Up here in Maine, the woods are wicked thick, but...I have never regretted having a scope on my rifles, I even have one on my shotgun. I have regretted having only iron sights a few times.

I remember one time when I regretted having a scope. It was snowing incredibly hard and the scope lenses were wet. and I couldn' t see more that twenty yards. With or without the scope. Didn' t see any deer that day either. That was ONE day out of 24 years of hunting deer.

KEEP THE SCOPE.