Best thermal scopes for hog hunting
Hogs come in groups and move fast at night. At every budget, the scopes that show the most ground at 100 yards, so you see the whole sounder.
Updated October 11, 2026 · 154 current models considered
How this list is ranked
- Field width: how much ground fills the screen at 100 yards. Wider finds the whole group faster.
Field width
How many feet of ground fill the screen at 100 yards. Wider makes scanning faster; narrower usually means more detail on the animal.
- Then identification distance: the farthest a coyote still stands 12 pixels tall on the screen, enough to tell it from a fox or a dog. Calculated from the maker's sensor and lens.
Identification distance
Our estimate of how far away you can tell a coyote from a fox or a dog. It is calculated from the lens and sensor, assuming good conditions.
- Then price: on a further tie, the cheaper one.
Only current models sold through US dealers with a published US price, that identify a coyote at 75 yards or more (a hog is bigger, so it can be told apart a little farther out). Nobody paid for a spot, and affiliate links never change the order. The coyotes are drawn at 200 yards, one square per sensor pixel, all on the same scale. How we measure.
Under $1,000
Top 5 of 9 current thermal scopes in this range.
1
5 px tall at 200 yd
2
5 px tall at 200 yd
3
Bering Optics
Hogster Stimulus 2.3-4.6x19
256×192 · 19 mm · $975
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 49 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~80 yd
5 px tall at 200 yd
4
5 px tall at 200 yd
5
ATN
ThOR 6 Mini 256 3.5-28x
256×192 · 25 mm · $795
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 37 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~105 yd
6 px tall at 200 yd
Compare the top 3 side by side · See them all on the thermal scopes page
$1,000 to $2,000
Top 5 of 33 current thermal scopes in this range.
1
DNT Optics
Hydra HS635
640×512 · 35 mm · $2,000
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 66 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~150 yd
9 px tall at 200 yd
2
5 px tall at 200 yd
3
5 px tall at 200 yd
4
ATN
ThOR 5 LRF 320 3-12x
320×240 · rangefinder · $1,995
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 61 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~80 yd
5 px tall at 200 yd
5
Pulsar
Talion XQ35 Pro
384×288 · 35 mm · $2,000
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 56 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~105 yd
6 px tall at 200 yd
Compare the top 3 side by side · See them all on the thermal scopes page
$2,000 to $3,500
Top 5 of 47 current thermal scopes in this range.
1
6 px tall at 200 yd
2
ATN
ThOR 5 LRF 640 2-16x
640×480 · rangefinder · $2,995
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 93 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~105 yd
6 px tall at 200 yd
3
6 px tall at 200 yd
4
ATN
ThOR 6 Mini 640 2-16x
640×512 · 35 mm · $2,095
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 66 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~150 yd
9 px tall at 200 yd
5
DNT Optics
Hydra LRF HS635R
640×512 · 35 mm · rangefinder · $2,222
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 66 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~150 yd
9 px tall at 200 yd
Compare the top 3 side by side · See them all on the thermal scopes page
$3,500 and up
Top 5 of 65 current thermal scopes in this range.
1
Trijicon
IR-HUNTER 24mm
640×480 · 24 mm · $7,209
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 96 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~100 yd
6 px tall at 200 yd
2
6 px tall at 200 yd
3
13 px tall at 200 yd
4
ATN
ThOR 5 XD LRF 1280 2-20x
1280×1024 · $5,295
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 93 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~210 yd
13 px tall at 200 yd
5
InfiRay
Rico Micro V2 640 25mm (RH25 V2)
640×480 · 25 mm · $3,999
- Ground across at 100 yd
- 92 ft
- Identify a coyote to
- ~105 yd
6 px tall at 200 yd
Compare the top 3 side by side · See them all on the thermal scopes page
What is left out
Discontinued models, which sell used on eBay; brands with no US dealer network; and models whose maker publishes too little about the sensor or lens to calculate a distance. All of them are on the thermal scopes page.
Prices are the US price on file for each model, or the maker's list price where marked MSRP. Retailers change them often; the retailer's page is the current one.
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