If you've been spending any time lately looking for a thermal scope that doesn't cost as much as a used truck, the super hogster a3 has probably popped up in your search history more than once. It's one of those optics that seems to hit that "sweet spot" people always talk about—where the price tag actually matches the performance you get in the field. Bering Optics has been at this for a while, and with this specific model, they've really refined what a mid-range thermal should look and feel like.
I've spent a lot of time behind various thermal units, from the entry-level budget stuff that looks like a pixelated mess to the high-end rigs that cost ten grand. The super hogster a3 sits right in the middle, but honestly, it punches way above its weight class when you actually get it out under the stars.
What's Under the Hood?
Let's talk about the sensor for a second because that's really the heart of the machine. It's running a 384x288 resolution sensor with a 12-micron pitch. Now, if you're new to the thermal world, those numbers might sound like a bunch of tech-heavy gibberish. In plain English, it means the image is crisp. While a 640-resolution sensor is obviously the gold standard, a high-quality 384 sensor like the one in the super hogster a3 is more than enough for most hunters, especially those of us chasing hogs and coyotes at standard night-hunting distances.
The 12-micron technology is the real secret sauce here. It allows for a higher base magnification without losing as much detail as the older 17-micron sensors used to. You're starting at a 2.8x base magnification, which is a fantastic starting point. It gives you enough of a field of view to scan, but enough zoom to actually see what you're looking at without having to digital-zoom into a blurry blob of grey.
Real-World Image Quality
One thing I noticed immediately with the super hogster a3 is how it handles different environments. Some thermals look great when it's bone-dry outside but turn into a foggy mess the second there's a bit of humidity or "thermal crossover" happening. This unit handles high-humidity nights surprisingly well. You can still distinguish the animal from the background trees or grass, which is crucial when you're trying to figure out if that white spot is a stump or a coyote waiting for a call.
The refresh rate is 50Hz, so everything is smooth. When a hog is running across a field, you aren't seeing a slideshow; you're seeing fluid movement. That's a big deal when it comes to leading a shot. If your scope has a laggy refresh rate, you're basically guessing where the animal is going to be by the time the processor catches up.
Buttons and Menus That Don't Drive You Crazy
There's nothing worse than being in the dark, wearing gloves, and trying to navigate a complicated menu system while an animal is moving. The super hogster a3 keeps things pretty simple. The buttons are tactile and easy to find by feel. You don't have to pull your eye away from the scope to figure out which button does what.
The menu itself is intuitive. You can swap through your color palettes—White Hot, Black Hot, Red Hot, and the "Pseudo-Color" rainbow mode—fairly quickly. Most of us end up sticking with White Hot or Black Hot, but having the options is nice. The calibration (NUC) is also quick and relatively quiet. You'll hear that little "click" as the shutter drops to reset the image, but it's not loud enough to spook anything nearby.
The Build and Weight
If you're trekking through a muddy field for three miles, weight matters. The super hogster a3 is impressively compact. It doesn't turn your rifle into a top-heavy anchor. It feels rugged, though. I wouldn't recommend tossing it off a cliff, but it feels like it can handle the bumps and bruises that come with night hunting—getting pulled in and out of trucks, bumping against brush, and the occasional light rain.
It comes with a decent mount, usually a LaRue or a similar high-quality quick-detach (QD) mount depending on where you buy it. This is a huge plus because it holds zero perfectly. You can take the scope off to use it as a handheld scanner and then pop it back on the rifle without worrying if your point of impact has shifted.
Battery Life and Power Options
Let's be real: thermals eat batteries. The super hogster a3 runs on CR123s, which are fine, but they don't last forever. You'll probably get about 3 to 4 hours of continuous use out of them, depending on the temperature. If it's freezing outside, that time drops.
The good news is that it has a USB-C port. I almost always run an external battery pack strapped to the stock. It's a bit of extra cord management, but it means I can hunt all night without ever worrying about the screen going black right as a group of hogs steps out. If you're planning on buying this scope, just go ahead and buy a small 5000mAh or 10000mAh power bank and a short USB-C cable. It'll save you a lot of headaches and money on disposable batteries.
Recording Your Hits (and Misses)
The super hogster a3 has onboard recording, which is almost a requirement these days. Whether you want to show off a long-range shot to your buddies or review your footage to see why you missed, it's a great feature to have. The internal storage is plenty for a few nights of hunting. Downloading the footage is straightforward—you can either plug it into your computer or use the app to sync it to your phone.
The app can be a little finicky sometimes—most thermal apps are—but for just grabbing a video to post on social media or send in a group chat, it gets the job done. The video quality looks just like what you see through the eyepiece, which isn't always the case with cheaper units.
Identification vs. Detection
This is where people often get confused. The super hogster a3 can detect heat signatures out past 1,000 yards. You'll see a glowing dot and know something is there. However, identifying what that thing is is a different story.
In my experience, you can confidently identify a coyote or a hog at around 250 to 300 yards with this scope. If conditions are perfect (low humidity, clear skies), you might stretch that a bit further. For most night hunters, that's plenty. Most shots on hogs happen within 100 yards anyway, and coyotes are usually called in to similar distances. Being able to tell the difference between a neighbor's dog and a predator at 300 yards is where this scope really earns its keep.
Final Thoughts
Is the super hogster a3 the best thermal on the planet? No, if you have fifteen thousand dollars to spend, you can find something with more bells and whistles. But for the regular guy who wants to go out on the weekends and actually bring home some meat or protect his livestock, it's one of the best values on the market right now.
It's reliable, the image is clear, and it's easy to use. It doesn't try to be a computer that happens to have a lens; it's a dedicated hunting tool. If you're looking to make the jump from night vision to thermal, or if you're upgrading from an older, lower-resolution unit, the super hogster a3 is going to feel like a massive step up. It just works, and at the end of the day, that's really all you want when you're out in the dark.