The one-sentence version Thermal imaging makes a picture from the heat objects give off, so it works in complete darkness with no light at all — while night vision amplifies or digitally captures the small amount of light that's already there. How a thermal scope actually works Every object above...

A thermal monocular is the most useful piece of kit most hunters don't own yet. Before you ever raise a rifle, a good handheld lets you scan a paddock, find the heat, count the mob and range the shot — saving hours of walking and a lot of spooked game....

Thermal scopes have gone from specialist kit to the default tool for serious feral control in Australia. They detect heat, not light, so they work in total darkness, through light scrub, and on the warmest or blackest nights — exactly when pigs, foxes, rabbits and deer are moving. But the...