Dwayne Jones figured his setup for night hunting was pretty well dialed for a recent coyote excursion he went on in central Indiana.

Warm clothes for the long night of sitting? Check. A thermos full of hot coffee? Yep.

A good caller to bring in any coyote within earshot? Yes, Jones had that, too.

But what put Jones' recent night hunting kit apart from what he had used in the past was the combination of thermal imaging optics and the firearms he had with him. Everything -- from the AGM monocular and scope to the Savage rifles -- are all designed to tilt the advantages of night hunting coyotes decidedly in the hunter's favor.

But before we dive too deeply into the specifics of what Jones’s thermal setup for night hunting, let's lay one thing on the table: There is no single, night hunting setup that's perfect for every hunter. People hunt using vastly different methods, in differing conditions in wildly diverse landscapes. For a whole slew of reasons, some rooted in superstition, familiarity, or ammo availability, hunters will favor one caliber over another.

"It seems like we get asked what the perfect rifle and scope combo is almost every day," said Eric Mayer, publisher of Varminter Magazine, an online publication. "We've been searching for the Holy Grail for quite a while. There really isn't just one setup that's perfect for everybody."

Mayer couches that opinion a bit. He says these days, with recent rapid technological advances in optics and with firearms companies pushing the envelope on new calibers and shooting platforms, it is easier than ever for a hunter to find one really dialed-in setup that will work for them in almost every night-hunting situation.

We are – as both Mayer and Jones can attest – smack dab in the middle of the good old days of gear designed specifically for the night hunting of predators.

YOU CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

We'll get to the details of the top choices for night hunting firearms in a minute. First, let's take a look at what helps hunters take a look. Among the most revolutionary changes in the entire predator hunting scene has been the production of thermal imagining optics that are available to consumers.

"I got to use thermal optics for the very first time on that hunt in Indiana," said Jones. "It might be an overused phrase, but those optics really are a game-changer."

Specifically, Jones was talking out the AGM Thermal Monoculars that his hunting party used to scan the field they were hunting and the AGM Adder scopes they mounted to their rifles. 

Among the members of Jones' hunting party taking turns using the thermal monocular to monitor the unlit field for coyotes was his 10-year-old son.

"In the old days, we used to have to move around with our rifle scopes looking for coyotes that might be moving in," said Jones. "With that monocular, you can keep movement to a minimum and see so much more, so much more clearly. Plus it's a heck of lot safer."

Equipped with the newest infrared imagining technology on the market, AGM monoculars are rugged, waterproof, and easily carried in a backpack.

"We all wanted to be on scan duty," said Jones with a laugh. "Looking through those monoculars gave you a whole new perspective on what was happening out there in front of us."

SCOPED OUT

As much as Jones loved using the monocular, he was equally forthcoming in his praise of the AGM Adder Scopes he and his hunting partners had mounted on their rifles. 

Among the many impressive attributes, said Jones, was how easy it was to mount to their rifles.

"There aren't any easier ways I can think of to mount a scope," Jones said. "And with the technology, you can store and save different profiles for different guns. It took us a grand total of 10 shots to set up the scope for use on three different rifles."

Making it even easier, said Jones, were the Picatinny rails on the rifles they used for the hunt. Taking scopes off and back on Pic rails takes just minutes and ensures consistent and dependable accuracy after repeated mountings.  

And the visual clarity of those scopes?

"The images are so clear and so distinct," Jones said. "You can easily ID your target and be 100 percent sure of what you're shooting at even with no ambient light."

THE GUNS SHOW

As Mayer of Varminter Magazine referenced earlier, predator hunters these days can choose their favorite gun from an almost dizzying array of cartridges and platforms.

For most of us, bolt-action rifles will continue to rule the roost. Easy to use, adverse to jamming, and incredibly durable, guns like Savage's 110 Scout or the Axis II Precision are really hard to beat. 

"I'm in love with Savage rifles in the 6.5 Creedmoor caliber," Jones said. "I'm not saying that's the perfect cartridge for coyotes for everybody, but it's great for just about everything that I am going to hunt." 

Jones said the combination of accuracy and versatility found in the 6.5 Creedmoor – a cartridge that's been on the market for less than 20 years – sets it apart for him.

"Most of the time, I don't need to take really long shots," Jones said. "Everything is usually within 200 yards. But if I need to reach out to 300 yards or so, that 6.5 Creedmoor handles it without any issues. It really is a great cartridge. And I trust it. That confidence is key."

Another hard-to-beat night hunting cartridge is the tried and true .308, a cartridge that's been a favorite of North American hunters since the 1950s. When Jones went on the hunt in Indiana, he took a Savage Impulse Hog Hunter .308 along for the ride. Impulse is an American-made straight-pull rifle, which has the advantage of fast cycling speeds and ideal for hunting animals like coyotes or hogs. He was impressed with that setup, too.

The .308 is likely to remain among the most popular cartridges, especially if the gun will be used for other big-game hunting of critters like deer. Another popular cartridge among coyote hunters is the .243., which can be used for deer hunting as well.

FINAL ANSWER?

After extensive field testing, Jones believes he might have found the perfect thermal setup for night hunting for him. And we know, it all comes down to a matter of personal preference.

On any given night, Jones will take an Axis II Precision in 6.5 Creedmoor with an AGM Adder Scope sitting atop it. Add his favorite suppressor to it, a thermal imaging monocular to help keep tabs on what's out in front of him and his son by his side and things are just about perfect.

A coyote or two wandering within range is just icing on the cake.