I have never hunted with a scope that wasn' t set at min. 4 power (fixed or variable). I hunt lots of heavy cover and open areas as well, for me the 3X9 would offer the max. in range for my situations, but that may not hold true for you. Actually I now use 3.5x10' s on all my guns and usually leave the power in around 6. I much prefer being dialed in on the target and i can always go up or down depending on the situation at hand. I also like the high power settings for range time.

Either way not much of a difference between 2 and 3, you' ll gain some between 7 and 9. I would say if you may have the need for increased power the 3-9 would be the best of both world, conversely if you don' t think you' ll ever need 9 power than 2-7 should be just fine.