The 1 Thing You Learned- Glassing Smarter

[UA_Blake]

One specific to mule deer, when you go out for your first hunt and you are looking through your binos, you will be shocked at how small the deer look at a distance. I’m sure I looked right over tons of deer before I figured this out. Think of it as if you are looking for an ant on the hillside.

 

[arock]

Actually glass - lol. If you think its time to move wait 45 mins and then 20 more. A tripod is extremely useful when sitting and one of those little tripod stools is nice to sit on. Looking for parts of animals was a good tip I picked up on a thread here.

Glassing while you go. Can't stress that one enough. Blindly stomping through the woods is going to break your heart.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I dont own a spotter. I only own 15X SLC's.

Have you ever tried one of those doubler attachments?

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I learned to do it out of necessity. Lot's of sheep guides are good at it too. An eye patch is very helpful but I can do it without. With BTX and Twins available now it's not as needed but when weight is a factor the one eye technique is helpful

I learned the hard way it's nice to have a spotter that you can turn way down. If you have a piece of gear that's easier to use, you'll use it more

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Get the best optics you can afford or maybe not even responsibly afford and put them on a quality tripod and head. Rock solid mount is a must here.

Get yourself in a very comfortable position and pick out a likely spott for finding game. I have found when my optics are rock solid and I just stare at a spot the slightest movement will pop in my view. I can pan or grid a hill but I usually find game when I'm staring At a likely spot, very seldom wheni am randomly scanning a hillside.

Think about it, when you are walking along and think you see something you immediately stop for a better view. Optics and glassing are no different.

Any tips for increasing the stability of your glassing platform?

 

[Oregon Hunter]

One specific to mule deer, when you go out for your first hunt and you are looking through your binos, you will be shocked at how small the deer look at a distance. I’m sure I looked right over tons of deer before I figured this out. Think of it as if you are looking for an ant on the hillside.

I'm usually looking for ears

 

[Brian Fahs]

Any tips for increasing the stability of your glassing platform?

Buy a tall enough tripod so you need minimal or no center column height.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Buy a tall enough tripod so you need minimal or no center column height.

Great tip! Do you find an adjustable center column makes it unstable, or just weighs more?

 

[Brian Fahs]

Increased center column height decreases overall stability. Especially with larger optics in wind

 

[chutinlead]

I learned to do it out of necessity. Lot's of sheep guides are good at it too. An eye patch is very helpful but I can do it without. With BTX and Twins available now it's not as needed but when weight is a factor the one eye technique is helpful

When glassing with my spotter either hunting or at the range spotting for someone, I use my left eye and give my right eye a break from shooting. Helps minimize eye strain on my "good eye" lol

 

[nobody]

Best thing I learned this past season was Cody Nelson's 3 pillars to effective glassing:

1. Buy the best binos that YOU CAN AFFORD.
2. Buy a good tripod and mount that glass on it.
3. SLOW THE FRICK DOWN.

It's insane how quick my old $300 binos jumped in perceived quality and helpfulness the moment I put them on a tripod. Now that I've got high end glass, it just makes it that much better. I never head to the backcountry without my tripod anymore.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

When glassing with my spotter either hunting or at the range spotting for someone, I use my left eye and give my right eye a break from shooting. Helps minimize eye strain on my "good eye" lol

It's a great idea to learn to alternate eyes. Besides, what else do we have to do when we are sitting there for hours lol

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Best thing I learned this past season was Cody Nelson's 3 pillars to effective glassing:

1. Buy the best binos that YOU CAN AFFORD.
2. Buy a good tripod and mount that glass on it.
3. SLOW THE FRICK DOWN.

It's insane how quick my old $300 binos jumped in perceived quality and helpfulness the moment I put them on a tripod. Now that I've got high end glass, it just makes it that much better. I never head to the backcountry without my tripod anymore.

To get into good glass you can try to buy some lightly used binos. I found a pair of Vortex HD's on the Rokslide classifieds that were almost brand new for 1/3rd off

 

[justinspicher]

I went from a tripod to a monopod and that dramatically changed how I could spend more time glassing.

 

[gajda888]

Bring a lightweight pad to park your rear on. It's worth it.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I went from a tripod to a monopod and that dramatically changed how I could spend more time glassing.

How did it change it?

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Bring a lightweight pad to park your rear on. It's worth it.

Smart idea! Anything that makes us more comfortable will encourage us to stick with it

 

[justinspicher]

How did it change it?

I don’t get frustrated trying to adjust a tripod for my binos. It’s simple and quick and lighter than a tripod.

 

[chutinlead]

I don’t get frustrated trying to adjust a tripod for my binos. It’s simple and quick and lighter than a tripod.

I ran a monopod last year and really liked it for glassing off of. It didn't do much for shooting off though.

 

[justinspicher]

I haven’t shot off mine, thought about it though.