How often do you use your spotting scope

[ttucci16]

Like the title says, How often do you use your spotting scope? I have 10x42 bino's and a tripod that i use for scouting in western Washington, but I'm going to be scouting out East or in Idaho and I'm not sure if buying a spotting scope is worth the investment. Can i get by with 10x42 binos held steady on a tripod, or is it worth the amount of money to get into some Vortex Razors?

 

[wannakillabigbull]

It is completely dependent on your style of hunting, the terrain, what season you're in, etc. I rarely even carry my spotter during archery elk season, but I use it as often as my binos during my late season deer hunts.

 

[ttucci16]

Thanks for the response. Honestly I'm pretty new to Big Game hunting. I'm wanting to go for Mule Deeer before i bite off going after any elk. Im a Chukar hunter at heart, so i like steep terrain and covering a lot of ground. I guess i should probably just use my bino's until i get the big game bug then put some serious money into a spotter.

 

[FlyGuy]

IMO, Use your binos until you feel that you really need a spotter. You can do a lot with good binos on a tripod. Good spotters can be a big investment, especially for new hunters, so I wouldn’t be in a rush. What binos are you running, btw? It might be worth upgrading those 1st anyhow.


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Brush Buster]

Good binos are most important imo. I love to put my 10s and 15s on a tripod to locate animals. But I love having a spotter too. Sometimes I will try to locate bedded deer or animals at long distance with the spotter. There have been times the spotter has let me know if it is a bedded buck, or a rock and a bush. Like others have said it all depends on the hunting you are doing. Is it necessary, I don’t think so. In reality a good pair of 10s on a tripod can accomplish 90% of your glassing needs. But I almost feel naked without my spotter on mule deer hunts.

 

[ttucci16]

FlyGuy I'm currently running Vanguard Endeaver ED IV 10x42's. I've had them for two months and like them so far. They've been out to eastern washington for turkey season, and they've woked really well in the early morning. My only complaint, is that i wish i had a little bit more reach...thus me wanting to get a spotter.

 

[Blue72]

No one can tell you this, but you. You need to experiment to see what works best for your views.

I was a big believer in 7x35 super wide binoculars and a spotting scope. But then realized one eyed scope viewing is not comfortable for long viewing. I also realized when mirages acted up I had to reduce magnification to 20x-30x. Since my viewing is mostly done in a 2 mile radius. I found 15/16x binoculars meet my needs better then a spotting scope in the above conditions. But others would scoff at this. It’s all personal preference

 

[Mt Al]

If the location and how I'm going to hunt that day warrant it, I bring the spotter and use the heck out of it. 10x42s are great, but if you have a good place to spot from and the area is large enough a spotter is way better IMHO. If ranges are short, no reason to bring a spotter.

 

[aaronoto]

I hunt Western Washington as well. I'm leaving my 85mm Razor at home this year and just running binos on a tripod. The spotter was only used for phoneskope video/pictures last fall. It's amazing what you can spot with a GOOD set of binos (even at distance) over a mid-range priced spotting scope, especially if glassing conditions aren't ideal. With that said, if I were hunting in more open country I'd probably pack the spotter, one of those better to have and not need then need and not have type deals, assuming you don't mind the extra weight....

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Not as much as I should but mostly because my current spotter sucks. I’ll be getting a 65mm Swarovski fairly soon.

 

[NV HUNTER]

I hunt Nevada and Utah . I always have my spotter in my pack.

 

[Gumbo]

Depends on the terrain and species. I almost never take my spotter when elk hunting in heavily timbered areas for obvious reasons. But I primarily hunt open country and use my spotter almost exclusively for glassing (85mm Ziess). I run 10x42 Leica binos and they simply aren't powerful enough to get a good look at animals that are way out there (several miles). If I was only going to glass a mile then I'd probably leave the spotter behind, but beyond that I just can't tell what I'm looking at. Given the choice, I MIGHT even rather have a spotter than 10x42 binos when in open country. The only time my binos are optimal is when distances are less than a mile or I'm on the move.

Once you learn to use a spotter effectively it is a game changer, and if you learn to look with both eyes open through quality glass you will have minimal (if any) eye fatigue.

 

[AK Troutbum]

I use mine all the time, on just about every hunt, and I usually take it on my hiking/training trips as well. I really enjoy digiscoping, so that's the reason for carrying it on hikes, and I probably use it daily on my mountain hunts.

 

[idahohikker]

Depends on the terrain and species. I almost never take my spotter when elk hunting in heavily timbered areas for obvious reasons. But I primarily hunt open country and use my spotter almost exclusively for glassing (85mm Ziess). I run 10x42 Leica binos and they simply aren't powerful enough to get a good look at animals that are way out there (several miles). If I was only going to glass a mile then I'd probably leave the spotter behind, but beyond that I just can't tell what I'm looking at. Given the choice, I MIGHT even rather have a spotter than 10x42 binos when in open country. The only time my binos are optimal is when distances are less than a mile or I'm on the move.

Once you learn to use a spotter effectively it is a game changer, and if you learn to look with both eyes open through quality glass you will have minimal (if any) eye fatigue.

I glass pretty regularly with the spotter over long distances as well. Little eye strain. The spotter is a major asset.

 

[Newtosavage]

A good quality pair of 10x42's on a tripod will tell you 90% of what you need to know.

Having said that, I wouldn't give up that other 10% when I use a spotter if I could help it.

I've never located elk with a spotter, but I've been able to tell quite a few times whether those elk were bulls or cows, and if the bulls were legal. That can make a BIG difference in your strategy for the next day.

A decent spotter is about 1/2 the price of one elk tag and will last you for decades.

 

[Jskmtd]

During rifle deer hunts I use my spotter a lot to judge deer and make a decision on making a stock or not. During archery elk hunts I never pack my spotter so it just depends on your style of hunting and maybe what you are hunting.

 

[Jimss]

I hunt open country and constantly go back and forth from binos to spotter. I use my binos more or less for spotting game and spotter for sizing them up. My spotter often saves me miles of hiking when locating and field judging game. I've spotted a lot of game over the years with spotter that I couldn't find with my binos. There is no way I would leave home without a spotter for every animal species I hunt. It's nearly impossible to size up pronghorn bucks, mtn goat billies, bighorn and dall sheep, elk bulls, muley bucks, whitetails at long range, etc without a spotter! I even use my spotter on turkey hunts when I'm spotting and talking birds. In fact, I located a lone tom a couple weeks ago that I couldn't see with binos...and ended up getting him!

If it were me and I was just starting off I'd invest in either a leica or Swarovski spotter. If you keep your eyes open you can likely find an almost new one on Craigslist, Ebay, or this or orther website's classified sections.

 

[Muley Buck]

All. The. Time.
Like others have said, I run my binos and spotter back and forth constantly.

 

[1shotgear]

During the season I only do about 10 to 15 hours of glassing throw a spotting scope in a 7 day elk hunt. But for scouting I do about 50 to 75 hours depending on how long it takes me to fine me and my wife good bulls and learn there habits.

 

[MTCHIRO]

I use a spotter all the time. It always in my pack. I use it primarily to judge deer to see if they are worth putting a stalk on. Also from a good glassing point i will use the spotter to pick apart sage brush and the terrain to look for bedded bucks or deer standing up. Its amazing how many animals people miss by just looking through binos and not taking the time to pick apart country with a spotter.