Whether for retrieving wounded game animals, securing the homestead, finding the bad guy in heavy cover, or locating a lost and injured hiker, the LTO Tracker from Leupold is a great tool to use heat to locate whatever you are seeking.

With the introduction this year of the Tracker 2 and the Tracker 2 HD, Leupold has vastly improved on the thermal technology of the LTO.

Featuring a 240x204 thermal sensor, the Tracker 2 has a clear 206x156 pixel screen that is visible in daylight or in the deep of night. It will detect heat up to 600 yards away and clearly show a deer sized animal or larger at 250 yards. It has six color modes, black, white, green, and multi-color highlight modes in hi black, hi white, and hi/lo green. It features 7x zoom and everything is easily controlled with just three rubberized buttons. It is waterproof and features a 16.9-degree field of view at 1.5 power. It provides 10 hours of continuous use on its CR123 battery.

The Tracker 2 HD has all of the same features but with a larger sensor, larger screen, and wider field of view. It sports a 320x240 thermal imager and a 1.2” round AMOLED screen with 390x390 pixels. It will detect heat out to 750 yards and show a deer sized heat signature clearly at 300 yards. It offers an 18.5-degree field of view at 1.6 power. It will run for around 3 hours on its battery.

Both units are designed and assembled in the USA and are contained inside a hard-anodized aircraft aluminum casing similar to the tubes of Leupold’s world-class riflescopes. They are backed by a two-year electronics warranty and the fantastic customer service of Leupold.

Both thermal optics have a Beacon mode that recalibrates the screen and allows for clearer imaging in daytime. This helps to separate objects with similar heat signatures to appear clear and distinct. With a push of a button two boxes appear, one in red and one in blue, to identify the hottest and coolest spot on the screen so you can adjust the contrast to help them stand out.

Either tracker is great for identifying animals in camp without shining a bright light on them. This means you can differentiate a racoon from a bear without drawing attention to yourself. They are also a great tool for identifying someone prowling around your house at night without alerting them of your presence. The thermal imagers are so sensitive, they will quickly pick up a blood trail in the pitch black of night, and even pick out footprints from passing animals or humans for several moments after they have passed. And at just around 7-and-a-half ounces and 5-and-half-inches long and an inch-and-a-half around, it is small and compact enough to easily store in a pocket.