I put the FLIR Scout TK thermal monocular to good use this past hunting season.
Have you ever lost a deer after the shot?
We've all been there: you shoot a deer and can't find a blood trail, or you lose an animal in a thicket that is only accessible on your hands and knees. It can be frustrating, but thankfully there are smart tools that are helping with these sorts of things.
The FLIR Scout TK helped me recover more deer this season in low visibility conditions that I may have otherwise not found. I can say for sure that it made a difference.
Once I discovered the power of thermal vision by using the FLIR Scout TK to recover my game, I knew I had an advantage that I wouldn't want to go without.
A few features that specifically stuck out to me about the Scout TK was its size, simplicity of use, and affordability.
Here's what I thought about it, plus a few specs that will help give you an idea of what it's like to use it.
Pocket-sized
We all have gear that takes up plenty of space in our pack, so why add a bulky system that weighs you down?
I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the FLIR Scout TK. It fit perfectly in the front pocket of my backpack, but wasn't small enough to lose when we tossed it in the bed of our Polaris Ranger filled with feed sacks.
The portability of the system is important to me because it cuts down on all of the weight I haul into the deer stand. The smaller size should be a priority for big game recovery: if you're lucky enough to get an animal on the ground, you've got a lot more work to do until the hunt is over. Every square inch matters, meaning the compact Scout TK is ideal.
All told, it weighs only 6 ounces and is just 6 inches long, 2 inches tall, and 2 inches wide. The field of view is 20° by 16° and it can detect the heat signatures of people, objects and animals over 100 yards away.
It comes with a USB cable and lens cap, and can hold a battery life of more than 5 hours with typically usage. It runs on a rechargeable Li-Ion battery type, and believe it or not, the entire unit is submersible.
There are several hunts that I prefer running a light pack on, such as predator and hog hunts, and this low profile fits right into that system. The package even includes an attachable neck lanyard so it's quickly within arm's reach when you need it most.
Simple Use Operation
First of all, the FLIR Scout TK only has four buttons, so you're bound to get the hang of it without much studying. There's a power button that also serves as the menu button, two navigational buttons, and a camera button, so it's really quite simple.
The Scout TK offers eight selectable color palettes to adjust for the highest visibility in different moisture conditions, the same ones we mentioned in our review on the FLIR PTS 233. With the touch of a button, you can adjust the color palettes to fit your environment or preference, and even adjust the screen's brightness depending on the lighting.
The thermal imaging system offers photo and video capturing capabilities so you can keep track of the recorded moments in the field, and save them to your computer or device.
Overall, the thermal perspective is definitely something you'll find comes in handy. Thermal is really a concept that more outdoorsmen should wrap their heads around, because I believe there will be all kinds of applications across the board.
I can see it helping ranchers find loose cattle, search and rescue teams track down folks who are lost, and those concerned with personal and home security. A quick scan of your own backyard will reveal anything or anybody, in the light of day or total darkness of night. The Scout TK really is a marvel when you start thinking about how you can harness its capabilities.
Affordable
The standard price for the FLIR Scout TK is $650, which is pretty impressive when you fully consider all it can do.
In comparison to other thermal devices on the market, you can't get a significantly better package for the same kind of price. Since a lot of thermal technology has been priced too high for most of ur budgets, the Scout TK represents the smart way to take advantage of the benefits of thermal.
As a brand, FLIR has enough experience to deserve our respect, and they deserve yours too. FLIR designs products for government, defense, marine, automotive, public safety, and security sectors, just to name a few. They have applied the learnings and know-how to their outdoor products like the Scout TK, and it shows by just how perfect it fits into this application.
Overall Thoughts on the FLIR Scout TK Thermal Vision Monocular
Overall, this system should be eye-opening for the general hunter or outdoorsman, especially if they haven't used thermal technology for their sportsman pursuits.
You can affordably take a dip into thermal technology, and effectively search for wild game in low light. The small size is perfect for running and gunning between predator setups and light enough to drop in any whitetail pack. Operations on the FLIR Scout TK also take the stress out of the technology, with only four buttons you're bound to find what you want.
FLIR Systems knows their stuff when it comes to imaging devices, and the Scout TK thermal imaging monocular seems like a tool you can count on for lots of smart uses.
NEXT: SIG SAUER CROSS RIFLE FOLDS THE GAP BETWEEN TACTICAL, HUNTING PURPOSES
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