Would anyone like to get together for a night vision pig hunt? I am in NW Ga without a huntable pig population locally, but willing to make a drive for some pig meat.

Would there be any interest in February or March while its still cool??

Open to ideas/suggestions......

In




But you knew that already

Tha, tha, tha, ... that's all, folks! /porky

It was that^ photo in the NV forum IR Rifle pic thread that got me thinking about killing some pigs (and I just got my pvs14 put together this week).

Specs man, specs?

I"m up for a hog hunt.

Never been on a nighttime hog hunt.  I'd LOVE to go.

I really can't have a HTF hunt per se at my little ol' spot. Wish I had the land. I only have a small lease (110 acre) mid-GA Southern zone near Butler (Garden Valley), and there is a swampy area on the low end, full of pigs. If - and this is a BIG IF - I take a guest hunting, I can take only take one (1) person at a time. There is really just that one stand where you might see pigs.

The setup: I have a corn feeder to bait the swine out into a brushy clearing X. It has a timer, and dispenses corn a few seconds at daybreak and sundown (legal in GA). I have one 2-man ladder stand overlooking the feeder from the treeline at, I estimate, 80 yds range, but it can't be a NE wind or they will smell you. I have shot 7 pigs there in as many weekends. There is no guarantee they show up, or what time, corn or not. Sometimes it is just a bunch of 'coons. Camera data substantiates this. PS I do not allow shooting deer at this stand during the legal day/season. It would be legal - I have written permission - but I do not shoot deer over bait, no, because I am a woodsman; I use woodcraft, knowledge, and guile to waylay the mighty whitetail, as it should be. I'm not a fuckin' philistine "if its brown its down" kinda guy, ya know. "This is this". My rules or GTFO.

A friend and I in the area have been cultivating friendships with larger landowners that have hog issues, as we do a few hunts and get some word of mouth that we get results. We both have good gear, have done this many times, but it isn't a hunt for the FNG, no. It has to go pro all the way. I would be nervous watching someone I had never hunted with before, and their muzzle, to make sure they do not shoot a prize livestock animal, or worse. Just not the kind of situation I could invite my homies to come kill hogs, for now. It isn't as easy as it sounds to get permission to hunt hogs. Most land is already leased. Its a word of mouth thing, we get to shoot a few, and get invited somewhere else. I am hoping it leads to some long-term relationships where I could actually take new "recruits" and put you guys on some pigs.

You also must know there is NO night hunting on any public land, anywhere, in this state. Period. So it is private land only kinda thing. Plus you need written permission for suppressors, as I interpret the rules. As in "what must I show mister green fucking jeans so he doesn't arrest me and take my can" interpretation. I read that as "copy of stamp" + "copy of explicitly written landowner permission to use suppressors". Stay legal and you never get in trouble, that's my theory.

Tried to send you a PM RamblinWreck, but I am on your ignore list.   Not sure why?

Anyhow if we have not become mortal enemies somehow can you tell me if it is legal to hunt with suppressors AND night vision.

And if we are mortal enemies, why?

I guess someone will need to quote this before he'll even see it.

Quoted.

 

I've read the regs previously and to my knowledge there were no changes to hunting at night or with NV anywhere (you'll need to confirm in rule book to be sure you comply).  

The suppressor law didn't mention any of that, so they are two separate concerns.  In other words.  Yes, you can hunt at night with suppressors if you meet conditions of both regs.  Ie... depending on private land (public is no), written permission to use suppressors if not your land and type game available to be hunted at night- coon, predators, pigs are allowed (non big game animals).



http://www.legis.ga.gov/Legislation/20132014/141593.pdf

Thanks FI!

That is how I read that also, and as hogs are the intended target, I think I am good to go.

STJC: I have a low tolerance for blather, insults, bullying, and beans in chili, and it does not take much herp and derp for me to ignore someone. You probably ragged on RBGC and/or called me a fudd, which is an instant ignore in my book. Maybe I was just in a shitty mood that day. I don't remember why. I'll take you off.

There is no mention of night vision in the GA DNR-WRD regs whatsoever (except in an advert from Hog Swat), just some stuff about light placement, which I am not sure about the meaning, other than I think they mean "not attached to a vehicle". Grey area here would be a rifle mounted light, and I do not use one. Anyway "carried on the person" probably includes rifle-mounted... It is pretty clear to me that there is no relationship between suppressor law and night vision. Some states actually do prohibit night vision for hunting. Poor bastards, glad I live in GA. Of course, all it takes is one person to fuck up at night and shoot some state legislator's cow or dog or golf cart or something to ruin it for everyone.



I have been hunting at night for quite some time with both NV/Thermal, and suppressors since July. I've been on hunts where a ranger was around when we were gathered at a piece of property by the road, and he was passing by and stopped to check us out. He was merely interested in our equipment, and wished us a safe hunt. Of course, there's always a chance of some ignorant dickhead LEO that will assume the worst and harass a legal hunter. I don't let that worry me.

I somehow doubt Stimp ragged on RBGC  :)

 

No enemies, and here's a Christmas offering :

It looks like rain so ain't going down this weekend, however, I am off Christmas thru Jan 4, and I'll def be going down during that time, so ...

If you have NV gear (already zeroed, right?) to try it out and want to try for a pig with me as previously described, send an IM. We might get one, we might not.

* member here at least one year, safe, licensed, not psychotic, with good muzzle discipline, please.

hey now beans go in chili

I don't rag on RBGC.

I have been on the board for some years...in the face of much hate.

If you loved Mike, we are already brothers.

That Man and I made many things together.

Would you tell us a little about your setup and how practical the 14 and thermal are? How you like to use them to compliment each other etc...?  Seems the thermal would be awesome for scanning fields, even with tall grass, light foliage even?

Bless you and thanks...but I cannot accept this time for a multitude of reasons.

A day will come when I may accept your grace.  It is enough for me we don't have issues.   Merry Christmas!

Oh, and...Go Jackets!

Roger that. No worries.

So what is every one hunting with? I have a PVS14 helmet rig with IR strobe, DPMS GII hunter.308 rifle (modified) with FLIR RS64-35 thermal and a DBAL I2 laser. Saker 762 can. UNV MDVR for recording in a little velcro admin pouch. Various IR illum torches.

Sure, but I am not an authority by any means; they get a lot more technical on the NV forum here. One thing I can say is the PVS14 complements the thermal very well, and especially for target ID and navigating. After you get some experience you can tell a pig right away from a bedded deer in the FLIR, but ID is critical and the 14 helps. The FLIR is useless for navigating around, the 14 on the helmet excels at this, especially on a clear night with good ambient moon and starlight. On a cloudy night I use an IR illum. So for navigating around, the 14 is king.

The thermal excels at spotting the pigs to say the least. If it breathes, you can see it. Even if only a leg or ear is visible you will spot it. Its amazing the first time, like, WOW man. Scanning with the scope on an 11 lb rifle gets tiring though, plus you are muzzle sweeping everything you look at. Its OK if you know where you are and the others get behind you while you scan, but I soon found myself wanting a hand-held thermal for spotting. I bought a Pulsar HD19S for this and it works great for spotting. I've been using that about a month. I don't think it can be beat for the price.

My buddy just has a ATN Thor thermal on his rifle, and he just scans with it on his place from his electric hunting UTV. When we team up, he just kind of follows me and helps spot.

Before I got the FLIR I tried using the PVS 14 on the rifle behind an Eotech, but that wasn't very effective for spotting and ID. Its ok if on a stand, but sucked for walking around. The laser is a different story, it provides great accuracy to about 100 yards, and is good for pointing out a pig I am looking at in the thermal to a buddy with an NV rig who can't see it. I just press the tape switch and he sees the spot in his 14 or whatever. If something jumps out close while I am walking, I can just use the laser to target it, and not fool with the scope in a rush. So that's my rig and how I use it.

Envious.  I'm working my way towards that level of gear.  2015 is going to be the year I get a PVS14/helmet/illuminator if everything falls into place.

Paging caver101...

So I gotta ask, hoe much would a setup like that cost? Lost price is fine if you got a super secret squirrel deal

I should have some time off for a piggie hunt around the first of the year!

I hunt with a 14 mounted in the Ops Core I bought from you. An IR laser isn't in the budget yet, but the Aimpoint M3 works great for me. It works well enough that I'm not in a huge hurry for a laser. My blaster is a 10.5" .300AAC with an IR WML. I also have a Torch Pro that I use as a handheld.

You can put one together for much less than you think. I built (assembled) my unit myself for a fraction of the cost with a nice omni IV gen 3 tube. Just shop around for deals and be patient!

I missed all the Amazon deals this year. People were getting thermals for $300...

warning, very depressing

What load are you shooting in the 300AAC?

No squirrel deals. Being an Army brat who was raised by a "lifer" NCO in on base housing all over the world is the whole of my military "service" LOL. I am PFC - pure frickin' civilian. I put my 18 years in, man.

I paid full retail from TNVC (PVS14, FLIR, DBAL), UNV(Pulsar, MDVR) just a piece at a time. Prices are on their websites, so you do the math. I guess the rifle in the pic cost over $10k. I'm not wealthy, but I make a decent living. Knock on wood.

The 3 I've killed were with PNW 125gr ballistic tips. I've switched to Barnes 110gr TacTX, but haven't shot any with it yet. The ballistic tips worked great, but I wanted to try something different.