunting, and bringing it back home" would be considered "exporting" or not.

Hint: on an AR-15 type rifle with any type of high optic I take a normal cheek weld, rotate my head slightly and use my left eye to look through the optic. [This is while shooting off my right shoulder].
Works great for me as I am left eye dominate anyway.