Spotter for Archery Elk?

[bsnedeker]

I'm curious...how many people lug a spotting scope to hunt elk in September? I'm going to be hunting SW Montana this year and will be targeting some areas that (from digital scouting anyway) appear to be glassable. Last year I took a spotter with me to Colorado but never used it as the terrain was WAY to thick and it wasn't really necessary as the elk were sounding off so you knew where they were generally.

I also have EXTREMELY cheap glassing gear right now: a 65 mm Bushnell with an extremely cheap and light tripod. I'd like to invest in some quality stuff at some point, but I have a lot of higher priority gear on my list of upgrades so it won't happen anytime soon. All told I'm thinking of leaving it in the truck when I head out this year. I do train with the weight of the spotter in my pack so I'm not too concerned about the weight, I just don't like the idea of toting this thing around if I'm not going to use it.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[Back Country Hunter 2]

For me it all depends on the type of terrain I'm hunting. If I'm hunting in dark timber I don't bring it. If it is glassable country then I probably will. A good set of binos with a good tripod is probably all you need. Do some research on google earth and find out if you need to bring it or not. A scouting trip will help you make that decision as well.

 

[mproberts]

Not sure what you have for binos, but if they are decent you likely are getting a clearer picture out of them anyways.. so I definitely wouldn't bring the spotter. I started out with a cheap Cabelas spotter and soon realized that it couldn't obtain a clear image anywhere near the labeled max magnification. I also had a pair of HD 10x42 Zeiss binos which were able to provide a better image than the heavy glass I was lugging around. I would test the spotter against what you have right now, but I would be hard pressed to ever bring a low quality spotter again. Also you will get much better results with your binos when properly setup on a tripod.

I think the other question you have to ask yourself is what are you trying to spot? is it just game or is it the difference between a 300 or 320 bull?

 

[idahohikker]

I sure as heck wouldn't be lugging a low quality spotter. Most guys during archery season don't carry a spotter. I think they can be useful in the right country as mentioned above as another option to calling or to use to complement your calling. Less weight to run around bugling in more basins isn't a bad call either.

 

[YZF_88]

I do not carry a spotter for elk. I do for deer season right before elk. Elk season can't get here quick enough so I can dump that heavy thing and get after it!

 

[blackpowderhunter]

Just get a decent pair of binos, maven c1s for example, and bring your tripod.
unless you are trying to judge the score of a bull 800 yards away(and it sounds like your spotter wouldnt really be up to this task), leave the spotter behind.
you can use 10x bino's to spot elk at 8-900 yards easily.
i never bring a spotter archery hunting personally..but it's thick, and there would be zero use for it.

 

[bsnedeker]

Not sure what you have for binos, but if they are decent you likely are getting a clearer picture out of them anyways.. so I definitely wouldn't bring the spotter. I started out with a cheap Cabelas spotter and soon realized that it couldn't obtain a clear image anywhere near the labeled max magnification. I also had a pair of HD 10x42 Zeiss binos which were able to provide a better image than the heavy glass I was lugging around. I would test the spotter against what you have right now, but I would be hard pressed to ever bring a low quality spotter again. Also you will get much better results with your binos when properly setup on a tripod.

I think the other question you have to ask yourself is what are you trying to spot? is it just game or is it the difference between a 300 or 320 bull?

That's an excellent point, I have definitely found that I get a much clearer picture through my binos than I do through this spotter. I'm running some Bushnell Legend 10X binos so they aren't exactly top of the line, but they do work pretty well for me and were in my budget...never put them on a tripod though. With my hunting budget I'm probably 2-3 years away from upgrading my glass.

And I'm just looking to spot game...I'm still trying to put my first elk on the ground!

 

[mfllood3800]

Mostly use bino on back pack hunts
Hunting from home I take the 80 on short hikes, or the 65 if its a longer hike in

Use bino for back packing hunts
Unless its a LE tag and you're going for 400" or bust
Binos will allow you to see all you need to see.



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[BadEarth]

All depends on what you're looking to shoot. If you're looking for a certain size bull, and in a glassable area, then a spotter would be beneficial. For me, with my binos I can see if it's a bull or not, and if it's a bull, then I'm going after it!

 

[theleo91386]

I'll pack one around when I'm developing a game plan for the next few days. Where I hunt I can glass for a few miles from certain spots so I'll take inventory on what is where so when plan A doesn't work out I'll have plans B-E made up so I'm not stopping looking or calling to find more elk.

 

[Lowke01]

Hunted SW Montana last year. No spotter. We used cheap 10's and 12's to locate some elk and that was good enough for us. We could see there was a bull in the herd from over a mile a way, but couldn't determine exact size. We also spotted a herd from 2.5 miles away with the 10's. Couldn't see antlers but body size and strut told us there was a bull.

 

[Beendare]

SW MT...you and everyone else.

I've bowhunted elk for 3 decades and can't think of a time where I wish I was lugging a spotter around. Now maybe if I ate 12,000' peaks for lunch....I don't.

I know guys that hunt areas where the spotter would be an advantage; short hikes to a glassing spot out of the truck type hunts.

I wish we could get away with doing that^. We've had some 20 mile days in those mins and its no cakewalk....especially for a flatlander. Hunts like that you will be looking to shed ANY excess weight....