Spotting Scope Application Question

[CiK01]

Last year while elk hunting, I decided not to buy or take a spotter. Instead I just used my 10x42 binos and I found I could find elk really well using just the binos in that 0-2 miles out range. What I couldn't do well though, was to use just the binos to follow the elk into the timber in hopes of watching them bed. The 10x42's just didn't have the oomph I needed to see into the gaps in the timber very well.

I am guessing bigger is better, but at those distances can a smaller spotter get that job done? Thanks for your help.

 

[DapperDan]

Good post. Interested as well. I’m really curious as to if a spotter really necessary at all? I’ve never chased elk but planning on going with a friend next year that went this year. What is the upside on the extra weight to carry. Is it realistic to spot a bull 3-4 miles away and actually get on that bull?


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[CiK01]

Is it realistic to spot a bull 3-4 miles away and actually get on that bull?

At those distances, I think a spotter would be best. 2 miles seemed like the outer limits for me with the 10x42's. My eyes are getting older though. Might be ok for the younger eyes.

 

[DapperDan]

At those distances, I think a spotter would be best. 2 miles seemed like the outer limits for me with the 10x42's

That’s my question. Why a spotter at all if you are bow hunting? If you are in Colorado for 7 days, does it even serve you to have a spotter to lug around or would binos be just as efficient considering you need to get close.


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[Owenst7]

I have no idea what the distance was. It took three hours for my buddies (we're all younger backpackers) to hike to the ridgeline above them while traveling with excellent cover from the elk. I could not make the animals out with my 8x42s, but we found the first one with my buddy's 10x42s. We could not find the two spikes in the group until I got the spotter out. If you're just searching for cows or if you're not concerned about points on a bull, I could see justifying leaving it home. It was very helpful for me to keep track of where an individual animal moved to in the trees.

Keep in mind, I took the pictures with a phone and no adapter, just free-handing my camera over the eyepiece. I also had a large disadvantage due to looking in to the sun. The scope is the Vanguard Endeavor HD 15-45x65 that was in the classifieds on here about a month ago. Camera is a Galaxy S8 Active.

Good post. Interested as well. I’m really curious as to if a spotter really necessary at all? I’ve never chased elk but planning on going with a friend next year that went this year. What is the upside on the extra weight to carry. Is it realistic to spot a bull 3-4 miles away and actually get on that bull?


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I'm far from an expert on elk.

The group of ~40 pictured was bugling at first light when we got in to the bottom of that valley. I was heading up the hill to glass the area we were hearing them when I scared up a group of bucks. Three shots were fired and an hour and a half later when I got to that ledge to glass from, the elk hadn't moved. By about 2pm when my friends got to about 125 yards from them, one bull had taken ~6 cows and gone in to the timber (I assume to get water) and left the second bull and his cows in that opening. The bull was just lounging in the sun all day until the wind shifted and the cows discovered my friends. I doubt they would have moved from that area until late afternoon/evening if they hadn't winded people.

 

[CiK01]

It was very helpful for me to keep track of where an individual animal moved to in the trees.

The scope is the Vanguard Endeavor HD 15-45x65

Helpful. Do you think you could have followed the elk further into the trees if given the chance with the 65mm or would a larger objective spotter helped more?

 

[DapperDan]

I have no idea what the distance was. It took three hours for my buddies (we're all younger backpackers) to hike to the ridgeline above them while traveling with excellent cover from the elk. I could not make the animals out with my 8x42s, but we found the first one with my buddy's 10x42s. We could not find the two spikes in the group until I got the spotter out. If you're just searching for cows or if you're not concerned about points on a bull, I could see justifying leaving it home. It was very helpful for me to keep track of where an individual animal moved to in the trees.

Keep in mind, I took the pictures with a phone and no adapter, just free-handing my camera over the eyepiece. I also had a large disadvantage due to looking in to the sun. The scope is the Vanguard Endeavor HD 15-45x65 that was in the classifieds on here about a month ago. Camera is a Galaxy S8 Active.



I'm far from an expert on elk.

The group of ~40 pictured was bugling at first light when we got in to the bottom of that valley. I was heading up the hill to glass the area we were hearing them when I scared up a group of bucks. Three shots were fired and an hour and a half later when I got to that ledge to glass from, the elk hadn't moved. By about 2pm when my friends got to about 125 yards from them, one bull had taken ~6 cows and gone in to the timber (I assume to get water) and left the second bull and his cows in that opening. The bull was just lounging in the sun all day until the wind shifted and the cows discovered my friends. I doubt they would have moved from that area until late afternoon/evening if they hadn't winded people.

That’s really cool. What time of year and what elevation? Colorado?


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[1signguy]

Post rut I always take a spotter! It’s worth it’s weight in gold!

 

[mcseal2]

I hunt bulls toward the end of season when I draw a tag. They tend to be in bachelor groups or alone and are fairly predictable in location, they are in really tough to access places where few people bother them. They are often broke up from fighting that late in the year also and it's darn nice to be able to see how many tines an elk is missing before making a long stalk on one. I believe in taking a spotter but don't feel that I need a huge one. I have used a Nikon ED50 for a number of years on a cheap, light, Slikk Compact II tripod and never had it not be enough. I don't live in elk country and I'm willing to take any 300" class 6x6 or big heavy 5x5 I find, I might feel differently if I was more particular on size than that. I am not an expert elk hunter and I don't fill every elk tag I draw looking for bulls of that class. I know bulls of 300" to 340" are present where I hunt and I personally don't want to pack one out of the holes I hunt that is smaller, I'll pass them and eat a tag if needed.

This year I bought one of the new Kowa 55mm spotters. The Nikon ED50 has been plenty for my elk hunting, but I wanted a bit higher end, higher magnification spotter for mule deer hunting. I love the new Kowa, it matches the Swaro STM65 non HD spotter I sold to fund it in every condition I have found. It's a really impressive spotter for it's size and weight. For elk though, I don't know that the 15-45x magnification of the Kowa is better than the 11-33x magnification of the Nikon. The field of view is smaller on the Kowa but once an animal is found the greater magnification and glass quality makes evaluating the animal easier with the Kowa. The Nikon on 11x is nice for scanning country and locating animals. Elk hunting I nearly always find the animal in my Leica 10x42 binos and then evaluate them with the spotter.

I personally don't feel like I've ever needed a 65mm or larger spotter for elk. In the country I hunt I've never been left wanting more spotter, but have been left wanting less weight at the end of a day getting to and from the spots I hunt. I feel a small spotter and tripod are well worth their weight but the law of diminishing returns certainly applies when going to a larger heavier spotter. I currently still own the Nikon ED50 (its for sale), the Kowa 55mm spotter, and a Swaro ATS 80mm HD spotter. On future elk hunts I'll pack my 10x42 binos, Kowa 55mm spotter, and probably my Outdoorsmans compact medium tripod with the pan head and rifle rest. That stable, costly, and heavy of a tripod and head isn't necessary for the way I use my spotter for elk hunting. Once I got started using a tripod for glassing with my binos though I have become a huge fan of binos on a tripod. The old Slikk tripod and ball head don't work well for that so I'll pack the Outdoorsmans set-up at 49.2oz total instead of the Slikk at 20.6oz. If I wasn't using binos off the tripod I'd go with the cheaper lighter Slikk.

Hope my rambling helps, I got interrupted a few times writing this and got off track.

 

[mfllood3800]

Sometimes a set of binos on a tripod really helps as well. Can fill in that gap between using binos-maybe wishing you had a spotter like a 50 or 60 size.
The tripod really clears stuff up and brings details in you would miss with out it. Most decent tripods weigh at 2lbs or even under- compared to 5-8lb spotters.

I don't carry a spotter for archery elk. My area doesn't justify it. I also wont carry a tripod, again area doesn't justify it. Just my 10x42 binos
I do carry spotter for rifle deer- area requires it. Binos and 80 Swaro spotter

 

[Owenst7]

That’s really cool. What time of year and what elevation? Colorado?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Four days ago in NE Nevada. About 9200'.

Helpful. Do you think you could have followed the elk further into the trees if given the chance with the 65mm or would a larger objective spotter helped more?

I could follow them fine in the trees until the timber got too thick to see anything but the tops of trees. The biggest disadvantage was the sun in my face. I'd have been able to see a lot better if I'd made it up there before noon, but I was busy helping butcher an unexpected deer lol.

 

[CiK01]

This has helped immensely. Thank you! Objective helps at low light and magnification gets you further into the timber to keep track of them, in my scenario, as they move from meadow to bedding area.

Now I just need to figure out what magnification spotter I want.

 

[Owenst7]

I have no idea what the distance was. It took three hours for my buddies (we're all younger backpackers) to hike to the ridgeline above them while traveling with excellent cover from the elk. I could not make the animals out with my 8x42s, but we found the first one with my buddy's 10x42s. We could not find the two spikes in the group until I got the spotter out. If you're just searching for cows or if you're not concerned about points on a bull, I could see justifying leaving it home. It was very helpful for me to keep track of where an individual animal moved to in the trees.

Keep in mind, I took the pictures with a phone and no adapter, just free-handing my camera over the eyepiece. I also had a large disadvantage due to looking in to the sun. The scope is the Vanguard Endeavor HD 15-45x65 that was in the classifieds on here about a month ago. Camera is a Galaxy S8 Active.



I'm far from an expert on elk.

The group of ~40 pictured was bugling at first light when we got in to the bottom of that valley. I was heading up the hill to glass the area we were hearing them when I scared up a group of bucks. Three shots were fired and an hour and a half later when I got to that ledge to glass from, the elk hadn't moved. By about 2pm when my friends got to about 125 yards from them, one bull had taken ~6 cows and gone in to the timber (I assume to get water) and left the second bull and his cows in that opening. The bull was just lounging in the sun all day until the wind shifted and the cows discovered my friends. I doubt they would have moved from that area until late afternoon/evening if they hadn't winded people.

According to Google Earth, I was 1.18 miles from the elk pictured...about 2,000 yards.

 

[DapperDan]

So if you take a pic using your phone through your spotter, you could then use your phone to zoom in and get a better look. Wonder if zooming in using the camera while looking through the spotter magnifies even more? Food for though. Lol

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[Cant hit em]

So if you take a pic using your phone through your spotter, you could then use your phone to zoom in and get a better look. Wonder if zooming in using the camera while looking through the spotter magnifies even more? Food for though. Lol

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It does magnify it more


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