The AR-15; a limitless weapon designed to be the ultimate survival tool. This weapon has endless ways you can configure it so that it best fits you and your style of competition or hunting. Today we will be looking at the best way to set it up for hog hunting during the nighttime.
Hogs are wild animals, and as such, they are exceptionally good at camouflage. This is especially true during the night. Having a quality thermal scope or night vision apparatus to use when hunting. Scopes, especially thermal ones, are some of the most popular things marketed towards hunters.
With so many options, it can be difficult to decide where to start. What should you look for in a scope when preparing to hog hunting?
Do you need accessories?
If you use more modern thermal scopes that are on the market, you may need to have an addition accessory, such as a colored light, attached to your weapon. The color of the light you add to your weapon can have a tremendous effect on how the hogs react to you.
Red and green lights typically do not create a reaction in hogs and are the best ones to use when you are hunting in predictable places such as at the watering hole or around feeders. If you want to avoid having to mount a light on your AR-15, you can put automatic or remote-controlled lights on the hog feeders or around where you know you will be frequenting during your hunt.
If you do choose to mount a light to your weapon, you will want to be sure you have a handguard to allow for mounting accessories. There are many options for handguards on the market.
What Is the Price of Entry?
Price is not always indicative of what you will receive in a product. With thermal optics, however, you get what you pay for. Quality thermal optics can assist you in hunting from upwards of 400 yards or more away.
This is a fantastic tool to have while hunting at night, as you will be able to sneak up on hogs more easily and you can be sure you are a safe distance away in the case of a stampede or something similar. A quality thermal scope can also help you hunt the hogs when they begin to run.
A downside to using thermal scopes at a distance is that they can play tricks on your eyes. From far away, a pile of large rocks can look eerily like a heard of hogs.
There are ways to ensure you are looking at the right thing and are not trying to hunt something that is not there, but it is an issue you need to be aware of in your hunting endeavors.
What Are the Types of Night Vision?
The best way to figure out what you prefer is to try out many different tools before purchasing your own or deciding on what you want to use the most. Many prefer to use traditional night vision, the kind that you automatically think of when you hear the words “night vision.”
It is a great military technology that has been made available to civilians and using it can help you see why it is so widely used. Traditional night vision uses infrared technology and a variety of combinations of lasers and illuminators. These can become just as pricey as thermal optics with light accessories, but you have the advantages of knowing the traditional night vision works (thank you to our military!), and you can purchase them from several manufacturers for a price in the $3,000 range.
The best part of traditional night vision is that you can mount these goggles to your AR-15 or to a helmet. Having them on a helmet gives you the added benefit of being able to travel around whilst looking for hogs.
How Heavy Is the Set Up?
As with any accessory you put on your weapon, you will want to be keeping in mind how heavy the attachment is. If you are planning to stay in one place while hunting, weight may not matter as much as it would if you are going to be moving around in search of your prey.
Keep this in mind as you modify your AR-15 to meet any standards you have for your new hog hunting hobby.
If you are looking to get involved in hog hunting and are worried about needing to purchase extras for your AR-15 to do its magic, do not fear. The same things that make the AR-15 a great home defense or three-gun competition rifle make it a great hog hunting gun, as well.
The qualities that make this weapon an excellent choice for a myriad of uses include that it is light, accurate, and easy to move from target to target. If you are looking to begin hog hunting or have noticed a few hog “friends” in your back yard that need some taming, look no further than your gun closet. All you need is a new optic to get you started.
In the world of optics, there are many options to choose from. It can quickly become overwhelming trying to figure out what works best for you. Testing out the night vision optics in store or having a friend who will let you test out theirs is the best way to get your foot in the door before making the commitment and purchasing one.
Whether you choose to go with a newer scope or the more traditional night vision, you will want to be sure to choose a night vision that works well for you. It will help you find your prey, capture them, and bring home the bacon, pork tenderloin, and other things you may enjoy from your hog hunt.
If it looks overwhelming at first, do not worry too much. Keeping in mind your price range, the type of night vision you prefer, and the weight of the accessory will help get you farther than you expect in choosing your scope.