Backcountry Bear optics

[Redneck09]

Sorry if this has already been covered in the threads but I can’t exactly find it. I’m looking for the best optics combination to pack into the mountains of BC to hunt black bears on slides and forest fires.

I don’t think you need to discern a lot of detail when hunting black bears so I’m going to focus on a combo that would help me spot them best from accross and down the valleys while still being reasonably portable.

I love to hike and hunting is just another excuse for me to get into the backcountry.

So far I have a little pair of vortex 10x diamondback binoculars. Decent for glassing offhand and checking out country as I move through it. I also have the Wiesel precision bipod/tripod setup with trekking poles.

I have done some research so I will propose some options and hopefully get some experienced people to chime in on them.

Option 1:
My 10x binoculars with a lightweight spotter (similar to the vortex 50mm or Kowa 50mm).

Option 2:
A good pair of binoculars 12-15x that I can both hold and mount on a tripod.

Option 3:
My 10x binoculars with a set of high power 18-20x binoculars to use on the tripod setup. This will be the heaviest setup but I would go for it if it really made me more effective then the rest.

Thank you in advance for your input.

 

[fatrascal]

I like option #1. Fatrascal.

 

[Lionhound1975]

I had the Vortex Razor 50 but i sold it since i could see just about as much detail with my Meostar 15s as I could with the Razor cranked up to 30x. Pluse the 15s were much easier to look through for any period of time. Maybe using both eyes made up for the lower resolution. The Razor might have been better to count rings or points but for spotting game at distance I would go with the Meostar 15x any day over a 50mm spotter.

In addition to your options above, you could also look at switching to a better 10x that you could hand carry and use on a tripod. You could still find something under $1000 that will be day and night difference from your Diamondback. You could still use it with your trekking pole set up without having to get a dedicated tripod like you would need for a large bino where the trekking pole setup can get shaky.

 

[Redneck09]

Lion hound, so your suggesting both 10x and 15x binoculars?

 

[Lionhound1975]

Lion hound, so your suggesting both 10x and 15x binoculars?

If weight and/or cost are a big limitation, I would stick with one bino, but I would upgrade to the best 10x42 I could afford and then use them handheld and on a tripod. I got headaches from using a Diamondback for a few hours.

If you have a little more flexibility weight and cost wise, I would get the best 8x and 15x I could afford. But with a heavier set of binos (15x) you might need to get a real tripod as I'm not sure how stable the trekking pole set-up would be glassing with 15x. The 8x will be easier to hold than a 10x and usually have better FOV and low light than a comparable 10x of the same model. So i would pair it with a 15X.

I would not worry about a spotter since you are not counting rings on a bear and any bear you can see with a 50mm spotter you will see a lot better with good 15x binos.

Sounds like a cool hunt. Good luck!

 

[Hoodie]

I like either 8x/15x or 10x/18x. A PhoneSkope adapter for the big bino will give you extra zoom (at the expense of image quality) for sizing things up.

I used a 10x50 on my chest and an 18x56 in the pack this season and really liked it.

 

[Redneck09]

What about 1 set of good 12x binoculars? So they have advantages or disadvantages over a set of good 10x? I guess I’m wondering if the loss of field of view and visual shake is worth that extra bit of zoom.

 

[Hoodie]

If someone does glassing intensive hunts primarily, a 12x50 is probably the best one optic solution. It is not as versatile as the 8x/15x or 10x/18x combo, but it is much lighter. I would try a 12x50 before I committed to ensure I could handhold them decently well.

If you aren't a trophy hunter a 12x50 by itself can cover a lot of ground. I think the difference between 10x and 12x is more noticeable than the difference between 8x and 10x.

 

[Redneck09]

Okay. This is all good info. I’m not really a trophy Hunter. I have been a die hard backcountry hiker for my adult life and now I’m getting into hunting to get me into the backcountry during spring and fall.

So naturally I walk a lot more then I glass. Recently I have enjoyed glassing and finding animals during prime times I try and get to good glassing spots. My spot and stalk game needs some work but I am very excited to get better at it. All my hunting success has come from finding animals and ambush spots.

All of this of coarse in the mountains.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I was using 10x binos and a spotter. Now I use 15x binos on a tripod. I still have a spotter, but it usually stays in the truck.

 

[evergreenethos]

Some quality 10x42s with a Kowa 553 is a killer lightweight combo. If you don't want to spend the $ on a Kowa, the Maven S.2 + optical doubler is a decent substitute. They have S.2 demos for under $1K. I'd still splurge on the Kowa though.

 

[Redneck09]

Is it possible to glass through a phone scope if you get tired of looking directly through a spotter?

 

[evergreenethos]

Is it possible to glass through a phone scope if you get tired of looking directly through a spotter?

I know a few people who do sometimes, but I personally would not. I feel like I'd be losing out on way too much detail.

 

[Wrench]

I'd take the best 8 or 10x you can afford. I can tell a bear from a stump at over a mile on a clear day. I can judge the size of that bear by judging the stumps around me. Cut the distance to 800-1000 yards and I can pick the bear apart.

If you're looking for the difference between a booner and a good bear, you need a spotter and a good one at that. If you want to spot game you'll appreciate wide fields of view.

As for 8/10 debate.....they each do something better and worse than the other. I prefer 8s.....some prefer 10s.