Does anyone have their preference on a really good, quality, night vision / thermal scope? I saw a posting on AMazon for a light by firefield. As we all know, you get what you pay for.

I'm looking for one that I can have for a while, that will work without breaking the bank.

To start with, I have been guiding hog hunts in south west GA for the last 10 years. I hunt at night using thermal optics. I have been in on the killing of thousands of feral hogs. Currently, the only optics I use to shoot pigs or recommend to my client is Pulsar. They have a great image, are relatively easy to learn, and best of all have great customer service. There are several quality levels (image, not durability) to fit most budgets. Go to pulsars website and familiarize yourself with models and some of the specs and terminology. Let me know if you have any questions.

I just researched these to death and just ordered my first thermal, a Pulsar XQ50 last night. You can make yourself batty trying to decipher all the reviews. But, if you look at what all the outfitters use, it always seems to be the Pulsar units. Most seem to use the XP50, but you're into about $5K for one of those. If I had the coin, I'd probably jump on one of those. I needed to stay in the sub-$4K range. .

I hunt a 2600 acre lease in central TX and was looking for versatility for hunting hogs, coons/skunks/rabbits and calling coyotes.

The Pulsar XQ38 ($3200 range) seems to be a pretty popular model and is great for hogs and shots out to 150 yards. I chose the XQ50 for the added magnification that should get me out to 200- 250 yds for calling coyotes, foxes, bobcats, but at the expense of FOV.

One thing that people seem to say is to not get real hung up on FOV. It's still important to some extent, but unlike traditional glass where you're looking for game that is brown on a brown landscape, thermal is different. Because the heat signatures show up so vividly, you pick them up easier as you pan around and you don't need the wider FOV to pick up subtle movement.

Mine won't be delivered for a few more weeks, but I hope to report on it when it gets in and I've made a few outings with it.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say about the thermal scopes.