Spotting Scope
 

I am posting this here because I suspect some of the avid western huters can give me some advice along this line. I have a chance now for some western hunting for years to come where spotting from a good distance is the norm .... mule deer, elk and pronghorn. I have good binos - Swarovski 8x40, but no spotting scope.

How necessary is a spotting scope? And any experience with spotting scopes within my $2,000 budget.

I've always found a Spotting Scope to be extra baggage. My binos have always been sufficient. JMO
Dan

A spotting scope isn't an absolute necessity, but they are nice if you spot an animal at a distance and want to take a good look at it without having to cover a lot of distance only to find that it isn't of the quality you're looking for. I sure wouldn't consider a spottign scope as excess baggage as the other member stated unless you're good with shooting any legal animal on your hunt. Antelope are one species that really takes a lot of looking through a spotting scope from different angles to tell a really good buck form an average or just above average one. There are many top notch ones that you could easily buy for $2K. I'm partial to the Leupold brand myself, but there are a number of top notch companies out there to take a look at.

I mostly use a spotter during preseason scouting for deer and elk. It lets me peek into drainages without leaving boot prints and spooking game. While I am carrying a rifle I seldom carry a spotter.

Pronghorn hunting is a bit different. I use a spotter quite a bit during the hunt.

Whether you need one or not will depend upon the type of terrain you hunt and antler point restrictions for your unit. In areas with timber and small parks a spotter can be worse than useless. In open areas it would be nice to be able to determine if game is legal before you start on a leg burning hike.

A good pair of binos beats a spotting scope once hunting season starts. Chances are that if you need 30-plus-power to see something, you're probably not going to be able to put a successful stalk on it anyway.

I usually carry a spotting scope and I use it on a window mount on my truck for glassing distant ridges and valleys. I don't take it with me when I'm on a stalk though. I carry a pair of Leica 10x42's or an ultra-lite pair of Nikon 10x25's when I'm actually hunting.

Spotting scopes are a handy tool but their bulk limits the way I can use them since I tend to hunt light and on foot.

Spotting scopes are for "Judging" trophies..........60X is good.

Binos are for locating; 12X is what I use.

Most importantly; Get a lifetime warranty ($$$) !!!

Buy it once.

I carry a spotter during the deer hunt and often find myself doing a quick glassing of a basin with the binoculars and then spending a couple of hours just using the spotting scope. It really shines on picking bucks out in the shadows. I have found tons of deer with a spotter that I wouldn't with the binoculars. My binocs are swarovskis as well, so quality isn't in question. It is the magnification in low light areas that pick up the single tine, an ear, or a front leg extended out...

For the elk hunt, I just use binoculars. I am only meat hunting elk and they are easier to pick out--even at a real distance--with binoculars. I always hunt any-elk areas, so antlers are irrelevant.

I agree with LongKnife, access baggage. Most western hunting requires some pretty good hiking, I have spotting scope but almost never use it. I do put my swaros on a tripod during rifle season, and it has always been enough.

Like flags, I'll usually have a spotting scope in my truck, especially when hunting pronghorns. I've never carried a spotting scope in the woods on elk hunts, and I don't remember carrying one on my sheep and goat hunts. Just too much extra weight, especially on solo backpack hunts.

My Nikon Travelite II 9x25 binocs however, have been with me on many elk hunts, to the tops of many sheep mountains, and on multiple international hunts.

I have a like new Swarovski 20x 60X power with the 65mm objective in my gun safe. I have used the spotting scope maybe two or three times it still looks brand new, I will sell it for $2,500 cash.

One thing to consider in the balance, is size and weight. I will maintain that you will find animals with a spotter that you won't with binos, but you have to decide whether it is worth it. Are you hunting an area with larger expanses with edges and openings that will justify the weight? If not, then you won't want to carry a spotting scope that day. Also, a reasonable sized scope can make the difference. I carried an 80 mm Vortex Nomad for a year. Great scope. Weighed a ton by the end of the day. Definitely a truck scope. Now I carry a Nikon ED50. Very compact and light. With a light weight tripod, it is a great little device. High quality HD glass, 16 oz without the eye piece. The variable eyepiece with it is okay, but if you can scam on a wide angle 27x fixed unit, grab it up. Leupold and Minox make some small scopes too, though I don't believe the quality of the glass is as good.

I am with wyoming trapper, as a rule I dont go much of anywhere without a spotting scope. In my pack I carry a leupold 12x40 gold ring for its size and ease of packablity. My tripod is actually my bogpod shooting stix. Not the most stable of outfit but makes since to double up what equipment can do. In my truck I carry a swarovski 65 with a 25 to 50 wide angle eye piece. If I had to have one it would be the leupold. I dont like taking 1-3 mile hikes to look at a critter that you could have kicked back and watched to see if he is what you are looking for. I spent the better part of my youth doing that stuff and a little weight to me makes more sense than lots of extra miles. Just my .02 cents