Optic Set-Up

[LearningToHunt]

As a new hunter stepping into the world of western hunting deciding on what to spend and where to spend it is intimidating.

My question is.. for central/Southern California & Arizona hunting (deer/bear)

Is it best to run a 10x42 binos on my chest and then use a really nice pair like Swarovski 15x56 in my pack for glassing.

Or do I need a spotting scope?

 

[Taudisio]

As a new hunter stepping into the world of western hunting deciding on what to spend and where to spend it is intimidating.

My question is.. for central/Southern California & Arizona hunting (deer/bear)

Is it best to run a 10x42 binos on my chest and then use a really nice pair like Swarovski 15x56 in my pack for glassing.

Or do I need a spotting scope?

How new to hunting are you? I’d look at other gear first, and pickup a set of 10x binos. I successfully hunted for 15+ years with a pair of $20 tascos before I was told I needed a $1k pair of binoculars to kill animals. If you can afford the good stuff, by all means, get them. Necessary? No.

I rarely hunt with anything more than my 10x binos and rifle now. My spotter sits in the garage unless I have a tag with expectations of a “good” animal, or if I’m going to the range and feel lazy.

 

[LearningToHunt]

How new to hunting are you? I’d look at other gear first, and pickup a set of 10x binos. I successfully hunted for 15+ years with a pair of $20 tascos before I was told I needed a $1k pair of binoculars to kill animals. If you can afford the good stuff, by all means, get them. Necessary? No.

I rarely hunt with anything more than my 10x binos and rifle now. My spotter sits in the garage unless I have a tag with expectations of a “good” animal, or if I’m going to the range and feel lazy.

All I’ve hunted up to now is turkey, waterfowl, and pigs. I have essentially all the gear needed. But I’m moving to AZ and want to get into bear/coues deer. I already have e a pair of 10x42 just want something sharper and can see further with clarity.

 

[keystone112]

If your 10x42s are really good, I’d say run them.

If they’re mid-grade, maybe try some high end 10x or supplement them with a spotting scope.

 

[hereinaz]

All I’ve hunted up to now is turkey, waterfowl, and pigs. I have essentially all the gear needed. But I’m moving to AZ and want to get into bear/coues deer. I already have e a pair of 10x42 just want something sharper and can see further with clarity.

As an AZ hunter, this is the typical set up 10x on the chest and 15s on a tripod. You can hunt anywhere and everything with that.

Use 10x for quick scanning for moving and obvious animals. I run 10x32 Sig BDX range finding binos. Better binos help, but it’s not critical.

For tripod glassing, put money into a good 15x like used Swaro SLC or 18x Razor UHD, or something similar.

Depending on the gear you have, start with a good tripod and your 10x.

 

[cafemike]

Allow me to suggest how much of a glass / image snob you are. I got turned on to Canon L glass in photography and have not looked back on buying good glass.
Would suggest looking at the Vortex UHD 8x42 from Eurooptic or 10x42s from Sierra. They can be had for under $950. Top notch alpha glass at an extremely reasonable price. to do better, you would have to spend two to three times more for a marginal increase in optic performance in some areas. I would suggest the build performance is on par.

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

For coues, get a great pair of 15s and a good tripod first, then add some 8s or 10s from there. 12s instead of 15s might be the choice if you only wanna carry 1 pair, but in my opinion 15s are better.Spotting scope nice but it’s a luxury not a necessity, and sometimes gets left behind depending on how far I’m packing in/how much water I gotta haul

 

[cafemike]

As an AZ hunter, this is the typical set up 10x on the chest and 15s on a tripod. You can hunt anywhere and everything with that.

Use 10x for quick scanning for moving and obvious animals. I run 10x32 Sig BDX range finding binos. Better binos help, but it’s not critical.

For tripod glassing, put money into a good 15x like used Swaro SLC or 18x Razor UHD, or something similar.

Depending on the gear you have, start with a good tripod and your 10x.

Forgot to mention - Dvor has the 18x56 UHD for $1340 brand new (others too). Crazy great binos at a stupid low price. Don't be put off by the Vortex brand - their made in Japan high end Razor stuff is very very good.

 

[hereinaz]

Forgot to mention - Dvor has the 18x56 UHD for $1340 brand new (others too). Crazy great binos at a stupid low price. Don't be put off by the Vortex brand - their made in Japan high end Razor stuff is very very good.

Sierra Trading Post has refurbished too.

Buying used with Vortex Razor is a solid choice

 

[Taudisio]

All I’ve hunted up to now is turkey, waterfowl, and pigs. I have essentially all the gear needed. But I’m moving to AZ and want to get into bear/coues deer. I already have e a pair of 10x42 just want something sharper and can see further with clarity.

It really depends on your budget then. How much are you looking to spend?

 

[180ls1]

SoCal here but I kill stuff in AZ every year also.

The one tweak I would make is 8x on your chest. 10x is fine but if you have bigger/better glass in the pack 8x is superior on your chest.

 

[nm.otter]

As an AZ hunter, this is the typical set up 10x on the chest and 15s on a tripod. You can hunt anywhere and everything with that.

Similar thoughts here, but I can't give up the FOV, low-light performance, and handholding ease of a good 8x.

 

[LearningToHunt]

It really depends on your budget then. How much are you looking to spend?

No more than 2k

 

[Taudisio]

For new binos, tripod, and 15x binos?

 

[hereinaz]

I won’t fight anyone between 8x and 10x. I could go 8x now that I started archery more.

For $1000 you can get a used 18x UHD and $600ish a solid tripod and head.

Sell your 10x and buy a rangefinding bino with what you have.

You won’t ever need to replace anything.

 

[100%DIYazCOUES]

I’ll make your shopping list for you!

15x56 meopta meostar- keep an eye out you can get them for $1k
8x32, 8x42, or 10x42 meostars. Same as above for $500.i use 8x42 most of the time but have all 3.
Sirui 124 with va5 head. $269 on Amazon right now for a GREAT all around setup, trust me as someone who has tried dozens of tripods and heads, there’s absolutely no need to spend more on a glassing tripod(unless you’re packing in and want to cut weight, then it’s a different conversation) but for relatively lightweight, good in all situations setup, it’s the best bang for the buck out there, and I’m not sure there’s anything close in value.
The meostars are better then non hd swaros, and almost as good as the hd. My opinion, you can’t do better for the price. If I lost my slc hd 15s, id buy the meostars and not feel like I’m missing out…. To my eyes they’re quite a bit better then razor uhd, and quite a bit cheaper. Heavier though….

 

[LearningToHunt]

Allow me to suggest how much of a glass / image snob you are. I got turned on to Canon L glass in photography and have not looked back on buying good glass.
Would suggest looking at the Vortex UHD 8x42 from Eurooptic or 10x42s from Sierra. They can be had for under $950. Top notch alpha glass at an extremely reasonable price. to do better, you would have to spend two to three times more for a marginal increase in optic performance in some areas. I would suggest the build performance is on par.

Snob? I don’t think so. I’ve been using the Costco Leupolds combo pack for $150 for the past two years. I’m just ready to upgrade as my love for hunting is growing.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Keep your 10s as they will work for some things. Worry about potentially upgrading them at a later date.

For about $300 you should be able to get a fully functional tripod and head. I still use my first tripod, a Manfrotto 290 XTRA CF, for glassing; you can get the aluminum version for about $150. Go with whatever tripod/head setup that makes sense for you.

Get quality 15-18x binoculars as this is what you will be using the most for glassing typical country in AZ. The Leica Geovid R 15s are very good and have a built-in rangefinder. The Swarovski SLC 15s are synonymous with glassing for Coues. The Vortex Razor UHD 18s are nice. All can found, new/used/demo, for about $2K or less. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone, call around, and ask for their best price; do reach out to CameraLand and S&S both of which are Rokslide sponsors.

Now you will need a binocular adapter to attach your binoculars to the tripod head. Lot of options out there at various price points. Some may or may not depend on the optics you have. Do plan on being able to mount both your 10s and 15/18s.

You do not need a spotting scope.

It is a personal preference whether to bring multiple pairs of binoculars. I only bring either my SLC 10s or my SLC 15s depending on where and what I am hunting in AZ; I never bring both.

 

[LearningToHunt]

Keep your 10s as they will work for some things. Worry about potentially upgrading them at a later date.

For about $300 you should be able to get a fully functional tripod and head. I still use my first tripod, a Manfrotto 290 XTRA CF, for glassing; you can get the aluminum version for about $150. Go with whatever tripod/head setup that makes sense for you.

Get quality 15-18x binoculars as this is what you will be using the most for glassing typical country in AZ. The Leica Geovid R 15s are very good and have a built-in rangefinder. The Swarovski SLC 15s are synonymous with glassing for Coues. The Vortex Razor UHD 18s are nice. All can found, new/used/demo, for about $2K or less. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone, call around, and ask for their best price; do reach out to CameraLand and S&S both of which are Rokslide sponsors.

Now you will need a binocular adapter to attach your binoculars to the tripod head. Lot of options out there at various price points. Some may or may not depend on the optics you have. Do plan on being able to mount both your 10s and 15/18s.

You do not need a spotting scope.

It is a personal preference whether to bring multiple pairs of binoculars. I only bring either my SLC 10s or my SLC 15s depending on where and what I am hunting in AZ; I never bring both.

I got a nice tripod already that I’ve been using to class. Just needing help trying to decide on the optics

 

[LearningToHunt]

For new binos, tripod, and 15x binos?

No I have a good tripod and good enough 10x I’ll carry on my chest. Mostly just for the binos. I think I’ve settled on the 15x56 SLC