Best Sheep Spotting Scope

[Jake Larsen]

Kowa 66 would be my choice. I’ve had smaller and much bigger, and this is the sweet spot for weight/reach/clarity in low light IMO.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Alpine406]

I would likely lug a bigger optic just for the quality and assurance it provides at longer distances. I use a Leica HD 65mm spotter and Tricer BC and it has been a solid setup.
Here is a bear from 1300 yards through my phone on the Leica.
The nice thing is there are a ton of great optics out there.

 

[Whitefox82]

I scored the 65 Leica APO spotter (older model) with the 25-50 WA eyepiece last year when they went on sale, just as the new models dropped. Glad I did. I’d take it sheep hunting.

 

[WVELK]

Many of these responses, maybe all, come from DIY sheep hunters. And, that is great! I wish I had been in a position to be a DIY sheep hunter when I was in my 20s,30s and 40s. As I new watch the sun set on my 50s, the answer to which spotter to take for me is the easiest answer I will ever give.

I take whatever one is in my guides backpack.

 

[medvedyt]

n

Yes, I took a 55mm spotter on a mountain hunt once. My guide had a 65, and side by side the difference in usable performance pushed me to sell the 55 and stay with 65/66-class spotters on almost every hunt.

never look up in a 85mm lol

 

[thinhorn_AK]

n

never look up in a 85mm lol

Yeah no kidding. I have an ats65, I looked into my buddies btx or bts (or whatever it’s called) 95 and I was ruined. It was even worse than the time 10 years or so ago when I looked through my friends swaro binos and thought my vipers were good.

 

[S-3 ranch]

Is this a DIY or guided? ( use the guides glass imo if you need to confirm it’s worth the effort of a stalk)
I used a leupold to keep weight down ,and save stress fatigue on my eyes
I usually don’t have a problem when I’m aoudad or other animals like pronghorn or Carmen mountain deer hunting & a caribou hunt
weight and eye fatigue are my biggest concerns

 

[SkunkCabbage]

Yeah no kidding. I have an ats65, I looked into my buddies btx or bts (or whatever it’s called) 95 and I was ruined. It was even worse than the time 10 years or so ago when I looked through my friends swaro binos and thought my vipers were good.

I have two close friends that I have given that exact warning to that I was going to “poison” them if they spent any time behind my glass after owning lower end glass. They chuckle about it say yeah whatever. Spend about 30 minutes with it and go back to their optics. The bug has already bitten them.

Both of these individuals now own alpha glass.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have two close friends that I have given that exact warning to that I was going to “poison” them if they spent any time behind my glass after owning lower end glass. They chuckle about it say yeah whatever. Spend about 30 minutes with it and go back to their optics. The bug has already bitten them.

Both of these individuals now own alpha glass.

My ats65 is fairly alpha glass but that btx95 is nuts.

 

[Yaremkiv]

I'd be grabbing the 85mm just for the light gathering.

 

[SkunkCabbage]

@thinhorn_AK never looked through a 95 BTX but I love my 95 ATX.

 

[z987k]

I'd be grabbing the 85mm just for the light gathering.

low light performance is the very last thing we care about sheep hunting in AK. It barely exists.

 

[z987k]

My ats65 is fairly alpha glass but that btx95 is nuts.

I settled on the ATM65 from a weight performance perspective because the weight matters, but my spotting scope has saved me untold miles of hiking I didn't need to do as well. Which is worth a LOT of weight.

 

[seaeagle99]

Usually you want more glass to really get good distance and definition. I had a smaller one that was cool for back packing but i always felt like I need more so I sold it and got the big one.

 

[alaska_bou]

n

never look up in a 85mm lol

The 85's are fantastic, no question. I would much rather glass from an 85 than a 65 just for the more comfortable, larger exit pupil, but for my needs the 65/66 is the best balance of physical size/weight and optical performance.

 

[BRWNBR]

I guides sheep with a Swaro 20-60 angled for a couple decades.

Angled eyepiece. Forever. I will never change that. The neck strain and fatigue and hassle it saved me was amazing. Straight eye piece for looking up at all is silly.

No tripod. I tried using one and it worked ok until I found white dots then no tripod was solid enough in mtn wind. So I would lay my spotter on my pack or the ground (which you can do with an angled eye piece) and got that scope solid solid. Count rings 800 yards out. See horns on a sheep 12 miles out. Of course heat plays a roll of when this works or not.