It was long ago when we used only standard binoculars for hunting. In recent years, thermal vision binoculars have also become common. Whether it would be your first thermal bino or if you are trying to add more to your binoculars collection. This guide is for you!
It will cover a list of the best thermal binoculars for hunting various species. All the reviews and recommendations are independent and personal. You can read the specification list, pros and cons, and features to decide which model suits you best.
Whether you have a high budget to spend or want one within your range, you will be able to find one from the list below.
Let’s get started!
How We Reviewed The Best Thermal Binoculars For Hunting?
Even though all the binoculars look the same, they are built differently. This is true that you get what you pay for, but this should not be true in all situations.
Because you don’t always need to have high-power binoculars to spot the species. At times, having low power is more powerful and useful. So, how should you pick the one with the right specs? Don’t worry; I’ve broken down the criteria to make it easy for you.
Before jumping to the thermal binoculars, let’s get through the process of how we review the binoculars.
To keep the process easy and fair, we tested each binocular using the same specifications. We tested the results for
Use Intention
Why have I included intention as the criteria for judging binoculars? There is no point in testing and judging all the binoculars for the same purpose. In some situations, you need high magnification, but in others, you must have low magnification.
Determining the intended use is crucial because it will help you decide the best binoculars for hunting based on different situations. You need it for either a big species or a small one. And the area type where you would be hunting.
Budget
Another important factor that plays a part is the budget. There are hundreds of binocular options available in the market, and there will always be one with high quality available. But what you should buy depends on your budget.
Build Quality
The third but equally important is the build quality of the thermal imaging device. As your budget limits you, you should get the best within your budget. This is what I have considered while listing the below binoculars.
What image quality should you expect, how far would you be able to see, and how sharp will the great image be? All of these are under build quality.
Best Thermal Binoculars For Hunting
Best Overall: ATN BinoX 4T Thermal Binoculars
Pros
- This binocular comes with a laser rangefinder.
- It offers color modes for user convenience.
- 50mm Objective lenses form a sharp, bright image
- It also offers an HD video recording feature.
- Has a smooth zoom-in feature with control through an iOS or Android app.
- 8x magnification ensures a wide field of view.
Cons
- Due to the large objective lens diameter, it is relatively heavy.
- It might be pricey for some hunters.
This BinoX with a laser rangefinder can capture more than the normally available binoculars. It has two large 50mm lenses to form a sharp, clear, and bright image. It also offers a long battery life that works for around 16 hours.
However, the thermal binoculars are more expensive than the other binoculars for hunting. But such a great quality bino with all the desired features is impressive.
It uses modern technology and offers live streaming and HD video recording features that can be useful for most of hunters.
It offers a significant variation of settings based on your needs and preferences. You can choose the color palette in which your images will be shown.
Laser rangefinder helps the hunter to observe and spot bird animal species in the daylight as well.
It has a great built quality as it uses minimum power to record video and can work for 16 hours without lagging or producing low-quality images.
As the lens and glass quality is excellent, it does not cause any eye strain even when used for hours.
Best Value For Money: FLIR Scout TK Thermal Imaging Monocular
Pros
- It is smaller and lightweight.
- It comes with a weather-resistant shell that protects it from any harsh weather conditions.
- It has a 5-hour rechargeable battery.
- It consists of a microbolometer thermal imager that helps spot the species in the dark.
- It can spot objects up to 300 feet in detection range.
Cons
- As it is monocular, you might get uncomfortable after using it for longer.
This monocular is one of the best budget thermal monoculars for hunting in the dark. For optimal viewing, it has various options to choose your desired color palette (including white hot, red hot, rainbow iron, instant alert, Iron, lava, and more). FLIR thermal units’ monoculars come with a weather-resistant shell that protects them from external damage.
It forms a clear, sharp image of the object in the dark and in the daylight. It allows you to see the objects from up to 300 feet away.
This monocular model is waterproof, making it usable in rainy evenings, too.
It can be used for up to 5 hours as it has a rechargeable li-on battery.
Some people also use them to watch birds, so they are easy to start and use. If you are a new hunter trying to find optics to spot animals or birds in the dark, FLIR thermal binoculars are a great option.
Nice To Start: ATN BinoX 4T HD Thermal Binoculars
Pros
- This HD thermal binocular comes with a laser rangefinder.
- It also has a video recording feature.
- It offers a high-resolution display of 1280x720x2/ field of view: 16°x12. 5°.
- It uses Bix (Ballistic Information exchange) to exchange information.
- This model comes in varying magnification and objective lens powers.
Cons
- Testers say it does not work best for hunting.
This model of binoculars comes with a laser rangefinder that helps you see objects far away clearly. It can also record video with 1280x720x2 resolution.
It offers a maximum of 5x magnification power, which means you can see the image enlarged by five times and have a large field view.
However, magnification will not be an issue, even if you need a higher one, because this model comes with other magnifications as well.
The best part? It helps you spot animal species’ locations that appear in the app on your phone for easy tracking.
It comes with an IR illuminator so that you don’t have to carry a lot of weight with you. It allows you to exchange information between ATN binos and ATN scope. If you do not have an ATN scope, you can still use that information with a regular scope and their app.
High-Powered Thermal Binoculars: Athlon Optics 12×50
Pros
- Regardless of its high power, it is relatively lightweight.
- It comes with a multi-coated lens that prevents eye strain even after hours of use.
- This model uses the Bak 4 prism and ESP dielectric coating for accurate color production.
- XPL lens coating prevents it from getting scratches and dirt.
- It is versatile and can be used for hunting multiple species.
- Mid-range product and is affordable for most hunters.
Cons
- Few hunters find the center knob disturbing as it touches the nose when in use.
These high-powered thermal binoculars come with a high power, i.e., 12×50. It has been built compactly, so is not so heavy.
It is available in varying magnification powers and objective lens diameters.
It offers a high-definition view as they have a fully coated lens that helps form a clear image with enough brightness.
You can enjoy a top-tier view as it is composed of ED glass that forms a sharper image.
For accurate color production, it has a BaK4 prism. It comprises a magnesium chassis that is as tough as a metal chassis but is light in weight.
You can take it with you on a hike or a long walk in the bushes as it is durable.
The best part? Athlon offers products directly to consumers, so you can expect the binoculars for hunting within your budget.
Premium Thermal Binoculars: HBX1600B 10×42
Pros
- It comes with an ideal power i.e., 10×42.
- It consists of a 1760-yard laser rangefinder.
- This thermal binocular comes with a bright HD LCD that displays images fast.
- The brand offers after-purchase support to its customers.
Cons
- It does not come with a pouch or harness, so you must buy it separately.
This is one of the best binoculars for hunting, offering fast-ranging accuracy of 0.15 seconds, making it ideal for shooting and bow hunting.
It has an accurate long-ranging capacity that makes it versatile for various objects at short or long distances.
Its ranging capacity is up to 1760 yards reflective, trees up to 1000 yards, and deer up to 800 yards.
This model of thermal device also offers a high-end display with three reticle options. Enhanced LCD offers bright image quality with 40% more light than the typical LCD.
It has a premium optical quality that provides better light transmission. As it has 10x magnification power, it enlarges the object 10 times its original size.
It has a multi-coated optical system that features an optical system with reflective coatings. It uses silver-coated prisms that help form a brighter and clearer image of the object in focus.
The best part? The brand offers lifetime support to customers, meaning it offers free repair if something gets damaged.
It uses advanced technologies, including Scan mode, horizontal mode, ballistic mode, Angle mode, archery mode, and other modes for different types of hunting.
Creative Monocular: Night Vision High Tech Spy Monocular
Pros
- Infrared and high-tech spy monoculars.
- It also saves thermal images and videos it takes.
- The monocular comes with a card reader.
- Great design and is easy to handle and carry.
Cons
- It may cause eye strain if used for longer.
These travel infrared monoculars come with a 35mm objective lens diameter with 5x magnification. It has a manual focus feature that allows you to focus objects using a knob.
It has the ability to see objects in 100% darkness as it uses a no-glow infrared illuminator.
It can work for hours, i.e., up to 6 hours on a charge. If you plan to take it on a hike, it can be mounted on various tripods.
It also has a 1.54-inch TFT screen that will help you see the images as they are captured.
This model of monoculars lets you see as far as 1640 feet with ease. It also allows you to zoom in 8 times to see every object clearly.
The best part? It has a 32 GB SD card, computer and mobile-compatible card readers, a USB cable, and a manual.
The only thing that you should keep in mind is that your eyes may get stressed if you use it for a long time.
In Budget Option: Athlon Optics 8×42 HD Binoculars
Pros
- It is a versatile thermal binocular and can be used to hunt various types of species.
- It is waterproof as well as fogproof.
- They offer high-end views as they are comprised of multi-coated lenses.
- It has ED glass and a BaK-4 prism for sharp image formation.
- O-ring sealed for water and fog proofing.
- It is available at a competitive price.
Cons
- The strap that comes with this binocular is of no use.
If you are looking for something on a budget, this is one of the best thermal binoculars for hunting. It offers a high-end view of the focused object as it has a multi-coated lens.
It also offers a sharper image as it is comprised of BaK-4 prisms. It also has ESP dielectric coating that helps to form accurate colors of the image.
As 8×42 is a widely used binocular power, you can use it for hunting, star gazing, and bird watching.
Nice Upgrade: U2B 12×50 mm Binoculars
Pros
- It is a portable binocular with high power but light in weight.
- It is water as well as fogproof.
- A large objective lens diameter of 50mm ensures more light gathering and brighter image formation.
- It offers 12x image enlargement, and you can clearly see far animals.
Cons
- It offers a two-year warranty that should last a lifetime.
It comes with great-quality glass that does not cause any aberrations and is not disturbing to the eyes. It can focus fast, and the prism alignment is great.
The 12x magnification makes it a great option to see the objects. After seeing their power, one can see that these compact binoculars are not as heavy as one thinks.
The only things that it should improve are the warranty and support. Other brands that offer similar binoculars offer lifetime support and warranty.
Maybe Ursa will start offering a lifetime warranty soon.
It is portable as it is not heavy, and you can carry it with you for long hikes.
Most of the binoculars lack binocular straps and other accessories, but they come with an objective and ocular lens cap and neck strap.
Tips For A Successful Hunt
Stop When You Made Noise
You might forget the step you took on the dried leaves, but the species that got disturbed won’t. This means if you accidentally make noise, pause there for some time. This is important when you are after deer species because they smell and sense faster than other animal species. When you make a noise near their feeding/bedding area, they start looking in the direction where the sound came from. So, move after that.
Find A Hunting Companion
If you like hunting and have been into it for a while, you must have hunter friends. Some of them have joined communities and groups with similar hunting interests. Be open to asking questions from them.
For example, what type of hunting are they involved in?
What do they use for hunting?
Or are they available to hunt on the same day you are planning?
It would be easier to find someone to hunt a species with. You can benefit from their experience and borrow equipment if you don’t have one. For example, borrow a rifle or bow when you plan to hunt.
Take Longer Steps
The animals are used to living in their areas (feeding/bedding). They know how it sounds and what they can expect from the bushes. So, when they sense something unusual, they start looking for it consciously.
So, if you are required to move while spotting for a species, try to take long, quick steps. And be softer on the leaves.
Clear Your Shooting Directions
This is important, especially if you try to take a shot from the tree. When you get to your shooting position, start practicing the shooting positions one by one.
Make sure your strap moves freely and allows movement in all directions.
Determine from which position the animal might appear; clear the tree branches from those directions if you can.
Wind Direction Is Important
This is one of the important factors you should consider while hunting. If you have been hunting for a while, you must know how strong some species, especially deer, have a sense of smell.
They can smell anything from several yards away. If they find a smell different from nature, they will run away in a different direction.
That is why it is important that you stay behind the cover so that it can prevent your smell from spreading. And know the wind direction and sit at the downwind of where the species will be.
Prioritize Your Safety
It is important that you complete your homework before going out for a hunt. Read the local guidelines and hunting regulations in your area if you haven’t already. Gain knowledge about the species you want to target, the areas where they are usually spotted, and so on.
Hunting might be exciting but challenging, too, in terms of safety.
So, it is recommended to take all precautionary measures before going out in the bushes.
That’s A Wrap!
This article covers the best thermal binoculars for hunting in detail. The way we reviewed these thermal binoculars depended on the intention of the use, the budget, and the build quality. I have mentioned 8 thermal binoculars that you could choose from. They include the best overall ATN BinoX 4T, the best value for money FLIR Scout TK handheld, nice to start ATN BinoX 4T384 1.25-5x, high powered Athlon Optics 12×50, premium HbX1600B 10×42 thermal binoculars, creative monocular high tech spy, In budget Athlon optics 8×42 HD Binoculars, and Nice upgrade U2B 12x50mm binoculars.
The article also covers useful tips for hunters that include stopping for some time when you accidentally make noise, finding a hunting companion, taking longer steps, clearing shooting directions, having an idea of wind directions, and prioritizing your safety.
Do you have more questions related to ‘The Best thermal binoculars for hunting’? Refer to the frequently asked questions below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Suggest the best thermal binoculars for hunting under $500.
The above-listed binoculars are mostly $500, but you can try high-powered Athlon Optics 12x50mm.
Which one is the best thermal binocular for the money?
If you are looking for something great, either binocular or monocular, try the best value for money: the FLIR Scout TK handheld. Other than that, you can try premium HbX1600B 10×42 thermal binoculars that are worth buying and are versatile.
What should you look for in a thermal binocular?
You should prioritize the purpose (use intention) behind buying a thermal binocular, your budget, and then the build quality (that includes magnification power results, objective lens diameter, harness, glass quality, and other technicalities).
