I'll be the odd man out. I like a variable scope. I used to run straight 4's on some of my rifles. But when PA went to the antler restrictions, I slowly switched over. Now my .44 mags, and even most of my .22s have a variable of some sort. And I use the variable power often while hunting. I've found I'm just typically more comfortable taking a shot on a higher power. Even on things like squirrels high up in a tree, etc. Yes, Binoculars could be used for some of that, as far as the antler restriction and counting points go etc, but I like to have the variable option on shots. Many times I have pulled the gun up while set on 4, and cranked my scope to 8 or 9 before taking the shot. Just personal preference.
That doesn't help you with a suggestion for the cds, just throwing out that there's nothing wrong with a variable power scope if that's what a person wants. What happened to personal preference lol?
-Jake