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#133090 - 05/01/10 08:53 PM NVG night vision gear
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
How many of you carry NVG? I have an elcheapo ($150) Russian IR telescope. Its a lot of fun to look at the stars in really dark places, like mountain tops and high camp sites, but its also fun and informative to watch the animal life around you. What is the rustling sound over there? Have a look see, there's an IR laser built in to illuminate things.

Observations: Many animals have reflective layers in the backs of their eyes to reflect light back through the nerve cells giving them twice as much signal to send to their brain, but if affects their fine focus ability. Night animals consequently have eyes that glow. Most NVG has some magnification and the first time you look out to see what the noise was and you see the magnified glowing eyes of a deer, well I screamed and turned to run for it... It looked like an alien. Its good to see the skunks before you throw a rock. cry BUT let me tell you this, especially if you have a campfire, every animal for 5 miles down wind will come to the proximity of your camp. You won't normally see them but they are there. Also if you are in lion country, they will come to watch the other animals. When that fire burns down they aren't frightened of the flames any more and you may unwittingly attracted all of the animals that you wished to repel with the fire. I am always a bit spooked after dousing the fire. Then if you look around with NVG you may see some big animals just 40 -60 feet away.
Jim
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

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#133105 - 05/02/10 11:45 AM Re: NVG night vision gear [Re: Jimshaw]
DJ2 Offline
member

Registered: 01/06/02
Posts: 1348
Loc: Seattle, WA
Thanks for sharing your observations. Very interesting. Makes me think twice about having a fire.

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#133110 - 05/02/10 12:07 PM Re: NVG night vision gear [Re: Jimshaw]
Wild Backpacker Offline
newbie

Registered: 05/02/10
Posts: 8
Loc: Utah, USA
Wow. That is amazing! Wouldn't have guessed that much activity is generated by a campfire! I'll be sure to stay up a bit after I put my next one out. My grandfather has Night Vision Goggles, but I've never thought to bring them backpacking or camping with me before, but after reading this I think I might go pay him a visit and ask him to try them out!

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#133120 - 05/02/10 02:08 PM Re: NVG night vision gear [Re: Jimshaw]
Dryer Offline

Moderator

Registered: 12/05/02
Posts: 3591
Loc: Texas
I don't have an actual light intensifier but I do have some mongo astronomical binocs that let me see pretty well in the dark, especially with moonlight. It is fun watching the critters at night.
Jim, a friend of mine has, I believe, the same Russian LI tube you have. Raccoons look like they have headlights! Especially if you have the IR LED illuminator turned on. Have a look at your TV remote through that thing. Very bright!


Edited by Dryer (05/02/10 05:16 PM)
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paul, texas KD5IVP

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#133130 - 05/02/10 08:10 PM Re: NVG night vision gear [Re: Dryer]
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
Dryer, so I had a mondo campfire next to a rock, because there was a mountain lion in my area. When I doused it and turned in, it was a dark night and I pulled out my scope and looked out the tent door. There was a huge tree with a spot light on it. Went I put it down there was tree or spot light so I looked again and it was still there. The small tree in front of my tent was magnified and the heat from the campfire on the boulder was casting enough IR onto the tree to look like a spot light. The next morning I found one footprint from the lion, thats all. Its very common to find one lone lion print as they seem to move slightly above the ground.
Jim
_________________________
These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.

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#133410 - 05/09/10 07:16 PM Re: NVG night vision gear [Re: Jimshaw]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Quote:
BUT let me tell you this, especially if you have a campfire, every animal for 5 miles down wind will come to the proximity of your camp....

When that fire burns down they aren't frightened of the flames any more and you may unwittingly attracted all of the animals that you wished to repel with the fire.


There are a lot of reasons why I will light a campfire, but repelling critters has never been one of them. I think you may be seeing what's always been there, fire or not.

When you set up camp in the forest there are already critters there that only come out at night. I'd imagine they'd be cautious just because they're not familiar with you being there, but I don't know about attracted to the fire. For sure I know that they are coming out to forage or hunt for food. They're hungry.

If you just sit quiet and still in a forest in the daytime for 20-30 minutes you'll see all kinds of critters you never see while hiking. But make a sound, or move, and they all scatter.

Mountain Lions, and most all cats, love to play in the dark. I can see where you equal out their night vision advantage some with NVG, but again, that only proves you can see them better at night when you have NVG, but not at all that they aren't nearby watching you in the day, or at night when you don't have a campfire.

Just for grins, I'll set up a game camera in the forest behind our house and try to get some photos of the critters rustling around out there in the darkness for a few nights. Then I'll go light a fire and see if I get any more photos, or photos of critters not previously captured by the camera.

I have heard from several sources now that we have a mountain lion that lives around here. Maybe I'll get a pic of him wink


_________________________
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"You want to go where?"



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#133728 - 05/14/10 11:49 AM When weight is not an issue [Re: Jimshaw]
Pappy Offline
newbie

Registered: 04/25/10
Posts: 7
Loc: NC
MY wife bought me a monocular NV years ago and when weight is no a major issue I'll carry it. Mine only weighs probably a pound or less. Yes it is great fun to watch the coyotes and raccoons trying to sneak around the camp area. I think they are truly shocked when you start talking to them. It's like they're saying to themselves; "Can that human really see me?"

I heard a major crash close to me one night that had me concerned as I had heard bear cubs baying earlier. The scope showed me it was just a deer with its rack caught up.

I really like using that night scope

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