Although night vision gear is a staple of military operations, Adam Lee pointed out there is commercial night vision gear available for civilian usage.
ATN is one company providing such equipment, and Chris Au noted that all the night vision gear he had was from that manufacturer.
“ATN is a brand,” Lee explained. “It’s probably the most-recognized night vision gear out there. They have scopes that start out around the mid $400 range, but prices can go up to several thousands of dollars.”
The system on the SCAR that Lee carried during our hunt was an ATN PS 40, which retails for approximately $5,200.
“You’re not going to find this stuff locally at the hunting shop around the corner,” he said. “It is a very narrow market because there aren’t a lot of people that are going to throw down a couple grand to hunt the way we did tonight.”
Au pointed out that the mark-up on night vision gear was so little that local business owners just aren’t going to put a lot of money in stocking them on their shelves.
“Some places might be able to get them for you,” Au noted, “but you have to order them, and then they call in to get it.”
An online source that both enthusiasts use is Optics Planet. However, outdoor big box companies like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s also carry some night vision gear, including ATN products.
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