I was tucked into bed, battling a relentless cold, when my phone buzzed. The sickness kept me from being able to sleep. I groaned and reached for my phone. It was David. David isn’t just a friend—he’s my business partner and hunting brother. We’ve been predator hunting together for years, and by now, we move like gears in a well-oiled machine. He’s the guy I trust when it counts, whether we're behind a desk or behind a rifle.
"You awake? Let’s go kill a coyote, now!”
I stared at the message, with little debate, given the weather conditions outside, I responded immediately “I’m in. Getting dressed now.” I dragged myself off the couch, coughing and sniffling, and pulled on layers of warm clothing.
The drive to the field was treacherous, with snow coming down so hard I could only see a few feet. David was waiting when I arrived, his truck idling with the headlights cutting weakly through the snowfall. I stepped out, the icy wind slicing through me, and he grinned.
"Figured you wouldn't let a little cold stop you," he said as he set his rifle into the tripod- a sleek rig topped with a Thermion 2 XP50 Pro LRF.
We scurried through the fresh powdered snow to reach our destination. The world was eerily quiet except for the occasional gust of wind. My chest burned with each breath, my cold making the effort of walking feel monumental. But adrenaline was beginning to creep in.
I scanned the field with the Telos XL50, and that’s when everything changed.
At about 100 yards, I picked up a heat signature—a ghostly glow no standard scope could have detected through the snow and dark. There it was. A coyote, still as a statue on the crest of the hill. I handed the scanner to David, and his expression said it all: game on.
The coyote was so close, we didn’t want to move anymore than needed. The FoxPro was still slung around my shoulder.
We exchanged a glance. Improvisation it was. I pursed my lips and let out a soft, high-pitched squeak, mimicking a distressed rodent. David followed suit. The coyote froze, ears pricked. Slowly, it began to move toward us, its curiosity piqued by the sound. Through the XP50, its body appeared in striking thermal detail, every step highlighted in the viewfinder like a predator lit in firelight. Even in the blizzard, we could see its breath, its movements, its hesitation. It was a surreal edge thermal imaging gave us—cutting through the weather, darkness, and terrain like they weren’t even there.
My heart pounded as I tracked its movement through the XP50. At about 75 yards, it stopped, sniffing the air, sensing something off. But by then, it was too late.
With a deep breath, I steadied myself, lining up the crosshairs. My cold-ridden body screamed in protest as I held the rifle steady. I began counting out loud for David to hear. “3…2…. BANG” the sound of two suppressed rifles firing at the same time whispered across the snow-covered field.
Immediately we saw heat signature impact of blood exiting the coyote’s body. It regained itself back to its feet and made it over the crest of the hill, leading out of sight. We knew we had an easy track job coming up of bright red blood glistening in the fresh white powder, so the celebration began.
We approached the downed animal, snow swirling around us. I could barely feel my fingers, and my lungs were raw, but the sight of the coyote confirmed the effort was worth it.
"Good shot," David said, as I returned the congratulations.
On the long, snowy walk back to the trucks, coyote in tow, I felt the last of my energy drain. But I also knew that without the Telos XL50 to detect it and the Thermion 2 XP50 Pro LRF to track and finish it, that coyote would have ghosted through the snow unseen, unheard, untouched.
Thermal didn’t just help the hunt—it made the hunt.
Hours later, finally back in bed, I drifted off—not because I felt better, but because there’s something about the call of the wild, especially when answered with the right tools, that silences everything else.
If our products have helped you in any way, share your story with us! Accepted stories will receive a 20% discount code.
