Hunting and animal safety: the role of thermal vision

A clearer understanding of your surroundings

First and foremost, thermal vision allows you to see way more than the naked eye. Capturing heat signals from far, not being obstructed by darkness, and even being able to reveal what’s hiding between thick vegetation, thermal vision makes you significantly more aware of your surroundings. This is beneficial in two ways – first, you can be sure of what’s behind the target. Second, you know exactly what you’re aiming at. 

“Maximum safety for me means not accidentally hitting other animals you are not aiming at directly. For this reason, a thermal device can allow you to place the right shot on the right zanimal, saving all the others. Plus, a thermal unit gives me a chance to understand the sex, age class and status of the animals, thus ensuring that I always choose the right animal,” says Riccardo Tamburini, our ambassador and hunter from Italy.

Improved animal well-being 

Aside from minimized suffering and the eliminated possibility of hitting the wrong target, thermal vision can also contribute to animal well-being. One of its biggest advantages – as specified by Riccardo – is the possibility of remaining unnoticed. Not requiring any additional sources of light, it is very unlikely to attract the attention of wild animals.

He stresses the importance of this during the census: “Even our Wildlife Department suggests using a thermal device during census because you are completely unseen to animal eyes. This means that you can spend hours observing animals without alarming them; you have to consider that during winter, above all, every extra effort made by a wild animal could compromise its health, so it’s imperative not to disturb them during our observing sessions.”

Then, of course, is population management. With thermals, it is not just easier to get an overview of the local population but also to ensure that management activities are carried out correctly – by choosing the right animal in terms of species, sex, age, and health. 

Riccardo also shares that he’s spotted quite a few wounded animals precisely thanks to thermal vision. “This helps to control the weak animals which could have been killed by a natural predator such as a wolf or bear. Having the chance to detect the animals so precisely helps the management of the game species themselves because you can add quality rather than quantity during the census,” explains the Italian hunter.

Thermal in action

1. Understanding the differences between male and female wild boars during winter. Both have long and thick fur. The male (pictured behind the female) has a lifted lip which shows the presence of the tusks, typical of the male. The female has an evident “false bush”. Males have a pubic hair bush that is placed in the rear of the belly, very close to the rear paws. The false bush in the female is in the middle.
2. Understanding the age and sex of a red deer in a herd from afar. The photo was taken at the end of spring. At this time, old males lose their antlers and could be mistaken for females. On the right, we can see a spiker with the antlers in velvet: thermal easily detects antlers in velvet. We can also see another male who tries to drive away the young spiker from the female herd. We can see that this deer is a male, older than a spiker, because its body is more massive than the other animals, and it has a bigger neck.
3. Understanding the family structure in a wild boar herd. Here we have a wild boar herd: three females with a lot of piglets. We can see that only one female is nursing because her nipples are longer and quite evident. The two females are not pregnant and not nursing because it’s not possible to see nipples. We can exclude they are not males because they are clearly too big to stay with females and piglets.
4. Counting the points of the stag during the nighttime in the rut season. In some places, deer have nighttime habits, and it’s quite impossible to see them during the day. Thanks to thermal, we can make a more precise census because not only can we hear the stag roaring in the night, but we can also see him to count the points of his trophy and better understand if he’s a > 5 years class or not.

A thermal unit gives me a chance to understand the sex, age class and status of the animals, thus ensuring that I always choose the right animal.

Riccardo Tamburini

Choosing the right device

Of course, to get the best results, you need to choose the right device. And while we can assure you that any thermal from our range will do its job reliably, the particular pick depends solely on your preferences. 

Riccardo, for example, always admits to going for a high-end device, like the Pulsar Merger or Thermion: “I prefer a thermal bino than a monocular because it helps me and my eyes during log observations while also giving me a very good clarity and detailed images.”

If you value compactness, a thermal monocular – like one of the Axion 2 models – will probably be better for you, as it fits in most pockets and takes up barely any space. Riflescope-wise, Talion can also become a trusty companion, especially if you typically hunt from smaller distances. 

And, of course, pardon us for repeating ourselves, but no device can make the decision for you. Ultimately, it’s the hunter’s responsibility to ensure that every shot fired is as accurate and as just as possible while also not causing animals to suffer.

Maximum safety for me means not accidentally hitting other animals you are not aiming at directly.

Riccardo Tamburini