# Heat Sensing Game Finders?



## 1Shot Wally (Dec 5, 2004)

Every time I see and ad for one of these I can't help but wonder if they really work.  I'm very skeptical about them.  I think if they worked, plenty of people would be talking about them, yet I've heard nothing.  How about it?  Has anyone tried them?


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## roadkill (Dec 5, 2004)

I've been wondering about them too.  If they do work, couldn't you take it to the stand and point it around to see if there were any deer close by.  Then you could wonder if you picked the wrong spot, or did they smell you and not come in for a shot.  Kinda opens a new can of worms.


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## Craig Knight (Dec 5, 2004)

*RD.Kill*

Ive been wondering the same thing, I wonder if there is anyone who has tried doing it?


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## gadeerwoman (Dec 6, 2004)

I read some threads on several other forums about them and no one was pleased with them.


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## Slug-Gunner (Dec 6, 2004)

*I Own an AimSHOT "HeatSeeker" 3500B*

I have an AimSHOT "HeatSeeker" 3500B game-finder model. Most people don't really understand the principle behind "How They Operate". They ARE NOT really true "HeatSeekers", but operate on the principle of "heat differential" or more simply put, CHANGES IN TEMPERATURE. These are not a "Hunting Aid" you can use effectively without A LOT OF PRACTICE. I practiced using my dogs while out in the woods with them quite a bit. Another way to practice is to have one of your hunt'n buddies hide in the woods on you, and then try to find him using the "HeatSeeker". 

They "detect" changes in temperature of surrounding objects. This means that, on a warm bow-season day, they will "hit" on every sun-warmed pine tree around you as you make a back-and-forth scan of the area. They have a "sensitivity" adjustment that will reduce this, but daytime use on a warm day is almost impossible in finding downed game, especially smaller game animals. If the sap in the trees is warmed from the sun, it will "detect" the "change in temperature" as you scan thru it. This is not to say that THEY DON'T WORK. It just means they are "limited" in their ability during warmer weather.

In colder weather or on those really cool mornings, they can be an effective "aid" to help you find downed game. At these times of day, the game's body temperature will be warmer than the surrounding objects in the area. The "HeatSeeker" will then show more reliable "hits" while scanning the brush for your game. The "sensitivity" setting and your ability to read the display (depending on your practice at doing so) will determine the "effective range" it will work for you. I've found it be be effective up to 100 yards on deer when the outside temps were in the 30's and the sun hadn't started "warming things up" yet. On a cool, overcast day, the surrounding vegetation temps are more uniform and they should pick up larger games body temperature changes more reliably. I've only had the chance to actually NEED IT twice. Once, I used it to help locate the deer when the blood trail disappeared in a large patch of red-leaved laurel.  The other time was in chest high reeds in a swampy area. On both times the weather was cool and the sun blocked by the tree canopy. Oh yes, on two different occassions it helped me find dove that were "lost" in tall grass that was knee-high. Again, their "effectiveness" depends on the temperature of the surrounding area you are using it in.

Are they really worth the near $180 that they cost? For use in our Georgia woods, I don't really think so. If you were hunting under winter conditions up North or Northwestern states like Colorado, Wyoming or Montana, then you could probably justify its cost and use. They will not and DO NOT replace effective "tracking techniques" that I've developed over 40+ years of deer hunting.

I hope this helps explains how a "HeatSeeker" type game finder works and.... unless you've got the "money to burn" and just like to own the latest hunting gadgets - SAVE YOUR MONEY!

  :


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## Toffy (Dec 6, 2004)

*Don't recall the name, but*

I don't recall the name of the thing, tho I still see it advertised. I had one on me for reasons I forget at a  check station at Run Creek WMA one hunt a few years back.
The device failed to detect dead deer we laid out on open ground at the check station. 
It also failed to detect the black lab someone brought with them to the station.  (We had it sit and walked away from the pooch and the detector indicated nothing.)

SO THEN.. we tried it on a truck whose engine was running. 

Still no detection noted.

The unit may have been a lemon, but you can see why I have only tested one.


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## Slug-Gunner (Dec 7, 2004)

*You Need to Know "How to Use It"!*

I will reiterate what I stated in my earlier post.... 

THESE ARE NOT HEAT DETECTORS!

If you just POINT IT at an object giving off heat, IT WILL DO NOTHING!

They operate on the principle of HEAT DIFFERENTIAL! You MUST USE IT by "sweeping it" back-and-forth in an short arc in the direction you are pointing it. It will sense a "change in the temperature" radiating from an object compared to the surrounding area. It WILL ONLY GIVE AN INDICATION when it is IN MOTION. Depending on the brand and precision of the "HeatSeeker" you are using, it can be fairly precise or only give a general idea of the area you are scanning. 

The Aimpoint "HeatSeeker" uses a colored bar-graph to indicate the level of "heat change" it is detecting as you "sweep" thru the object you are detecting. The "sensitivity level" is adjustable, but takes a lot of "practice" to learn how to set it for various conditions. I've tested it outside on the chimney of a burning fireplace during the winter. You can "pick up" the heat from inside the chimney as you sweep across it, but you get a MUCH STRONGER indication as you sweep it past the "hot air" that is leaving the chimney into the outside air. I have practiced with it on my dogs during the winter and can tell the difference in them since the Golden Retrievers have a better insulating "dual-layer" coat compared to my Black Labs - the "indication" is not as strong a reading for them, when compared to the Labs. 

With the model I have, it comes with an ear-piece you can plug in and it sounds a "blip/beep" as you "scan thru" a "heat change". What I don't like about it is that it disconnects the meter when it's plugged in. I don't feel it's as accurate or easy to use this way. I would prefer that it allowed you to use BOTH at the same time - so that you could both SEE and HEAR the indication when it "hits" on an object that has a large "heat differential". The bar-graph can be difficult to see clearly and accurately on a bright, sunshiny day; but it works great during the darker hours. The cooler the air temp, ground, trees, etc., the better it works for you - I can find a bird in a tree during the winter at night (would work on Turkeys too, I think).

In other words: Under ideal, cool-weather conditions it works MOST OF THE TIME (Conditional: IF You Know How to Use It).... but on a warm, sunny day -IT SUCKS! I own it and use it when conditions are right for it (in Georgia, that isn't very often   ). Would I buy it again knowing what I know now about it - even though I now know how to use it very well.... NO! It's simply not worth the $180 that it sells for. Will I sell it cheap.... NO! ( I know how to use it, especially on a cool night - when it's worked under otherwise almost impossible tracking conditions.)

  :


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## dbodkin (Dec 7, 2004)

sounds like something the Predator used when trying to track down Arnold


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## short stop (Dec 7, 2004)

clap   on   clap off    or how about a   miracle pill to rid you of those  say unwanted 20 lbs  your totin around in a matter of days  ----or   a heat seeking dead deer finder for those  dumb enuf to belive   it works .  I have  seen  em on TV and I'd send my money to JIM BAKER or TAMMY FAE before I would donate a couple hundred skins to recieve a heat seekin duke  finder .go buy a CHIA PET it will probably help you find  just as many deer and only cost ya 10 dollars .  SS


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## Slug-Gunner (Dec 7, 2004)

dbodkin said:
			
		

> sounds like something the Predator used when trying to track down Arnold



The "Predator" used IR Imaging when tracking Arnold.


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