The best thermal scope for hog hunting at every budget

Why thermal is the night tool for hogs

Hogs do a lot of their damage after dark. Texas A&M AgriLife notes that in warmer conditions feral hogs "feed nocturnally," use shade or wallow in mud to stay cool (Coping with Feral Hogs, Feral Hog Ecology). That's when the feeder empties and the pasture gets rooted, and it's when a scope that works without light earns its keep.

A thermal scope reads heat, not light. ATN puts it plainly: a thermal scope "does not emit or need any infrared light source. It passively detects the heat energy that objects already radiate, which is why it works identically with or without any light present" (ATN, Thermal vs Infrared). A hog stands out against cooler ground on a moonless night, with no light to put on it. Digital night vision is the other route, and it's cheaper, but it needs an infrared illuminator to see in the dark. Our thermal vs night vision comparison walks through that choice.

Seeing heat is only half the job. The other half is knowing what that heat is: a hog, a deer, a calf, a neighbor's dog. The scopes that rank highest here put more pixels on the animal at the distances hogs actually show up, so you can identify before you shoot. That matters for ethics and for the law, since deer and other protected game can't be hunted at night in Texas.

One more piece of honesty before the picks. A thermal scope removes hogs one or a few at a time. Texas A&M's Natural Resources Institute reports that "a sow can average 1.5 litters a year and each litter typically produces five to six piglets," and that eliminating about 66% of the population every year is needed just to stop growth (Texas A&M NRI, Nov. 2019). Shooting works best as one part of a plan that also traps whole sounders. Our guide on how to get rid of feral hogs lays out that system, and the rest of the thermal and night vision hub covers monoculars, clip-ons and budgets.

How we picked

We started from the thermal riflescopes Amazon listed when we checked on September 19, 2026, then read each maker's own spec page and warranty terms. Every scope is scored on our published thermal rubric: sensor and lens for identifying a hog at feeder-to-field distance (30%), usability at night (20%), battery and power (15%), durability (15%), warranty and support (10%) and value within its budget tier (10%). Seller performance numbers such as detection range are labeled as the maker's claim wherever they appear.

We haven't tested these units; scores come from published specs and the rubric on our How We Choose page. Budget tiers reflect the Amazon price we saw when we researched. Prices move, so each buy button checks the current price on Amazon.

This list ranks across all budgets, then breaks the picks into three tier sections below. If you already know your ceiling, the price-capped lists go deeper: our best thermal scopes under $1,000 and best thermal scope under $2,000 for the money.

Pixels on a hog: the worked math

Spec sheets lead with sensor resolution (256, 384, 640) and detection range. For putting detail on a hog, two quieter numbers matter more: pixel pitch (the size of each sensor pixel, in microns) and the lens focal length (in millimeters). Together they set how much of the hog each pixel covers. Here's the math, using only numbers the makers publish.

The view column is a check on the method: sensor width in pixels times the per-pixel angle gives the horizontal field of view, and it lands on the makers' own figures for every scope but one. GOYOJO publishes 6.5° for the GRL335 where the math gives 7.5°, so treat that scope's view as somewhere in that range. The RIX Storm S6R 640 shares the oneleaf's 12 µm pitch (per its Amazon listing title) and 35 mm lens, so its row is the same.

Four things fall out of the table:

• Lens and pitch put pixels on the hog; resolution buys the view around it. The 384 ThOR 6 Elite and the 640 oneleaf Mars put the same 49 pixels across the hog at 100 yards. The 640 shows a wider 12.6° scene, so you can watch the whole sounder and still see each animal at that detail.
• A bigger lens can make up for bigger pixels. The Thermion's 17 µm pixels behind a 50 mm lens land within a whisker of a 12 µm sensor behind 35 mm.
• Budget 256 scopes are close-range tools. With 15 to 19 mm lenses they put 21 to 26 pixels across a big hog at 100 yards, about half of what the 35 to 50 mm scopes manage. That's why their makers' wide views suit feeders, and why we say to step up if you shoot past 150 yards.
• Digital zoom doesn't add pixels. It enlarges the ones the lens already put on the animal. Compare scopes at their base magnification.

No maker publishes a pixel count for "identify a hog," so use these numbers to compare scopes, not as a pass mark. Real images also depend on sensitivity (NETD), lens quality, image processing, the display and conditions on the night. For the full resolution explainer, read 256 vs 384 vs 640 thermal.

The top picks side by side

Under $1,000: close-range scopes, one with reach

This tier is mostly 256x192 sensors behind short lenses, which suits a feeder or food plot inside about 100 yards. One scope breaks the pattern.

7. GOYOJO GRL335

The only 384 sensor in this list's under-$1,000 tier, with 12 µm pixels, a 35 mm lens and <25 mK NETD. By the math above it puts as many pixels on a hog as scopes a tier or two up. It also carries a five-year warranty, a published 1000 g recoil rating, 64 GB of storage and shot-activated recording. The trade-offs are a narrow view (GOYOJO lists 6.5° x 4.5° at a 4x base) that makes close, fast hogs slow to pick up, and IP65 splash resistance rather than the IP67 several rivals publish. It ranks seventh overall because its sensor score is strong but its usability and durability scores trail the premium scopes.

8. ATN ThOR 6 Mini 256 2-16x

The toughest spec sheet under $1,000: IP67, a 6000 J recoil rating, a -22°F to 131°F operating range and a five-year warranty in a 1.1 lb scope. Its ≤20 mK NETD is the most sensitive 256 in the tier on paper. The 15 mm lens gives one of the widest views in this list (11.7°), which is good at a feeder and weak at distance: about 21 pixels across a big hog at 100 yards. Two 18650s come in the box at about 4 hours each, plus USB-C power.

More budget options, including the AGM Rattler V2 and RIX Storm S2, are ranked on our under-$1,000 thermal list.

$1,000 to $2,000: where most hog hunters should land

This is the tier where lenses grow to 35 to 50 mm, batteries run 9 to 10 hours, and waterproof and recoil ratings get published as a matter of course. Three of our top five sit here.

1. Pulsar Thermion 2 XQ50 Pro

Our pick for hogs because it has no weak category. The 50 mm F/1.0 lens puts about 49 pixels across a big hog at 100 yards. Power is an internal APS5 plus a swappable external APS2 for up to 10 hours at 22°C, with USB-C (5 V/9 V) for more. It's IPX7, rated to 6000 J on rifles, works from -25°C to +50°C, and mounts in standard 30 mm rings with five zero profiles and 10 reticles. The costs: 31.7 oz of weight, 17 µm pixels where newer 384s use 12 µm, and a 3x base with a 7.5° view that's slower than a 2x scope on hogs inside 60 yards in brush. Pulsar's warranty is three years, or five with registration.

3. ATN ThOR 6 Elite LRF 384 3.5-28x

The fullest feature set under $2,000: a 12 µm, ≤15 mK sensor (the lowest NETD in this list), a 35 mm F/1.0 lens, a built-in 1,000 m rangefinder feeding a ballistic calculator, a 1920x1080 OLED, 64 GB with Recoil Activated Video, IP67, 6000 J and a five-year warranty. Runtime is about 9 hours from two 18650s, only one of which is field-replaceable, and rings aren't included. Like the Thermion, its 3.5x base is narrow up close. It scores 8.5 to the Thermion's 8.6; if you want to see that pair argued out, read Pulsar Thermion vs ATN ThOR.

5. oneleaf.ai Mars MT1000LRF (35 mm)

The only 640x512 sensor in this list's $1,000 to $2,000 tier, with <20 mK NETD, a built-in rangefinder (5.5 to 1,300 yd, the maker's claim), IP67 and a 6000 J rating. Its 2x base and 12.5° x 10.1° view are among the widest in the tier, so you can see the sounder and still resolve each hog at 35 mm detail. The catch is power: about 5 hours per removable 18650, so a full night means spares or USB-C. Warranty is three years.

$2,000 and up: rangefinders, dual lenses and light 640s

Above $2,000 you're paying for ranging, a second lens or a 640 sensor in a light body. None of these is necessary to kill hogs cleanly at feeder distance, but each solves a specific problem.

2. Pulsar Thermion 2 LRF XQ50 Pro

Everything our #1 does, plus an 800 m rangefinder (the maker's claim) and support for Pulsar's ballistics app. It ties the Thermion 2 XQ50 Pro at 8.6 and ranks just behind it because the rangefinder costs a full budget tier, and most hog shots at a feeder happen at a distance you already know. Buy it if you shoot across open fields at unknown ranges and want a traditional 30 mm-tube scope.

4. AGM Clarion 384 Dual Focus

Two lenses in one body: flip from 25 mm (2x base, 10.5° view) to scan a sounder, then to 50 mm (4.5x base, 5.3° view) to pick out the boar. By our math the 50 mm setting puts about 69 pixels across a big hog at 100 yards, the most of any setting here. It runs up to 11 hours per battery with a spare NE-4400 in the box, is IP67 and carries AGM's five-year US warranty. AGM doesn't publish a recoil rating for it.

6. RIX Storm S6R 640 (35 mm)

A 640x512, <20 mK sensor with a 2x base, a 1,312 yd rangefinder (the maker's claim) and a ballistic calculator in a scope of about 1 lb, with a 6000 J rating and a five-year warranty. The weak spots are about 4 hours per 18650 and no published IP rating.

What to look for in a thermal scope for hogs

1. Lens focal length and pixel pitch first. They set how many pixels land on the hog (see the math above). For shots past 100 yards, look for 35 mm or longer with 12 µm pixels, or 50 mm with 17 µm.
2. Sensor resolution second. At the same pitch and lens, a 640 gives a wider view than a 384, and a 384 wider than a 256. Wider helps you follow a sounder that's moving.
3. Base magnification that matches your distances. A 2x to 2.5x base (oneleaf Mars, RIX S6R, Clarion at 25 mm, Talion) is quicker on close hogs in brush. A 3x to 4x base (Thermion, ThOR 6 Elite, GRL335) is narrower up close but fills the view at field distance.
4. NETD. Lower is more sensitive. The picks here run from ≤15 mK (ThOR 6 Elite) to <25 mK (Thermion, GRL335). Check whether a maker quotes a sensor-level figure (Pulsar lists sNETD separately) before comparing.
5. Batteries you can swap in the dark. Runtime claims here run from about 4 hours per cell (RIX S6R) to up to 11 hours (Clarion). A swappable pack or USB-C power matters more than the headline number on an all-night sit.
6. Published waterproof and recoil ratings. IP67 or IPX7 and a stated recoil rating (6000 J, or a named caliber) are what you want. A blank field isn't a pass; RIX publishes no IP rating for the S6R, and AGM no recoil rating for the Clarion.
7. Warranty you can read. Terms here run from three years (oneleaf) to five (ATN, RIX, GOYOJO GRL335, AGM for US purchases), with Pulsar at three years or five with registration.
8. Zero profiles and one-shot zero. Useful if the scope moves between rifles. Our guide on how to zero a thermal scope covers the process.

What each budget tier buys at hog distances

The jump that changes the most at hog distances is from a short-lens 256 to a 35 mm-plus scope, which roughly doubles the pixels on the animal. Going from $2,000 to well past it mostly buys features, not detail. Our guide to how much a thermal scope costs goes tier by tier.

Texas night-hunting rules in one paragraph

On private land with the landowner's authorization, TPWD says no hunting license is required for feral hogs, though Hunter Education requirements apply; public land still requires a license, and paid hunting access requires a hunting lease license (TPWD Outdoor Annual). Texas A&M NRI's 2026 summary notes that thermal rifle scopes and night-vision scopes can be used when removing feral pigs, and recommends telling local game wardens you'll be hunting pigs at night (Texas A&M NRI, April 2026). Don't shoot across a property line without written permission. The details, with every rule cited, are in Texas hog hunting laws.

Thermal-buying mistakes

• Buying on detection range. It's the maker's claim, and it measures seeing a heat spot, not telling a hog from a deer. TOPDON publishes both numbers for its TS004 monocular: 450 yards to detect, 91 m to identify. The gap is the point.
• Comparing magnification at the top of the digital zoom. Digital zoom doesn't add pixels. Compare lens size and base magnification.
• Buying a narrow scope for a close feeder. A 3.5x to 4x base is hard work on hogs at 40 yards. Match the base to your shots.
• Ignoring the battery design. A built-in battery or a 4-hour cell means planning a swap or a power bank before the hogs come in.
• Forgetting the mount. The ThOR 6 Elite and Thermion need 30 mm rings (ATN's aren't included); others ship with a Picatinny mount. Check what's in the box.
• Treating the scope as the whole plan. Pair it with a steady shooting rest and a trapping plan for the rest of the sounder.