Optimal Mule Deer Optics Setup

[RockAndSage]

You're correct, many people glass for short periods and move a significant distance.

I'll sit in one spot for hours before I'm done. Pre dawn is my goal every time, I've spotted alot of game waaaaaay before sunrise that simply can't be done with low-mid grade optics, I tried it for years before alpha glass was a reality for me.

Same. Even when they bed-down before shoot light, you know right where they'll be when they get up around 10am to move to the shade of second bed, as the sun shifts.

 

[Hnthrdr]

We should probably stop talking about this… haha I really like that 98% of hunters glass for 15 min and move on… full disclosure there is almost 0 glassing involved when I elk hunt (archery) haha, but deer, bear, antelope, sheep, goat, anything with a rifle, I think it’s super relaxing cause all I do is glass. Archery elk hunting is like a damn off trail marathon… everything else goes to a snails pace until it’s killing time.

 

[JGRaider]

Are we talking western hunting on primarily public land or TX private?

OK/TX private, CO, NM, public, Mexico, Africa.

 

[JGRaider]

And again, you're conflating "need" with "advantages". You also literally have zero idea how many bucks you've missed in not having top glass, while convincing yourself you're "successful" and didn't miss any by having put "a" buck down.

This nonsense is the kind of stuff you'd tell a kid who needs to just learn to glass better. But telling an experienced mule deer hunter they won't get any advantage with better glass is a bizarre absurdity. You don't "need" top glass to get a buck, but you damn sure have a better chance at spotting the best hidden ones. Especially in the worst lighting conditions. Arguing otherwise is pretty suspect.

And since you've never hunted with me, you don't know how many, if any, big bucks I've missed either. I've also guided over 160 hunters over 16 years and sampled all their gear as well. IMO, hunters should spend more time learning to shoot, get in better shape, and have a good attitude (not a know it all one like some folks have), instead of worrying if their binos are adequate. If you're emotionally attached to your NL's and feel the need to justify them to me, great for you.

 

[BBob]

We should probably stop talking about this…

Yes we should, we are our own worst enemy when it comes to training our competition

 

[BBob]

I wish I could go back to the times when it was extremely rare to see another tripod in the field