One of the most important skills a hunter can have is the ability to track wounded game animals that have been hit. Obviously, the shooter generally strives for a clean, accurately placed shot that brings the animal down humanely and with a minimum of tracking required. However, for various reasons, this isn't always the case, and a hunter needs to be able to follow the animal's blood trail to locate it.
A great tool to aid in this endeavor is a thermal sight allowing the shooter to more easily track the animal. Leupold has recently announced the addition of its LTO Tracker Thermal Sight, designed expressly for that purpose, and for observing game, especially in low-light scenarios, such as walking to the stand or blind in the morning without spooking any game animals in the area.
The new Leupold LTO Tracker is a handheld thermal observation and game-recovery tool with an advanced thermal imaging engine that offers excellent image quality, fast 30hz frame rates and detection of heat sources out to an impressive 600 yards.
The handheld LTO Tracker utilizes five different thermal filters, which allow the user to choose the one that provides the best view in that moment. It also offers a 20-degree field of view and has a fixed focus with 6x digital zoom. A user-controlled reticle permits the hunter to pinpoint a thermal source.
The device is powered with a single CR123 lithium battery, which provides for more than 10 hours of continuous use, so the user can spend plenty of time with it afield. The Leupold LTO Tracker is also highly durable, coming with a sensor that's effective across a spectrum of temperatures ranging from from -4°F to 140°F, and is waterproof to IP67 standards. And with a weight of just 10 ounces and a length of 5.6 inches, it tucks away nicely into a pack or a pocket.
Because of its quick startup time of less than three seconds, the Leupold LTO Tracker is almost immediately ready to go when needed, whether the purpose is scouting the area near your blind to prevent running off a bunch of roosting birds or tracking blood to find a downed animal.
“We see thermal as a vital tool in any hunter’s kit, just like binoculars or laser rangefinders,” said Tim Lesser, vice president of product development for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “For observation and recovering downed game, the LTO Tracker will help hunters find success in the field.”
The new Leupold LTO Tracker Thermal Sight is available now for $874.99. For more information visit the Leupold website.
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