Thermal Scope, First Hog: A Night Hunt in Texas

NRA Women writer recounts her first wild hog hunt at Texas's Sellmark Ranch, pairing an AR in 6.8 SPC with Pulsar's new Thermion 3 thermal riflescope for a nighttime sit that ended in a clean harvest at 123 yards.

Key points

• The problem: the article explains wild hogs are prolific invasives that tear up crops, fences and habitat, with sows capable of two litters a year and piglets breeding by six months old.
• The gear: she shot an AR-platform rifle chambered in 6.8 SPC topped with Pulsar's then-unreleased Thermion 3, which she says offered noticeably sharper detail than earlier Thermion models.
• The setup: hunts ran out of enclosed Redneck Blinds and Tank Blinds elevated towers across the ranch's roughly 6,800 acres, with UTV transport to the stand.
• The shot: after a few false alarms from armadillos, she steadied up on a hog rooting at 123 yards and made what she describes as a well-placed, ethical harvest, then tracked it through thermal before moving in.
• The caveat: she notes thermal doesn't replace basic target identification and reminds readers to check their state's rules on thermal optics and night hunting.

Quick take

This is less a gear review than a field diary, but it's a useful one: a first-time hog hunter walking through what a modern thermal setup actually changes about hunting after dark, and why landowners in hog country want hunters out there in the first place. Worth a read if you're weighing night-hunting gear or just curious what a guided Texas hog hunt looks like start to finish.

Read the full story: nrawomen.com