Spotting scope vs binoculars

[yobuck]

Lots of good advice above. a MUST to get quality binocs. Serious scanning time with a spotter will give serious, sometimes disabling headache. Clarity trumps power, you will just have to witness it to understand it.

What about 2 spotters Randy?
Come to PA during deer season where ever L/R hunters are and that's about all you will see. All day every day and no head aches. It's not the spotter, it's the using one eye for long periods that causes the issues. Our friend W B should spend another 3 grand, then he will really have something. I probably know at least 8 guys who did just that. And that's just Swaros, but there's plenty of others used also.

 

[Buck Buster]

I would think by watching the mountainous hunters out West that unless they have others with them to help carry equipment, that they would want to go as light as possible. That would mean smaller lightweight binoculars, and lighter everything that is possible. I have also noticed that when I have a ball cap style hat on that I can hold a pair of binoculars in place with my thumbs underneath them and my fingers up over the brim of my hat, I think this helps a lot and it is very fast.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I have also noticed that when I have a ball cap style hat on that I can hold a pair of binoculars in place with my thumbs underneath them and my fingers up over the brim of my hat, I think this helps a lot and it is very fast.

I learned that from my son-in-law a few years ago. Really works.

 

[Buck Buster]

I learned that from my son-in-law a few years ago. Really works.

Rich: Have you ever seen this tip before? I don't remember ever seeing it, I just happened to do it one time and have done it ever since.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I saw son John do it and tried it.

 

[yobuck]

Ball caps don't work as well as the stocking type when glassing with a tripod.

 

[Sevy]

I like the monopod or tripod for long classing stretches with binos. But the hat works good too if the monopod isn't available. I would suggest 10x42 binos or similar and then a spotting scope on top of the binos. That's what I do. Spend most of my time with the binos and use the spotter for trophy potential or long range searching. Its heavy but its what I prefer.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Ball caps don't work as well as the stocking type when glassing with a tripod.

Nothing works like a tripod for higher magnification binos.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Save up your pennies (dollars) and buy the best bino's you can first. I recommend Swaro's myself. I have a pair of EL's in the 10 x 40 flavor and they are hard to beat plus they are guaranteed for life (I know the guarantee is good, I had to send mine back due to an accident and they were replaced). You get exactly what you pay for in optics. Swarovski casts and polishes the best glass in the world.

Far as spotters, I use a Celestron 100 ED (100 mm ocular) with 60X maxmum magnification. It's heavy (with a tripod) but I can see for miles literally.

I use the Celestron for bird watching too. It has the Industry standard 1.25" objective so you can use any style objective you want to for hunting, bird watching or astronomy.

 

[JMHNL]

It really just boils down to your hunting strategy, style, terrain and fitness. At 7000 ft and a lot of hiking, that spotting scope will be the first thing left in camp, but if it's a lot of flat land or easy walking maybe it's a good idea. I do a lot of high elevation hunts in Idaho and have Leupold 10x42 binos on a good harness, and a VX6 3-18x50mm scope on my rifle for final details. I just bought a pair of 10x42 Leica geovids, and from the porch the glass quality difference is already obvious. Excited to use them in the field.

I guess for me, I like to be mobile and cover ground, so not letting a lot of gear bog me down is important.

 

[Buck Buster]

Ball caps don't work as well as the stocking type when glassing with a tripod.

I'm talking walking through the woods or mountains with them hanging around my neck, just grab and use. Not talking about a long range set up like I would use in PA, where you are stationary. ( in the same place all day ) When I am still hunting and covering ground I only carry what's necessary, a knife, some shells in a pocket, light pair of binoculars strapped around my neck so they are easily accessible, and my rifle. I never use a back pack, can't stand that bulkiness. Many times you do not have time to set a tripod up, and many times you don't even have enough time to get the binoculars up before the animal flees or walks into cover, but the binoculars suite my hunting style best. Good luck hunting and be safe.

 

[Buck Buster]

I like the monopod or tripod for long classing stretches with binos. But the hat works good too if the monopod isn't available. I would suggest 10x42 binos or similar and then a spotting scope on top of the binos. That's what I do. Spend most of my time with the binos and use the spotter for trophy potential or long range searching. Its heavy but its what I prefer.

That does work good Sevy: A lot of times I won't even carry a shooting stick when still hunting unless it is going to be in primarily open areas, Now most of the time I will use the side of a tree to steady my binoculars and even my gun, but while I'm moving and want to quickly identify something I use the hat trick a lot. Good luck hunting and be safe.

 

[yobuck]

It really just boils down to your hunting strategy, style, terrain and fitness. At 7000 ft and a lot of hiking, that spotting scope will be the first thing left in camp, but if it's a lot of flat land or easy walking maybe it's a good idea. I do a lot of high elevation hunts in Idaho and have Leupold 10x42 binos on a good harness, and a VX6 3-18x50mm scope on my rifle for final details. I just bought a pair of 10x42 Leica geovids, and from the porch the glass quality difference is already obvious. Excited to use them in the field.

I guess for me, I like to be mobile and cover ground, so not letting a lot of gear bog me down is important.

Someday if you happen to be in N C PA, traveling on rt 80, get off at the Kylertown exit, which is slightly east of Clearfield.
From there, its only a couple miles to the nice facility of Cutting Edge Bullets. Stop in and you can see them making bullets, that is if you can get your eyes off the numerous very large muley and elk mounts adorning the walls of the place. I was told by the owner that they all came from the high mountainous area of Idaho, and all were taken L/R, as a result of glassing with large tripod binnocs, and shooting from very good shooting tripods, like the Ultimate Tripod.
Now that might not be your preferred way of hunting, and that's fine. But make up your mind now, that you are missing out on oppurtunities you aren't aware of.
If i were you i would at least call Cutting Edge, and ask for Dan.

 

[JMHNL]

I can see the value in glassing, of course. I was just trying to point out that it really depends on what you are trying to accomplish. OP stated it was his first trip to ID...and not necessarily trying to look for a world record.

Yes, you can sit and glass a canyon for half a day and maybe see something tremendous, maybe not. But in that half day, I'll go check 2 or 3 more drainages and you would be surprised what you find in the middle of the day "over the next hill". Especially if the weather is ******.

On day 7 of your high country hunt, fatigue sets in, and anything you can jettison out of the pack gets left in the tent. You'll pat yourself on the back having a nice set of reasonable weight binos that don't require a tripod or otherwise.

My freezer made my mind up a long time ago about this....