Buy one if you can even begin to imagine being able to afford one, even if you have to go with a lower resolution than you think you need.

I have an AGM thermal monocular in 384 pixel resolution and either 1.5x or 2x magnification. I have zero difficulty discerning a white-tail deer from a coyote at 200 yards. I can easily and instantly discern a cotton-tail rabbit from any other small mammal at 40 yards. And just the other night (around 10 p.m.) when it sounded like someone tried to open my main front entry glass storm door, it was incredibly comforting being able to scan my yard and surrounding yards for humans lurking in the bushes or shadows with my thermal monocular. It was similarly comforting being able to scan my yard and surrounding yards a couple hours after a violent home invader fled on foot somewhere in my neighborhood back in January.

I also expect that my thermal monocular will make it exceedingly easy to locate white-tail deer down in light cover after shooting them. (Even a deer that only runs 60 yards away through brush can be almost impossible to find if they fail to leave a visible blood trail–which happens with surprising frequency.)

Yet another wonderful aspect of my thermal monocular: I can see which animals are in the area when I am walking to/from my hunting locations in the dark or while waiting for first light at my hunting location.

Oh, and if your dog wanders away to some neighbor’s property in the dark, a thermal monocular or scope significantly increases your chances of finding your dog quickly AND DISCRETELY since you don’t have to shine bright flashlights / spotlights into people’s yards while trying to locate your dog.

Last I checked, AGM monoculars with 256 pixel resolution were available on sale for about $550. Buy one. You won’t regret it.