While it remains a fieldsport enjoyed all over the United Kingdom, stalking is often undertaken now for important deer management considerations, including protecting crops and forestry and providing venison for the consumer market rather than purely for a hunter’s pleasure and the health of a herd.

For professional stalkers, choosing binocular or monocular is about personal preference and your needs in the field. The case for monocular is weakened by its reduced depth and distance perception but an integrated laser rangefinder answers that question outright. Add a sensitive high-definition thermal sensor providing depth and detail to the scene that thermals often lack and whether a deer on the far side of the valley is 400m or 600m away, you will know, and can see clearly how to approach the stalk. A grippy housing, well shaped buttons and ring-zoom controls make for a device that is comfortable to use with either hand.

Professional confidence

The British Deer Society says that “night shooting is one of the most demanding aspects of deer management” and whether you are shooting at night under licence or stalking during the day the only certainty is that conditions are subject to change. The professional understanding of deer behaviour and safety protocols needs to overlay accurate information of the ground. Detecting differences as small as 20 millikelvins  with the Telos LRF XT50 integrated high definition thermal camera ensures that bad weather rolling in need not end a stalk early, a smoothing filter makes the thermal images even easier to read. Fog, failing light and undergrowth become easily surmountable obstacles to clear identification so deer managers are free to continue stalking safely, humanely and legally in varied conditions and for long periods. The battery life extends beyond 8 hours which can prove invaluable when tracking wounded game for humane dispatch.

Faithful friends

For experienced stalkers their kit is an extension of themselves, season upon season builds familiarity, and an ability to operate instinctively in the moment, whether it’s a well worn and most comfortable jacket, your rifle or optics, these faithful friends become indispensable sporting allies. The Telos LRF XT50 has the benefit that it carries the upgradable Telos platform and supports future component upgrades so your old friend’s capabilities can keep up to the minute, while the fully ambidextrous controls and non-slip, comfortable rubber-coated housing you’ve come to know and rely on remain the same.

At the end of the day, what makes Telos LRF XT50 worth keeping in your pocket is not a specific number in its spec sheet, but its demanding field use focused build, so you are ready, whenever movement shows up on the far side of the field.

Telos LRF XT50

Detailed specifications

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