Spotting scope for 4th season mule deer

[AndyJ]

I have a tag for a 4th season rifle deer hunt in CO. I hunted the area last year and killed a decent buck but I know there are some stud bucks around. I plan to still hunt the dark timber but the terrain is extremely varied. In just a few miles you will find open sage, dark timber, alpine, aspen stands and sand stone arroyos and pinion juniper stands. Its got it all. I plan to still hunt the dark timber, because that seemed to be where the big bucks were last year. The area is right in the migration corridor and the dates are right in the heat of the rut.

Sorry, I'm taking too long to get to the point. I do not have a spotting scope, but am thinking about getting one. How critical do you guys think a spotting scope would be on a hunt like this. I realize this is a bit of a difficult question to answer without seeing the terrain. If I am hunting only dark timber the I'm sure 10x binos will be fine. The bucks may be on the move with the rut and or migration. I don't need to score the buck, just find them and judge shooter or not. I am not very experienced as a mule deer hunter. So you guys with a lot of MD experience. How much do you think you would use a spotting scope on a hunt like this?

Thanks,
Andy

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

Under 800yds I doubt you'd need a spotter.

 

[huntMT]

Under 800yds I doubt you'd need a spotter.

Agreed, couldn't have said it better.

 

[bobhunts]

It might help you to figure out how many other hunters are there! Other than that I believe where you are hunting you will be fine with just Binos and let the other hunters run them to you. It is what it is. They get pressured quick!

 

[rbljack]

I carried a spotter last year on our Mule deer hunt but didn't really get enough use out of it during the hunt to justify carrying around another 44 ounces for my tripod, and 48 ounces for my spotter (razor 65mm). That's right at 5.75 pounds of extra weight.

That is where you need to do some evaluation in my opinion. If you are going to carry the extra weight of the spotter, than it need to work for ya. How? in saved walking mileage. if you still need to do the walking, than the weight of that spotter may not be worth it.

So many ways to think about this stuff....but I do know one thing is for absolute sure: IF you bring it and it doesn't get much use, you will be cussing yourself for the extra weight. If you DONT bring it, you will HAVE a need for one and wish you had it with ya...LOL. That's murphies laws right? Or maybe its that damn Good Idea fairy again".

Now, having said all that, I will end with this: even though we didn't get much use out of it last year. I AM taking it again this year. BUT, I also plan to try hunting a few different areas that had fires, and got burned out a few years back. By now, with the rains we have had, the areas Im thinking about should have lots of fresh green growth and more open terrain to use the spotter in.

 

[fatrascal]

Personally I would not want to be without a spotting scope. Sounds like you've got varied terrain and as you said it's in a migration route and the hunt takes place during the Rut. I would glass around the edges of the timber as well as any open areas in early morning and evening. In the middle of the day I would still hunt the timber. But since it is during the Rut, I would not be surprised to find deer up and rutting in the middle of the day or all day on and off in the open. At the very least I would have a spotter in my truck so that I could try several tactics and use all methods of hunting to my benefit.
Fatrascal.