Spotting Scope for Goats

[Banana_Horn]

I am looking to see what others are preferring for a spotter for mountain goat. Are you going with the biggest/baddest scope you can find, or are you going light and compact?

How much are you relying on a huge magnification scope for determining sex? I seem to do okay determining sex based on behavior (lonely goat, or with 1 or maybe 2 buddies), and then picking Billy’s out of larger groups (usually smaller guys though).

I’m looking to upgrade from an older 15-45x Leupold. It’s been on a few goat hunts with me and has been fine, it has never been a failure point on a hunt, but I have been wanting to upgrade. My preference would be a Kiowa 55, but I don’t want to be under-scoped.

Eventually a new scope might pull double duty for sheep, but for the foreseeable future mountain goats are my primary focus, I just can’t get enough.

 

[as.ks.ak]

I am looking to see what others are preferring for a spotter for mountain goat. Are you going with the biggest/baddest scope you can find, or are you going light and compact?

How much are you relying on a huge magnification scope for determining sex? I seem to do okay determining sex based on behavior (lonely goat, or with 1 or maybe 2 buddies), and then picking Billy’s out of larger groups (usually smaller guys though).

I’m looking to upgrade from an older 15-45x Leupold. It’s been on a few goat hunts with me and has been fine, it has never been a failure point on a hunt, but I have been wanting to upgrade. My preference would be a Kiowa 55, but I don’t want to be under-scoped.

Eventually a new scope might pull double duty for sheep, but for the foreseeable future mountain goats are my primary focus, I just can’t get enough.

If it’s going to be for sheep too, go big and bad. I have the 88mm Kowa and can’t say enough good about it. Previously had the razor 65mm, and it was sufficient. But the bigger glass is in a different category.

I have found I am never upset having the equivalent of a 1/2 a day of food extra weight in my spotting scope… never once has someone complained about being able to see too good.

Go big, and then later on down the line squirrel away some $$ if you really want to drop your pack weight. For me? Even if I had a bad 55mm, I’d probably keep brining my 88mm… it’s just too slick!

This also pertains to hunting style too. Say you can glass with big glass from the rig and then run and gun with the 55mm once you’ve acquired your target…thats a totally different thing to consider… id say it depends your usual hunting style.

Buy once, cry never!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Banana_Horn]

If it’s going to be for sheep too, go big and bad. I have the 88mm Kowa and can’t say enough good about it. Previously had the razor 65mm, and it was sufficient. But the bigger glass is in a different category.

I have found I am never upset having the equivalent of a 1/2 a day of food extra weight in my spotting scope… never once has someone complained about being able to see too good.

Go big, and then later on down the line squirrel away some $$ if you really want to drop your pack weight. For me? Even if I had a bad 55mm, I’d probably keep brining my 88mm… it’s just too slick!

This also pertains to hunting style too. Say you can glass with big glass from the rig and then run and gun with the 55mm once you’ve acquired your target…thats a totally different thing to consider… id say it depends your usual hunting style.

Buy once, cry never!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

10-4. Thanks for the input. It kind of confirms what I’ve been thinking, if I could only have one it should probably be a big one… but then I see those little scopes and drool at the size lol. I’ve never been hindered by my shitty scope yet but I would feel like a fool if I was, after spending thousands and preparing for months for a hunt.

Regarding hunting style: my goat hunts so far have been fly-in or boat drop off followed by a couple solid days of bushwhacking to get to goat terrain. One concern with being underscoped would be spotting some goats from the drop off point and wasting a few days effort getting to just a huge pack of Nannie’s without a Billy. That would suck, but I am not sure how realistic that concern is and I am well aware of the packing-your-fears element of backpack hunting, which I try hard to avoid.

Cheers!

 

[as.ks.ak]

10-4. Thanks for the input. It kind of confirms what I’ve been thinking, if I could only have one it should probably be a big one… but then I see those little scopes and drool at the size lol. I’ve never been hindered by my shitty scope yet but I would feel like a fool if I was, after spending thousands and preparing for months for a hunt.

Regarding hunting style: my goat hunts so far have been fly-in or boat drop off followed by a couple solid days of bushwhacking to get to goat terrain. One concern with being underscoped would be spotting some goats from the drop off point and wasting a few days effort getting to just a huge pack of Nannie’s without a Billy. That would suck, but I am not sure how realistic that concern is and I am well aware of the packing-your-fears element of backpack hunting, which I try hard to avoid.

Cheers!

I would jab back and say this….. those new image stabilizing spotters, at a smaller objective will be MUCH more valuable when it comes to aging rams on a windy hillside… it certainly is a major breakthrough in the optics world. And something to consider as well.

IF I ever buy another spotter, it will be one with IS.

Don’t forget to consider that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JREG19]

I decided to go big and bad and get the swaro atx 115 for my sheep tag last fall.

From the truck, it's amazing glass. Packing it around is a different story though. I wished I had something smaller.

I'd say get something in the middle for size but top quality glass. Then spend a lot of time field judging, to build that instinct to size up a big billy.

 

[TBossHSauce]

Angled Leica 65mm spotting scope. 25-50x eyepiece with the doubler is darn near perfect in my opinion.

 

[Craigo]

Meopta Meostar S2 quality glass for half the cost of Swarovski

 

[skipper907]

I like the swaro STC
Also Ben Reynolds who is an Alaskan sheep hunt ( killed a # of sheep) and is also on the slide I believe has switched to the swaro compact and doesn't feel limited with it.
If I was going to buy another compact spotter I would consider the Kowa as the swaro focus is very touchy on refining the focus

 

[Banana_Horn]

Thanks for the responses so far, hope to get more. Those Leica and Meopta options are interesting, nice to see that there appear to be some solid options in the price bracket below the swaro and kowa lineups.

Out of curiosity, who is using their phone for the added optical zoom to compensate for a lower zoom range on a smaller scope?

I’ve done this with my junker scope, but I already knew it was a Billy I was looking at, just wanted to capture the moment. See pics

 

[skipper907]

Thanks for the responses so far, hope to get more. Those Leica and Meopta options are interesting, nice to see that there appear to be some solid options in the price bracket below the swaro and kowa lineups.

Out of curiosity, who is using their phone for the added optical zoom to compensate for a lower zoom range on a smaller scope?

I’ve done this with my junker scope, but I already knew it was a Billy I was looking at, just wanted to capture the moment. See pics

I have a little and planned to when I got the STC scope

 

[Antares]

The Kowa 554 is what I hunt with. It's totally adequate for sexing goats, but if was trying to field judge billies, particularly at long range, I would bring my 884.

I think some of this depends on how much goat hunting/sexing/judging experience someone has and what the goal of the hunt is.

More experience = less glass, less experience = more glass.

Identify any legal goat = less glass, identify the best billy in the area = more glass.

 

[GreenNDark Timber]

I went middle of the road with a Zeiss 65mm. I was only interested in determining if it was a mature Billy or not and wasn't' really trying to count inches. It worked great for that out to distances farther than I could walk in a day. I've upgraded to a lighter tripod since this hunt but would take the same scope again for goats or if I'm lucky enough to do a sheep hunt.

 

[Banana_Horn]

I went middle of the road with a Zeiss 65mm. I was only interested in determining if it was a mature Billy or not and wasn't' really trying to count inches. It worked great for that out to distances farther than I could walk in a day. I've upgraded to a lighter tripod since this hunt but would take the same scope again for goats or if I'm lucky enough to do a sheep hunt.

Nice, thanks, that looks like awesome country.

 

[Jimss]

I've been on a gob of sheep and goat hunts. I have both Leica and Swaro scopes. My Leica is a little less bulky and lighter weight but I do really like my Swaro. When hauling camp around on multi-day hunts in steep, rugged country it's definitely worth losing ounces as well as bulk in your pack. It helps having an oversized pack for hauling out meat, horns, and cape in one load! I also feel that a quality tripod is just as important as great optics.

 

[Trial153]

Last two goats hunts the ATC went with me , at this point if packing in anywhere its the ATC. The ATX stays a the truck ...

 

[AK Troutbum]

I bought a Kowa TSN 553 just specifically for mountain goat hunting. I wanted something that was a bit smaller and lightweight, since having to reach a certain age or size (or sex for that matter), on a goat is not a legal concern. I use a much heavier Swaro for sheep hunting. Here’s a few pics with my cell phone/spotter combo.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[as.ks.ak]

I bought a Kowa TSN 553 just specifically for mountain goat hunting. I wanted something that was a bit smaller and lightweight, since having to reach a certain age or size (or sex for that matter), on a goat is not a legal concern. I use a much heavier Swaro for sheep hunting. Here’s a few pics with my cell phone/spotter combo.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Glad to see not much has changed Greg! Hope you’re well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Banana_Horn]

I bought a Kowa TSN 553 just specifically for mountain goat hunting. I wanted something that was a bit smaller and lightweight, since having to reach a certain age or size (or sex for that matter), on a goat is not a legal concern. I use a much heavier Swaro for sheep hunting. Here’s a few pics with my cell phone/spotter combo.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the info and great pictures of those goats. Another vote for the kowa 55 or a strictly goat hunting scope.

FWIW, I am totally fine if this thread turns into a “post phone scope pics of goats” thread as long as you say what glass you are using.

 

[as.ks.ak]

Thanks for the info and great pictures of those goats. Another vote for the kowa 55 or a strictly goat hunting scope.

FWIW, I am totally fine if this thread turns into a “post phone scope pics of goats” thread as long as you say what glass you are using.

I’ll play for fun. Optic in use is Kowa 88mm. And Kowa 77mm.


101 yards. Full zoom no extender. Kowa 88mm.

110 yards no zoom. No extender. Image cropped. Kowa 88mm.

Full zoom. With 1.6 extender. 4.3 miles (as the crow flies). Let the glass do the walking. Kowa 77mm.

300 yards with the Kowa 77mm.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[270-300]

I left my vortex viper 20-60 scope and went to a pair of vortex kaibab 15x56 binoculars.

The 15x is very stable, and in a high end glass 15x56 is very clear, very bright, and shows very much detail.

I have no trouble with sheep or goats with them.

Off of my tripod I can tell what brand of beer someone is drinking from 2 miles.

I get about 3x the actual field of view having both eyes open in the binos. The much brighter images show much more detail very crisply.

If you really want to spend the money, the new UHD abe koenig prism 18x56 binos vortex released are unreal.

I routinely find and watch sheep at 300-500 yards when antelope hunting. 10x42 fury hd 5000 is more than needed under 700 yards.

Ive found with optics it comes down to a persons vision. Ive hunted with people who wear glasses using swarovski that could not find the turkeys i was seeing with 10x42 vortex diamondbacks.

I originally started collecting optics for hunting. The last year years im well past whats needed for hunting, now its just recreation.

Best thing that helped me learn long distance with optics was a pair of 15x56 vortex diamondbacks. Under 500 yards they are phenominal. About 700 i start seeing a lot of optical errors. Understanding the light and terrain situations that causes these errors makes me much better with more expensive glass, where for say dead grass on a ridge at 700 yards in morning sun will be bright green streaks in the diamondback, in better optics the ca wont be there but the image will be less clear and precise than that optic can do in better light situations.