Just wanted to list some observations I made while hunting antelope in NE Wyoming. 1. Good clear binoculars are a must.----yes the Zeiss and Swarovskis are worth it.
2. A laser rangefinder while not a must have sure is handy.
3. A strong steady bipod is great or the telescoping polecat from stoney point.
4. The shooting sticks were o.k. but a little shakey.

Congrats to all hunters this fall, NBH

I live & hunt in Montana. I have good optics, Harris bi-pod & laser rangefinder.
I feel the good optics & bi-pod' s are worth every penny. The rangefinder is nice to have but sometimes they are a pain to pack around.

i use harris high bipod, leicarange finder, gold ring binos,, found that i can do with out bipod everywhere but eastern montana..

Anythin' more ' an davy crocket had is a unnecessary gadget. Hell, might as well play a video game an' save the wear an' tear on yer boot leather. Bipods my hairy arse. Rangefinders fer city people what never see nuthin' but bricks an' mortar, an' allays in spittin' distance. Nazi binoculars cause yer peepers are blowed out from the innernet.

BJ I suppose you don' t use anything modernized? How' s that ol' Flintlock shootin these days with a roundball you made over the campfire? Or are you usin' the long bow with shale broadheads?

I agree with good optics,but you can do just as well with a pair of Nikon' s or Bushnell binoc' s.
I have only seen 1 hunter hear in Montana that carried a pair of Swavoskis,nice to have but unnesasary,your choice.
A bi-pod,I was a kid and thought I needed a bi-pod,adds to much weight,learn your shooting positions more.
A laser range finder nice but not needed,most shots are under 200 yds.

I' ve only been hunting 18 years so I have alot more to learn.

BJ----You are truly an original. So did you kill that big bull elk with a Kentucky long rifle or your bowie knife? Now in all honesty you are right all you need is your " smokepole" but them other gagets make things a little easier.


BBJ-----I though as you do that the Swarovskis and Zeiss were overpriced. Untill this hunt. The two biggest bucks killed were by hunters using premium optics. I found tring to judge a nice buck from a very nice buck say 12" -13" from a 14" -15" with cheaper optics was almost impossible. Now this was my first hunt for antelope and I am sure that has a lot to do with it.

on the optics line i was talking to a gent at a gun show last week and he said the swarovskis have a coating or something that works the contrast and makes using easier, the money that it costs for them isa pit fall for most, but if you use a pair for long you will fing it hard to replace them,, i think for a hunter the 8x32 are hard to beat,, just my .02

No you don' t need German glass to have success on big game out west...They only alleviate headaches for situations where extended glassing may tire your eyes. SHopping carefully there are binos out there that will do the job..I won' t get into it here because it would be a lengthy reply and someone would interpret it wrong anyway. Darn those hunters 50-100 years ago must have had extreme hardships getting their game..how the heck did they ever do it ? Some of the conversations I hear here and other places regarding equipment just make me more impressed with the power of modern marketing and its affect on people and their purchasing decisions. From Hunting shows on the Outdoor channel to idiot videos we watch to biased articles one reads in hunting publications...the Sportsman is under attack and it isn' t just from the anti-gun.. treehugging.. liberal buffoons out there.

bbj,,most shots are under 200 yds.?????
where are you hunting at?for deer most times there under 200 but when i was antelope hunting two wks ago i dont think i took a shot under 200.