Back when men were truly men, before the American people were softened by the comforts of Doordash and online shopping, there was a lot of money to be made in the yet untamed North American wilderness. Adventurers like C. J. Lincke would embark on months-long expeditions into the virgin forests in search of fun and profit.

In the winter of 1920, Lincke and his associate Charles Johnston had gone into the Canadian Rockies to exploit the region’s mineral wealth through copper mining. Their mining cabin, an isolated structure 80 thousand feet above sea level, was well supplied since the two expected to leave only during the spring thaw, when the going would be easier. To break up the monotony of their work, they would hunt and lay traps in the woods near their camp, occasionally bagging fur-bearing animals like martens which would sell for no small amount of cash back in civilization. A single black marten would be worth $65 or $950 in today’s money.

One day, the two discovered many of their traps had been broken into by some… creature. From trap to trap, the snow had been disturbed and the traps had been set off, but the lynxes and martins that were supposed to be there were conspicuously missing as well, along with their valuable furs. At first, Lincke and Johnston believed they had fallen victim to a wolverine. After all, the ravenous creatures were also known to scavenge from time to time. The pair figured it wasn’t such a big loss, and they could just reset the traps for the next day.

Unfortunately, mother nature had different plans. That night, the earth shook, and a cascade of snow and earth from the mountaintops rushed into the valley below, turning it into a white sea with only the treetops of the tall evergreens reaching out from the vast white desert.

This was no small emergency, and the two men decided to pick their way through and journey to another log cabin deep in the woods, following a wide gulch to the area where they knew the snow was shallower. As they trekked through the dense forest, Lincke picked up a set of tracks running parallel with their own. Mountain lion tracks.

Now, your average yellow-bellied city slicker would most likely turn tail and head back to the snow-logged cabin and just wait in misery for the spring thaw rather than risk going toe-to-toe with a mountain lion, but Lincke and Johnston were made of sterner stuff. Armed only with an axe, they continued the trek. It would be another four miles to reach the other cabin, where Lincke had left his rifle.

As night fell, Lincke produced a device called a “bug light,” essentially a candle in a tomato can with a bucket handle. There were holes cut into it to let the light shine out, and it made a good makeshift lantern.

After a mile of hiking in the darkness, Lincke noticed what he called “a faint echo of (their) footsteps” coming from their rear. As he shone the bug light to the path behind them, he caught sight of what he described as two orbs of “green fire” staring at them from the shadows.

Running was out of the question. In snow that deep, with walking already as hard as it was, going any faster was a near impossibility. If the lion pounced, the two had agreed that whoever was attacked first would curl up into a ball and use his rucksack to bear the brunt of the lion’s assault while the second man would grab an axe and counterattack.

Thankfully the lion retreated into the shadows, most likely because it knew its potential prey was looking directly at it. Lincke and Johnston moved on, picking up the pace as much as the thick snow allowed them to. Lincke described the rest of the trip as a lethal game of hide and seek, with the soft crunch of the cat’s paws following them all the way.

Occasionally, it would appear behind them or on their flanks, considering an attack only to be driven off by the slowly dimming light of their bug light.

By nothing short of a miracle, they reached the safety of their cabin. As luck would have it, this building was just as snowed in as their last cabin, and the two had to shovel snow in the dark to even find the door. After they had made their way inside and settled down a bit, Johnston decided to make some tea using melted snow from outside.

As he opened the door, he found a pair of hungry green eyes staring down at him from the edge of the snow pile in the doorway. Johnston slammed the door shut on the creature just before it pounced. Both men heard the loud thud against the door’s solid wooden panel.

Lincke grabbed his rifle, a faithful lever-action, and trained it at the door. It was here they would make their stand. He signaled for Johnston to open the door, and as he did so, nothing came in but the cold winter air.

Relieved, Johnston closed the door again. Both men trusted they would be well defended by their wooden cabin. Snow had covered all the windows and was level with the roof, and the only viable entryway was guarded by Lincke and his rifle.

The rest of the night was uneventful. By morning, when the pair came out to stretch their legs, they noticed the big cat had encircled the cabin multiple times trying to find a way in, even walking over the roof in frustration.

Something needed to be done.

After stuffing their packs with three days’ worth of provisions and blankets and arming themselves with the axe and the rifle, the pair of adventurers followed the beast’s tracks back into the woods.

As an expert tracker, Lincke saw the tracks more than a set of footprints leading to an animal. Rather, he could read them as a story in the snow. From its tracks, he traced the mountain lion’s path to beyond a 20-foot deadfall, from which it had leapt down. A scattering of feathers and two sets of prints pointed to a scuffle between the mountain lion and a grouse, which had escaped. Further down the trail, a different set of tracks crossed those of the mountain lion – a hare chased by a lynx – but after those tracks met, only the hare’s tracks bounded off into the wilderness, while the lynx’s paw prints disappeared completely.

After two hours of tracking, they spotted a flash of tawny behind a large tree. Before Lincke could take proper aim, the big cat was gone. After circling around the tree, they could find no sign of the animal, but its tracks gave them a good idea of where it was.

The two men decided to split up and spread out, hoping to flush the mountain lion out of the woods into the open gulch. Johnston, only armed with an axe, must have been scared out of his mind, but luckily the mountain lion knew it was being stalked, and its sense of self-preservation made it retreat.

As the two men passed through the forest and into an open glade, they saw the mountain lion several hundred yards out, much too far for an accurate shot with a lever-action. It was trying to run in the snow, which was belly deep for the cat in some places. Occasionally it would turn and hiss at the two men before continuing its retreat.

The depth of the snow made the going rough for everyone. It was more of a slog than a chase, and the mountain lion would sometimes disappear into the deep snow as if it were water, only to reappear again somewhere else like a tan-colored whale breaking the surface.

Somewhere during the chase, the lion decided to make a detour and headed back towards the cabin. Eager to not have the animal break into their camp, the men picked up the pace and found the creature in a thick growth of hemlock leaping from a deadfall to a large log, pausing just long enough for Lincke to take a shot.

The crack of the lever-action rifle rang through the forest, but only grazed the cat’s throat. The lion leapt up into the trees, taking cover amidst the thick evergreen needles. The two men circled the trees, drawing nearer to try and corner the lion.

A flash of tan fur 25 feet up gave away the cat’s position. Just as it was about to pounce on Johnston, Lincke fired and struck the lion under the head. It hit the snowy forest floor like a ton of bricks. When their heart rates slowed down and the excitement wore off, the two men realized they were no more than a hundred yards from the cabin. They doffed their hats for the lion, giving the great cat the respect it deserved and thanking it for allowing them to kill it so close to their cabin so they could skin it in comfort.

When they opened it up, they discovered the lost furs from their traps, as well as the remains of a lynx. Along the cougar’s front legs and belly, there were several lacerations made from lynx claws. The animal had apparently put up quite a fight before it went down.

The lion measured eight feet six inches from nose to tail, and Lincke turned the great cat into a bedroom rug.

Nowadays, the number of adventurers and hunters who would take risks like Lincke and Johnston is dwindling, but for those who would, they wouldn’t have to fear being stalked in the dark thanks to technological innovations like the Wraith Thermal, Sightmark’s powerful new thermal riflescope.

Capable of defeating all manner of camouflage, the Wraith Thermal is accurate and deadly efficient, just like the great predators that stalk the shadows of what wilderness remains.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. 

Sightmark has done its due diligence and has reached out to the Fish and Wildlife representatives from all 50 states to determine the legality of thermal optics for hunting within their jurisdictions so that anyone who is unsure about using our new, powerful Wraith Thermal digital thermal riflescope on a night hunt can rest easy knowing that it can be used without legal repercussions.

The laws on thermal optics vary by state. Before trying your hand at night hunting with your new thermal device, it would be good to check with your local Game Warden before you reserve a date on the calendar for a hunting trip. 

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Alabama – LEGAL; thanks to new legislation in 2021, Alabama residents will be able to purchase a $15 license ($51 for non-residents) to hunt hogs and coyotes at night. Night vision and thermal are encouraged. 

Alaska – ILLEGAL; Using a pit, fire, laser sight (excluding rangefinders), electronically-enhanced night vision, any forward looking infrared device, any device that has been airborne, controlled remotely, or communicates wirelessly, and used to spot or locate game with the use of a camera or video device, any camera or other sensory device that can send messages through wireless communication is considered illegal. 

Arizona – ILLEGAL, Electronic night vision equipment, electronically enhanced light-gathering devices, thermal imaging devices or laser sights projecting a visible light; except for devices such as laser range finders projecting a non-visible light, scopes with self-illuminating reticles, and fiber optic sights with self-illuminating sights or pins that do not project a visible light onto an animal. 

Arkansas – LEGAL, but only for feral hogs. They can also be used to hunt raccoons if used in conjunction with a hunting dog. 

California – ILLEGAL, California law considers all night vision or thermal imaging devices for firearms illegal. 

Colorado – ILLEGAL; It is unlawful for a person to utilize electronic night vision equipment, electronically enhanced light-gathering optics, or thermal imaging devices as an aid in hunting or taking wildlife outside legal hunting hours according to commission rules. Hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. 

Connecticut – LEGAL but only from Jan.2 to Jan. 21st for raccoons and possums as well as from Oct. 21st to Dec. 30th.  

Delaware – LEGAL if the device doesn’t cast infrared, it cannot be used in conjunction with a light at night. You can’t use any artificial light when hunting. No predator hunting in the evening because of the use of a light. 

Florida – LEGAL, generally, subject to local area. No light emission for hogs and coyotes, raccoons, and possums.  

Georgia – LEGAL; no restrictions 

Hawaii – ILLEGAL, there is no night hunting in Hawaii. 

Idaho – LEGAL as long as there is no emitted light. 

Illinois – LEGAL for the following animals: red fox, gray fox, bobcat, raccoons, opossums, coyote, and striped skunk during the specified season. Night hunting legality may vary depending on whichever region of Illinois you are hunting in. 

Indiana – LEGAL only if there is a continuously burning light among hunters visible from at least 500 feet away. 

Iowa – LEGAL; thermal and night vision equipment is allowed if it does not emit visible light. 

Kansas – LEGAL, night vision equipment permit required. Thermal imaging equipment may be used to hunt coyotes from Jan. 1 through March 31. 

Kentucky – LEGAL for coyote hunting, but only with shotguns. Even though they may be hunted year-round, thermal and other artificial illumination can only be used from Dec. 1st – May 31st. 

Louisiana – LEGAL for hogs and coyotes.  

Maine – LEGAL but only for raccoons and coyotes. Raccoons may only be hunted at night when the hunter uses a dog and a firearm with a caliber greater than .22LR. Coyotes may be hunted at night from Dec. 16th to Aug 31st. Hunters must use a calling device. 

Maryland – LEGAL, as long as the artificial illumination device does not emit visible light. Coyotes, foxes, opossums, or raccoons may be hunted on foot at nighttime during open season with the use of a dog and light. 

Massachusetts – LEGAL, as long as there is no emitted visible light. Night hunting is from ½ hour after sunset to midnight. 

Michigan – LEGAL, can be used during legal nighttime hours to hunt grey fox, red fox, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes.  

Minnesota – LEGAL, only when hunting fox or coyotes at night during the legal hunting season. For coyotes, this is from January 1 – March 15. Fox season varies by year.  

Mississippi – LEGAL when hunting coyotes, raccoons, foxes, opossums, beavers, and bobcats on private land. 

Missouri – LEGAL only for coyote season Feb 1 – to March 31. Artificial light, night vision, IR and thermal. 

Montana – LEGAL for coyotes and any animal not regulated by fish and wildlife. 

Nebraska – LEGAL for furbearers and coyotes. 

Nevada – ILLEGAL; no night hunting allowed in Nevada. 

New Hampshire – LEGAL with no restrictions 

New Jersey – LEGAL with no restrictions 

New Mexico – ILLEGAL; there is no night hunting allowed in New Mexico. 

New York – LEGAL during legal nighttime hours for the following animals: gray and red fox, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, skunk, mink, and opossums 

North Carolina – LEGAL, no restrictions. 

North Dakota – LEGAL for coyotes and foxes. 

Ohio – LEGAL, during legal hunting hours for fox, hogs, raccoons, opossums, groundhogs, coyotes, weasels and skunks. 

Oklahoma – LEGAL for coyotes and feral hogs. 

Oregon – ILLEGAL, all night vision and thermal banned. 

Pennsylvania – LEGAL, no restrictions. 

Rhode Island – LEGAL, but only raccoons are huntable at night. There is no rifle use in the state other than .229 and lower for small game only. 

South Carolina – LEGAL for hunting hogs, coyotes, and armadillos on any registered property. 

South Dakota – LEGAL, but only on private property. A landowner may have a maximum of two guests with thermal or night vision to hunt jackrabbits, coyotes, beaver, foxes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, skunks, and rodents, but only if they are armed with a shotgun or rifle with a caliber less than .225. 

Tennessee – ILLEGAL, no night hunting allowed in Tennessee. 

Texas – LEGAL, no restrictions. 

Utah – ILLEGAL, trail cameras, night vision and thermal banned. 

Vermont – LEGAL, since thermal vision does not emit IR light, it is legal. 

Virginia – LEGAL, when hunting at legal nighttime hours for the following animals: bobcat, coyote, feral hog, fox, opossum, raccoon, and skunk. 

Washington – LEGAL, only for coyotes outside of deer and elk season. 

West Virginia – LEGAL, only for coyote, fox, raccoon, skunk, and opossum. 

Wisconsin – LEGAL, only for small game like coyotes, raccoons. 

Wyoming – LEGAL for shooting predators on public land with written permission. 

As every southern boy knows, the arrival of feral pigs is both a blessing and a curse. The same animals that destroy over $1.5 billion worth of property and agricultural damage in the US every year give armed citizens a legitimate reason to exercise their Second Amendment on creatures that truly deserve to die. They also make fine eating. 

The omnivorous diet and size of the feral pig has placed it so high up on the food chain that the only challenges to it are very large predators and red-blooded Americans with guns. There was even an instance where a lone boar was able to fight off an entire pack of wolves by itself. The feral pig’s diet and its lack of natural predators are exactly what make it a problem to farmers and landowners in the rural south. 

Feral pigs have been ravaging rural Southern states for centuries, and there are now about 6 million wild hogs in the United States and growing. By this logic, there should be roughly six pigs per every square mile of the US South. Of course, hunters aren’t finding feral hogs under every rock and behind every tree. This is because the invasive Eurasian wild boar has learned over the years that the humans they share their home with want to see them dead, and because we want them dead, the pigs were smart enough to live out the majority of their lives at night when we humans aren’t up and about. 

While wild pigs who live in areas constantly hunted by humans tend to be active mostly at night, similar populations who live far away from busy towns and hunting ranches are bold enough to attack crops, fields, and livestock pens in broad daylight. 

Since feral pigs eat every shrub, grub, and mushroom that won’t poison them, they tend to dig for eatables under the topsoil. A large sounder can destroy an entire field by digging through the surface with their powerful hooves, exposing the helpful microorganisms that give the soil its nutrition and ruining the soil in the process. This behavior also causes soil erosion, and if it’s done near a water source, rooting can contaminate streams through sedimentation, impacting fish and other aquatic wildlife downstream. 

Like criminals and teenagers, all of a feral pig’s destruction is done under cover of darkness. Hogs might not have good eyesight, but a particularly alert hog will notice someone shining a flashlight on them or near them. It won’t be because it will notice the color of the light, it’s more to do with the light’s intensity. To a colorblind boar, a bright patch of grass is still a bright patch of grass. This unnatural glowing terrain has the potential to scare away wild pigs, but this is mitigated through green and red lights, since both characters have relatively low brightness. 

Night vision and thermal, however, are nearly undetectable. A hunter with a good thermal unit can detect heat signatures over a thousand yards away. While a feral hog’s sense of smell has a detection range of 5 to 7 miles and is nothing to sneeze at (pun intended), a competent hunter will make sure he is situated downwind of his prey, and Sightmark’s new thermal scope is perfect for both stand hunting and stalking. 

The Sightmark Wraith, known for being a quality night vision scope, has crossed over into the world of thermal. The new Wraith Thermal from Sightmark has a detection range of 1440 yards and is offered in a 1024x768 display resolution, capable of giving hunters sharp and clear pictures of feral hogs in complete darkness over long ranges. 

With its five color palettes, the Wraith Mini Thermal has a camera type for every kind of eye. Aside from the traditional black/white hot palette, the new Wraith Thermal not only offers additional black/white hot thermal for traditionalists, but also has options for several other color palettes. 

It can also be used to capture the sights and sounds of nature and the thrill of the hunt in glorious thermal with its built-in high-resolution audio/video recording software. With up to 3.5 hours of battery life on video mode and 4.4 hours on preview mode, the Wraith Mini Thermal can be used to capture every moment of a hunter’s adventure. 

Highly customizable for each user, the Wraith Mini Thermal offers five different weapon profiles with ten different reticle choices. After pushing a few buttons, a Wraith Mini Thermal, zeroed for a Remington 700 with a BDC reticle, can be configured for a Zastava PAP and use a simple duplex reticle. This means hunters can drop hogs with a with different reticle at different zeroed distances with the touch of a button. 

It should be noted, however, that before attempting to hold back the porcine invasion in your own state, hunters should do their own due diligence and check with their local hunting laws regarding the legality of hunting with night vision or thermal. States like California and Alaska are firmly against this practice, as well as several states in the west. 

In the event of a home invasion, you are your own first responder. Calm can become chaos in seconds, and even the fastest police in the world wouldn’t be able to reach you in the time it would take for you to grab your self-defense firearm and defend your home and your loved ones. 

Your home is your castle, and a good castle is prepared for a siege. A well-prepared home defender should have an appropriate weapon for close quarters combat and an easy way to access it. Iron sights are impossible to see in the dark, and illuminated sights should be prioritized for nighttime home defense. Shotguns are an excellent choice for room clearing, and in a low-light environment, a red dot like the hardy Sightmark Ultrashot or the long-lasting Wolverine would be excellent for quick target acquisition, but for those who prefer rifles for home defense, a low-powered variable optic (LPVO) like the Sightmark Core 2.0 1-4x24mm is perfect for both-eyes-open shooting and precise fire at short and medium ranges. Its variable illumination allows for low-light vision shooting, while the design of its etched reticle is specifically designed for practical combat applications. 

It would also be beneficial to mount a flashlight on your weapon. INFORCE makes rugged, powerful rifle-mounted lights with high lumen and candela counts. Perfect for flooding an entire room with just one small light, these INFORCE products are built with home defense in mind. 

To keep your weapons easy to access, consider storing your weapon(s) in a panel in your headboard. This will keep your firearms within reach and out of the hands of your children. While this might seem like something from out of a James Bond movie, American Concealed Furniture specializes in making concealed panels for your bed or cupboard. This makes your weapons easier and faster to access than they would be in a gun safe with a combination while also giving you peace of mind that your children will never find them. 

Your priority in the event of a home invasion is to protect your life and the lives of your family members. If you live alone, or if you and your significant other share the same bedroom, there is absolutely no need to exit the room to clear the rest of your house. If your room has a single entry point, it acts as a bunker, and your home insurance should cover the cost of whatever you lose to the burglary, but it won’t be able to bring you back from the dead. 

If everyone you care about is in the same room as you, access your weapon and aim it at the door. Call the police and let them know there is a suspected burglary at your residence. It is important to let them know you are armed. When you hear them announcing themselves, stow your weapon to avoid being mistaken for the suspect. 

Standing directly in front of the door would not be the smartest thing to do, since it puts you in the direct line of fire of anyone coming into the room. Instead, huddle in the corner of your room behind cover if you have it.

Most might think that hunting for the people breaking into your home is the first thing to do, but the only situation where room clearing would be justified is if another person, whether that be your child, parent, or significant other (maybe she wanted you to sleep on the couch for the night) is in another part of the house. Your sole duty would be to find them and defend the room. As tempting as it would be, the objective of home defense is not to seek and destroy the enemy.  

Home invaders rarely act alone and rely on strength in numbers to overcome their own fear. You have no idea how many of them are in your home, and by looking for them, you may be running headfirst into a fight where you are outnumbered and outgunned. 

If you do have loved ones in another part of the house, you will have to make your way to them using stealth and caution. Room clearing aside, it’s important not to disregard footwear when you make your way to your objective. Whoever is in your house may have broken your window to gain entry, or smashed a pot looking for hidden cash. Needless to say, lacerating your feet on broken shards of glass is a bad thing. Quiet footwear like flip flops or bathroom slippers is advisable. 

One of the shocking things about engaging in a real-life firefight is you might experience a phenomenon known as “combat stress reaction.” The sheer stress of your home invasion scenario combined with the grogginess of being roused from your sleep, assuming it’s a nighttime event, will affect your combat effectiveness. Your ability to process information will be severely affected, and you may forget the most basic fundamentals of firearm operation, such as disengaging your safety, reloading, or even that your finger needs to pull the trigger to make the gun go bang. Your fine motor skills may disappear along with any accuracy you may have had when shooting on the range. Both your eyes will be wide open due to your natural fear response, which is another reason why an LPVO like the Core 2.0 1-4x24mm makes a good optic for your rifle. 

When proceeding down the hallway to rescue your loved one, corners will be your enemy. To ensure that you won’t walk into an ambush, you will have to employ a technique called “slicing the pie.” This involves moving in a quarter circle around a corner, making sure that your barrel never extends beyond the corner’s edge, keeping it hidden from the enemy. 

Stay close to the wall, but avoid touching it, as the noise will alert any nearby intruders. Imagine yourself standing on a “slice” of the pie, stepping onto a new “slice” when you’ve made sure that your section is clear. Continue “slicing” until the corner and everything around it is clear of danger. 

When encountering a target, you will have a split second to identify whether the thing you are shooting at is actually a home invader or the very loved one you are trying to reach. It’s crucial to be aware of your target before you pull the trigger. 

Doors will be another challenge to you if you are room clearing alone. Since opening one could find you facing down the barrel of a gun, stand behind the door frame instead of the entryway. In the United States, door frames are thick enough to provide cover from small caliber rounds more than the doors themselves or the drywall surrounding them. Turn the door handle quickly, swing the door completely open, and slice the pie through the doorway as fast as you can.

Make sure to step back from the doorway as soon as it’s opened to avoid being seen by potential threats. Once you’ve seen as much as you can, enter the room, going either left or right, into the corner of the room you are entering, never straight into the room. Try to hug the walls, using them as a “road” to guide you through the house, since doing so will provide you with the assurance that you will not be ambushed from whichever side is being protected by the wall. 

This also applies when ascending stairs. Stick to the walls, with your weapon pointed at what is above you, ascending slowly and silently. Getting caught in a staircase without cover and without a quick escape route is a death sentence. 

If you want to take this self-defense skill seriously, practice it at home. Know the blind spots in your rooms, think about how a person might enter your house through a window or the backdoor. You don’t even need your weapon to do it. Simply map out the house every time you come back home from work, or every time you head to another room to make a sandwich or watch a game. 

But always remember, you are not superhuman, and in the event of a home invasion, your purpose is to save lives, not to neutralize every hostile in the house.