Im no guru!! But i have an atn 4k pro IR scope, dont have thermal yet.. most of the guys i know run a similar setup and use a handheld thermal monocular, (some have thermal scope and handheld) for 2 reasons mostly.. this is what they tell me- 1) its A LOT easier to scan with a handheld than it is to be down on the rifle the whole time. (I can attest to this, when im not with someone with a thermal handheld it is a bit of a PITA to be down on gun and scanning the whole time, and you cant really look behind or odd angles if your gun is connected to tripod) 2) unless you drop some serious dough on a really good thermal scope, actual identification of animals at further ranges can be difficult.. u can see their heat signature but differentiating a domestic dog, bobcat, racoon, coyote from one another is the hard part..
Again im no expert, just what ive seen/been told by those who could be called more of a expert than me lol..
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