questions about optics for first time western hunt

[rwurdeman]

My two cents, good glass probably makes the top 3 most important items to take on a mule deer hunt. You can't kill what you cant find. While a spotter is a great tool to have. I would first invest in better binos and a really good tripod (it does wonders to your glassing sessions when you have a really good tripod). Of course, you have your top 3 Zeiss, Leica, and Swaro. But, some others around the $1,000 mark are really really hard to beat (Maven, Nikon, Razors etc.) and may not be worth it for you to double the price only for an extra let's say 7 min of glassing at low light.

If you pull the trigger on higher-end binos I do not think you would be disappointed (and be surprised at how much more you see) and like all high-quality things, it is an investment especially if hunting is something you want to keep doing. This year I upgraded my tripod and my tripod head (outdoorsman pan head is worth every penny) and was surprised at how a more stable and smoother platform helps when it comes to glassing and judging animals.

 

[generalist]

I can rent for 18 days and spend $236 a year it would take 11 years to make up the $2600 and at the end they would be worth half that.

So according to you after 11 years of renting you will have spent $2600 and have nothing. After 11 years the guy who bought them outright will have binos worth $1300. Looks like that guy is ahead. Really ahead if you consider he had his pair 365 days a year compared to your 18 days. Your mindset works better for leasing cars. At this point with bino tech, I can't see glass getting that much better and you're always "in warranty" with most manufacturers.

 

[Cockeye]

So according to you after 11 years of renting you will have spent $2600 and have nothing. After 11 years the guy who bought them outright will have binos worth $1300. Looks like that guy is ahead. Really ahead if you consider he had his pair 365 days a year compared to your 18 days. Your mindset works better for leasing cars. At this point with bino tech, I can't see glass getting that much better and you're always "in warranty" with most manufacturers.

U can’t see it getting better in 11 years really tech always advances and who uses a pair of Binos for 365 days I don’t. But I get a brand new pair every year for the few years I have left hunting. Cool thing is when you fall over dead your wife will sell your Binos in a garage sell for $40

 

[Cockeye]

So according to you after 11 years of renting you will have spent $2600 and have nothing. After 11 years the guy who bought them outright will have binos worth $1300. Looks like that guy is ahead. Really ahead if you consider he had his pair 365 days a year compared to your 18 days. Your mindset works better for leasing cars. At this point with bino tech, I can't see glass getting that much better and you're always "in warranty" with most manufacturers.

So what I really don’t understand is why you want to argue about this I was just trying to give options for some one coming out west to hunt for a week. I’m not sure if I’m the only one that thinks options are nice to have.

 

[generalist]

Options are great, but you're basically telling people they're fiscally irresponsible for buying high end optics when they can just rent them. I think your opinion is flawed. It's cool, man. To each his own, but this is a public forum, you're going to get people with differing views. I think investing in high end glass is absolutely worth it, especially if you can get a nice piece used.

 

[OXN939]

Here to throw a wrench in this whole discussion. I use a lot of pretty high end optics for work (Swarovski, Leupold, Zeiss etc) and must say that, as far as binos go, the super expensive options are not anywhere in the ballpark of being 12 times as good as the Vortexes you already have... which is the cost difference we're talking about.

I personally would never consider sinking that much money into binos until I had a really top of the line scope, rifle and all the components to match. True that you can't kill what you can't see, but binos are a piece of gear that is completely uninvolved with the most crucial moment of a big game hunt. Just my two cents, but going from "nice" binos like you have to "ultra high end" falls quite a few rungs down on my financial priority ladder

 

[Parkercox77]

Here to throw a wrench in this whole discussion. I use a lot of pretty high end optics for work (Swarovski, Leupold, Zeiss etc) and must say that, as far as binos go, the super expensive options are not anywhere in the ballpark of being 12 times as good as the Vortexes you already have... which is the cost difference we're talking about.

I personally would never consider sinking that much money into binos until I had a really top of the line scope, rifle and all the components to match. True that you can't kill what you can't see, but binos are a piece of gear that is completely uninvolved with the most crucial moment of a big game hunt. Just my two cents, but going from "nice" binos like you have to "ultra high end" falls quite a few rungs down on my financial priority ladder

agreed with that! I'm not willing to dish out a couple thousand on a set of binos, The more I've been looking at maps, a lot of the places we might be glassing are 1.5 miles or less, so I think i'm going to stick with what I have and buy a nice tripod for them.

 

[OXN939]

agreed with that! I'm not willing to dish out a couple thousand on a set of binos, The more I've been looking at maps, a lot of the places we might be glassing are 1.5 miles or less, so I think i'm going to stick with what I have and buy a nice tripod for them.

Nice dude! A solid tripod is huge, and not a mondo expenditure. Good luck out there, let us know how it goes!

 

[Parkercox77]

Nice dude! A solid tripod is huge, and not a mondo expenditure. Good luck out there, let us know how it goes!

Thank you! I’ll keep everyone updated

 

[Parkercox77]

Thanks to everyone for your advice! I ended up buying a leupold sx1 ventana 2 15-45x off of eBay for $180. I’m going to hike into some public this evening and test it out, I’ll let y’all know what I think about it!

 

[tmorg27]

I would say you need a spotter amd/or a pair of 15x binoculars. Just depends on your hunting style.
Zeiss conquest hd's in 15s are awesome!! Good luck with your hunt

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[DesertJoe]

What's done is done, but for the long term investment I'd have put money into some better binos. Low end glass works, but if you really spend time glassing you'll end up with headaches and eye strain from cheaper binos. Sure you can see pretty well in 30-40% of the optical viewing area, but that fuzzy edge is what will make your eyes hurt.

Really though, if you're not even sure you'll be hunting the next 3yrs renting top end glass would have been a solid option for this year. If you get out of school and start hunting yearly and doing a few scouting trips as well it'd make sense to upgrade big on your glass.

I hope you tag out, and the reality is you can do that without any glass at all, but you'd really need to burn the bootleather that way.

 

[deerkiller]

Zeiss aren’t Swarovski EL

THAT can be quite subjective - AND it depends on the models compared - 20 years ago the Zeiss CLASSICS worked for me better than any Swarovski and I tried them all - sometimes it's not all about the glass either, if a bino doesn't fit you or feel comfortable the glass does not matter nearly so much

 

[spacemonkey]

I used a pair of 10x42 diamondbacks during my first CO mule deer hunt in 2018.

Earlier this year, I decided to upgrade and picked up a pair of used 10x42 Zeiss Conquest off eBay for $750.

The first time I tried them out I remember feeling a little underwhelmed and thought that maybe they weren't the extra cost.

That opinion changed quickly after I spent more time with them during recent scouting. Especially when glassing at dusk & dawn. I cannot tell you how much of a difference the Zeiss makes when glassing in low light conditions. With the diamondbacks it almost wasn't even worth trying, very poor clarity. The same goes for glassing bedded bucks during the day -- lack of clarity and performance in the shadows made it tough.

All that being said, I was successful last year with the diamondbacks, so by no means will it make or break your hunt if you put in the time. I'm taking my fiance for her first deer hunt this year and the D-backs will be perfect for her to use. If you have the coin, I say go for it. Best of luck!





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[JGRaider]

You will likely spend hours per day behind your binos. While I do own Swaro EL SV's, you can see and find all you need to find with many of the $1000 class glass nowdays, including Zeiss Conquest HD's, Tract Toric UHD, Nikon HG, etc. I'd not want to spend hours behind vortex anything knowing what else is available. No offense, but I've formed my opinions based on 46 years of chasing mule deer and owning probably 30 sets of binos of all price ranges.
Good luck on your hunt.....muleys are addicting.

 

[DaveDeli]

I’ve hunted in the mountains 3 times ( ID, WY, CO) and my Viper 15 x 56’s with a tripod have been more than adequate so far. Ditto on getting the largest objective you so you gather more light at dawn and twilight.

 

[HiMtnHntr]

A spotter can be very handy. At long distance a spotter can distinguish buck from doe, for example, where you may not be able to tell with binos. If you make the hike an there's no buck you've wasted your time.

Really does depend on the country and stuff but if you're going to be making more trips out west I'd advise picking one up. On the classifieds here and elsewhere they go like hotcakes in a lumberjack camp.