RE: Spotting scope?
Guys thanks for the replies thus far.
If you're glassing at sunset you aren't thinking about that day. You're looking for an animal to move on the next morning. I've never Sheep hunted, but I've been in sheep country. I was glassing a Bighorn sheep while elk hunting one afternoon with a "cheaper" 45xscope, and couldn't tell if he was 3/4 curl or full etc. I thought to myself: Thats about 2 miles away, If I was sheep hunting I would have to walk that distance and traverse some god awful rough ground just to tell if he was legal or not. Thats when I could see the benefit of a High quality 60x scope.
Now we come to the cost issue. I obviously don't relish the idea of spending a couple K on something that will be used once or twice a year tops. Though, I also know that a sheep hunt will end up costing me in excess of 10 k. So I guess if a scope could potentially save me from going empty handed on my for sure once in a lifetime hunt I'm going to spend the money.
I know that Zeiss, Leica, and Swarovski is the standard to which everything else is measured, but Nikon certainly is not second rate either. I just want the best while spending the least.
Keep the advice coming in folks.