Night Vision Binoculars Cast Shadow Over Sport

Electronic optics captured center stage and most of the controversy at this year’s Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, the annual industry unveiling of its new products.

“This is the year of electronics combined with optics - to wit, night vision and laser range-finding - and I think the use of these two types of instruments by hunters is a ghastly mistake,” said David E. Petzal, executive editor of Field & Stream magazine.

“The night vision glasses, in spite of what many say, are going to be used by poachers, and the laser range-finders - when the general public finds out hunters are using them - are going to do us great damage. It will be a public relations black eye, and a deserved one.

“We have to figure out if we want to hunt animals or make war on them,” he said.

“To be a hunter used to mean, and should mean, you’ve developed a set of skills over a lot of years with a lot of work. And now what we’re seeing (is) instead of becoming a skilled sportsman, you pay money (for high-tech products),” said Petzal.

Jeff Buck, the former president of the California Wildlife Federation, sees the new products from the Jan. 19-22 show in a different light.

“All of the new technology allows us to appreciate our hunting experience to an even greater degree. If we can continue to watch game after dark or make cleaner kills because we know the exact distance to our quarry, we broaden our appreciation of the sport. It doesn’t cheapen the experience, it enriches it,” said Buck.

While there was disagreement on whether the products should be used in hunting, virtually all agreed that they didn’t want game departments or the federal government to ban them simply because they might be used illegally or unethically.

“I don’t want the damned government declaring something else illegal,” said Petzal.

The argument has been fueled by Bausch & Lomb’s introduction of the U.S.-made Night Ranger and Night Mariner series of light-enhancing monoculars and binoculars and a host of Russian, Japanese and European imports - including a few imported rifle scopes - that allow viewing in darkness.

All the new products use military technology that amplifies available light, even starlight, to allow viewing, with the image appearing in a crisp, grainy green field.

Laser range-finding products proliferated after Leica came out with its nearly $6,000 pair of laser range-finding binoculars last year. For 1995, there will be a number of products in two complete price classes - those over $3,000 and those under $300.