Am I stupid not to take a spotting scope on an early season high country buck hunt?

[sodaksooner]

If you have an E1R tag, so do we. My brother and I both bought spotters for this hunt. We hunt the same unit for elk and have never brought one. That said if I had 15's, I may have just picked up a tripod. Ive wanted one for range time anyway and got a good deal on mine so happy with it.

I have a much harder time seeing deer than elk so hoping it's value added.

 

[abbrown]

If you have an E1R tag, so do we. My brother and I both bought spotters for this hunt. We hunt the same unit for elk and have never brought one. That said if I had 15's, I may have just picked up a tripod. Ive wanted one for range time anyway and got a good deal on mine so happy with it.

I have a much harder time seeing deer than elk so hoping it's value added.

Yep E1R.

I'm honestly not concerned about the weight, I live at high elevation CO so it's not that big of a jump. Just wondering how much beneficial additional use I'd get. Sounds like a lot. But 15's are also intriguing, perhaps more useful for more applications.

Dang y'all are bout to make me spend some money.

 

[mcseal2]

15's on a tripod are awesome. I did not comment earlier about them, because you didn't ask and seemed budget conscious.

I have Swaro 15's I use on a tripod. I almost always pack the extra weight of the 15's for deer. Having that big field of view held extremely stable makes seeing that flick of an ear, etc way easier for me than any other glass. I really love the 15's, and part of the reason I am a fan of the compact spotters is because I pack the 15's to a lot.

For other species I pack the 15's less. 10's on the tripod are good enough to spot game, and then I have the compact spotter. Antelope I don't need 15's. Elk I seldom want them unless I'm glassing a face from a road. I want the compact spotter to check for broken points in the later season I hunt. Deer are where the 15's shine to me. I use them on a window mount or tripod depending on the season and place to locate deer and can evaluate a buck pretty well with them. They beat my spotters I've had at low light out past 1/2 mile.

Last advice is don't go cheap on 15's if you decide to get some. I tried some cheaper 13x and 15x before getting my Swaros. I really think the quality of optics shows up at higher magnification.

 

[Poser]

Spotters are cool, but they damn sure are a boat anchor in your backpack. Carrying a rifle, spotter, binos and tripod is a LOT of weight.

 

[TaperPin]

There are bedded deer in the krumholtz that can be difficult to pick out with only binoculars. Even within easy range of binoculars deer are known to keep there heads down so you’re looking for bits of antler, an ear, a tail.

For many deer hunters, we glass with binoculars fairly quickly looking for any obvious deer, then go over it again very slowly taking the time to pick apart every little detail. If there is a tripod the spotting scope is then used for a final scan of all the little details. If you don’t have a tripod, the scope is useful resting on a pack, but usually only after a deer is spotted with binoculars.

You will see bucks. If it’s far away enough to not be able to tell if it’s a small buck or a shooter what will you do? Waste an hour to get closer only to find it’s a 3 point or tiny 4?

In the satellite photo below is an actual spot a good mulie was spotted so far away it took a spotting scope to tell he was a shooter. It was sagebrush country, but the deer was bedded in brush on a ridge looking down on the world just as the timberline bucks would. We spotted him 7/8 mile away at mid day as he stood up to stretch and lay back down - if the sun hadn’t hit his antlers during the movement he could have easily gone unnoticed. We hiked up to the ridge next to him, well within range of my wife’s 7 mag.

 

[Dirtscoots]

I left mine. Multiple times I wished I had it. But the 15s are better overall in my opinion. If you don’t have to pack it day in day out yeah keep er close. I’m more proficient with spotting with my 15s. And wasn’t worth the extra weight for me.

 

[Jfjfrye]

I think the big question is. Do you have a quality spotter already? Or are you thinking of buying one before the hunt? If you have a quality spotter then definitely take it. It’s always better to have it and not need it. But if you own a mediocre or less quality spotter it’s probably not going to do you much good and I would gladly leave it at home and just run your 10s.

If you are thinking of buying and have the funds to get top tier glass then definitely do it.

If you can’t afford top quality. Then wait and keep saving and only buy once. I speak from experience on this one and have owned a couple of lower end spotters and they just don’t cut the mustard. So I’m currently saving for the swaro I want and will be able to use forever.

Hope this helps. Good luck and safe travels.

 

[Reamer13]

As has been stated multiple times already leave the spotter and take a good pair of 15s. You should be able to make a judgement call with them if it’s a shooter worth pursuing.

 

[Mcribs]

Been using 15s on tripod for comfort and I can tell if it’s a shooter. But I’m not looking for a trophy.

With that said I’m curious to look at these dudes through a spotter, so borrowing one for a day.

 

[abbrown]

Those boys look interesting for sure.

I went the 15's route, you all worked your magic on me. Can't wait to see my dream buck at 74yds to justify my purchase of long range glass.

No seriously, friggin pumped for some long glassing days in 2 weeks time! Happy hunting all.

 

[Clark33]

You can do a lot of “walking” with your spotter/15s. Save your legs for when you find one you want.

 

[dreamingWest]

I'm leaving next week for high country archery deer. I'm bringing 10x binos and a 65 mm spotter. I love 15s off a tripod, but I don't currently own 15s. That said, for this particular hunt, I wouldn't leave my spotter at home. I have a nice camera with 16X optical zoom (not sure digital zoom). It could honestly replace my optics inside about 400 yards. But my spotter with phoneskope smokes it past that distance. It also required water protection and batteries.

Not sure that helps. Just my thoughts on the subject. I suppose it really depends on if you'll be looking for a trophy.

 

[Wacko]

Those boys look interesting for sure.

I went the 15's route, you all worked your magic on me. Can't wait to see my dream buck at 74yds to justify my purchase of long range glass.

No seriously, friggin pumped for some long glassing days in 2 weeks time! Happy hunting all.

Hopefully you got some decent 15's. I didn't bring them up earlier, but they are far more useful than a spotter for me. The "both eyes" thing can't be understated. Field of view is better, ease of use is better. I honestly don't think you lose that much resolving power, because both eyes can make out the details.

Given a choice I'll take 15's.....

Happy hunting!!

 

[WoodBow]

Another vote for 15's and no spotter. No issues telling if i want to shoot a buck at a mile plus. If i needed a better look for some reason, I would just move closer.

 

[Fatcamp]

Take the spotter. Them mid days get booooring…

Exactly. I see all kinds of cool stuff with my spotting scope. And even deer sometimes.

 

[Goldrums]

Not from CO. Is early season rifle? Or archery? If rifle, have you considered using your tripod as a shooting platform? The death grip light is a good lightweight option. Agree with mcseal2 There are some good 15-45 spotter options that aren't too expensive (used) or too heavy. I like to hike with my glass - if you know what I mean. I always carry my spotter, then ditch the pack to make a stalk. Maven, Nikon, Vortex all have good options that don't break the bank or weigh too much (value glass). With a good phone adaptor, you can take excellent photos with your phone through the spotter instead of carrying around a big camera.

 

[TheGDog]

If you opt for some good 15's... then to offset the extra weight, for on your chest or in your jacket pocket you can then bring some compact 8's, like 8x32 for example. And use that when you want to scan by hand first. Then if the area has you thinking it deserves a better scan of a look, put he 15's on the tripod and go for it.

But clearly define for yourself the parameters you need.

I say this because at first I picked up a used ZEISS Dailyt 18-45 x 65mm. And it's amazing how far away you can see stuff clearly with it. But with this particular climb I'm subjecting myself too. It's just a little too heavy for such a steep climb.

So, I just picked up the Maven 12-27x56mm, and it's like more than a full pound less. The FOV width isn't quite as impressive as that 65mm. But it's not bad and the focus ring on that Maven surprised me! It's very easy to rotate tiny amounts with little force when you're trying to achieve maximum sharpness when focusing in. The ZEISS Dailyt is a lil stiffer in that regard.

Figure I'm gonna try the ZEISS 10x42's on chest and the MAVEN S2 to back it up for looking out farther. And now got'em both as straight, so if I see something in the binos first... it's a snap to swap out to the spotter w/ the Outdoorsman adapter system and still be pointed at pretty much the exact same place. Didn't like having to re-acquire the target so much 'tween binos vs angled spotter. Having to lower down the tripod when going to the angled spotter is a PITA, to me.

 

[Idahohillboy]

I have an early season high country mule buck hunt in Colorado in a few weeks time. 11k' elevation and up, big basin country. I currently carry pretty good 10x42's on a tripod, and a superzoom canon camera (65x optical, 260x digital zoom) on same tripod. Am I going to seriously limit myself by not having a spotter? I don't want to spend the money, but it's not impossible.

At 11k feet you are glassing basins is my guess and so if you really like to hike dont take a spotter. I hike with a 95 swaro and a heavy pack everywhere in the high country but good Glass will save your legs 100%. I go no where without my spotter unless I am elk hunting. Being limited to a pair of 10x42 I would wanna shoot myself tripod or not.

 

[2-Stix]

I run 8x, 10x or 12x and carry a like spotter 11-33x50 to ID not pick apart a mountain. We move a lot and we hate sitting and glassing.

 

[bard]

Personally I would sell the camera, buy a spotter and a phone skope for my iphone. lol. I wouldn't sweat not having a spotter. You will be happy with the lighter pack. I spot 80-90% of the animals in the mountains with my bino's. Spotter is great to look a long ways off or counting sheep rings. Wouldn't be on my must have list for mule deer