The 1 Thing You Learned- Glassing Smarter

[7LRM]

I am color blind, glassing games int the mountain is not fun for me, need to be black and white otherwise I can not see the different.

 

[Austink47]

If you want to get good at something do it a bunch. Get in all the reps you can. Teach your self to recognize what ever critter you are after in the type of country you plan to hunt in by doing it every chance you get. Just because you can’t hunt that park or preserve doesn’t mean you can’t glass it.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

If you want to get good at something do it a bunch. Get in all the reps you can. Teach your self to recognize what ever critter you are after in the type of country you plan to hunt in by doing it every chance you get. Just because you can’t hunt that park or preserve doesn’t mean you can’t glass it.

So true about getting familiar with the shapes and colors of a specific animal. One of my roommates grew up in elk country, and I was always amazed how fast he could pick one out through his binos

 

[TheGDog]

Actually glass! Sit down and spend the time. Funny how you can stare at a hillside for hours and suddenly there is deer there.

Boy you ain't lyin' with that statement about gridding back over area you've been sweeping thru multiple times over a couple hours... and like.. because of the topography and kind of cover there is... you'll be sitting their scratching your head wondering where in the hell did that one come from since you KNOW darn well you covered that area multiple times.

It feels like they somehow managed to appear out of the thin freaking air!

 

[TheGDog]

I'd say first scan thru the FOV and checkout more obvious points of interest first, like where any bushes are on the side of a desert hill providing shade, down in a draw on the shady side. Checkout all those easier to spot shady spots where you'd think they might wanna hunker down to be trying to get out of the Sun. Check them first. Then after you've kinda preliminary scanned all those targets that caught your eye as "most likely", then go back and start over the FOV again only this time think to yourself you're doing a methodical robotic sweep this time, making sure you feel confident nothing is there before you proceed to move along sweeping/gridding in the FOV.

Also bring at least 2 of those lil micro-fiber lense cloths if you wear glasses. So you can wipe away fogging from the lenses that can happen if your body is giving off tons of water vapor from you sweating ATM (Even when I take caution to breathe downward away from the binos, if I've been exerting, just bringing the binos up to face can overwhelm the lenses with the water vapor coming off my face a lotta the times, so those wipers, especially on colder mornings with high humidity, can prove invaluable for us eyeglass wearers).

Also, work with your Optometrists office to make you a special pair of glasses you use just for hunting, where the non-reading part of the bi-focal (I do not recommend progressive lenses for hunting, I've had them make my shots be off due to them seemingly exerting an effect on paralax thru the scope. Also for outdoor activities like mtnbiking progressives IMO opinion are a big no-no and just plain dangerous due to their affect on near-field depth-perception during a rapid activity like MtnBiking where you don't have time to be adjusting the angle of your head.

Also... for your hunting eyeglasses... get some frame with the biggest largest eye ports possible. That helps greatly when on a close-quarters ambush sit, so you don't have to move your head much, since that larger lense width will provide you more real estate to "look with your eyes" before finally needing to turn your head. Also keeps the thirsty flying insects from getting at your eyes so much. That part is awesome!

-=-=-

ALSO - IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP - This one year with the fire closure and other stuff, I was forced to try a new area. It ended up having a lot more people (n00bs) hitting it up. I'd gotten there uber early, hiked in stupid early and got setup with tripod and 15s wearing my lightweight mesh ghillie suit from APC. The safety tip is... I should have stuffed the brim of my Orange cap I carry for the packout... into the pack beside me so that orange would stand up like a little flag. Cause I ended up havin' somebodies kid freakin' point their rifle dead-on at me because unbeknownst to me, a young 2x2 had crossed the road a bit behind me, and I guess it would have been making it's way to around where I was posted up. CANNOT tell you the feeling you get when turning your 15s, you focus in, only to see some 15yo daughter pointing her rifle dead-freaking-on at you, in full HD thru that primo glass, EEK! I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience that.

 

[shoeshineman]

I'd say first scan thru the FOV and checkout more obvious points of interest first, like where any bushes are on the side of a desert hill providing shade, down in a draw on the shady side. Checkout all those easier to spot shady spots where you'd think they might wanna hunker down to be trying to get out of the Sun. Check them first. Then after you've kinda preliminary scanned all those targets that caught your eye as "most likely", then go back and start over the FOV again only this time think to yourself you're doing a methodical robotic sweep this time, making sure you feel confident nothing is there before you proceed to move along sweeping/gridding in the FOV.

Also bring at least 2 of those lil micro-fiber lense cloths if you wear glasses. So you can wipe away fogging from the lenses that can happen if your body is giving off tons of water vapor from you sweating ATM (Even when I take caution to breathe downward away from the binos, if I've been exerting, just bringing the binos up to face can overwhelm the lenses with the water vapor coming off my face a lotta the times, so those wipers, especially on colder mornings with high humidity, can prove invaluable for us eyeglass wearers).

Also, work with your Optometrists office to make you a special pair of glasses you use just for hunting, where the non-reading part of the bi-focal (I do not recommend progressive lenses for hunting, I've had them make my shots be off due to them seemingly exerting an effect on paralax thru the scope. Also for outdoor activities like mtnbiking progressives IMO opinion are a big no-no and just plain dangerous due to their affect on near-field depth-perception during a rapid activity like MtnBiking where you don't have time to be adjusting the angle of your head.

Also... for your hunting eyeglasses... get some frame with the biggest largest eye ports possible. That helps greatly when on a close-quarters ambush sit, so you don't have to move your head much, since that larger lense width will provide you more real estate to "look with your eyes" before finally needing to turn your head. Also keeps the thirsty flying insects from getting at your eyes so much. That part is awesome!

-=-=-

ALSO - IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP - This one year with the fire closure and other stuff, I was forced to try a new area. It ended up having a lot more people (n00bs) hitting it up. I'd gotten there uber early, hiked in stupid early and got setup with tripod and 15s wearing my lightweight mesh ghillie suit from APC. The safety tip is... I should have stuffed the brim of my Orange cap I carry for the packout... into the pack beside me so that orange would stand up like a little flag. Cause I ended up havin' somebodies kid freakin' point their rifle dead-on at me because unbeknownst to me, a young 2x2 had crossed the road a bit behind me, and I guess it would have been making it's way to around where I was posted up. CANNOT tell you the feeling you get when turning your 15s, you focus in, only to see some 15yo daughter pointing her rifle dead-freaking-on at you, in full HD thru that primo glass, EEK! I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience that.

Can you give an example of the eye glasses frames you recommend?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TheGDog]

Not really, because I'm sure my face and eye socket dimensions are certainly likely different from yours, right?

Mostly I'm just saying don't be as concerned with it's visually pleasing looks, and be more concerned with the frames providing a large viewport that even goes up to your eyebrows, and down to very near your cheeks, so less room for bugs to come in and more viewport area you don't have to turn your head as much.

It just might be that for your face structure you don't require a set of frames as large as I do, or vice versa. I have a "heavy brow" and fairly deeply inset eyes, so if your facial shap is not like mine you'd need to pick differently then I would. But if you basically try for those same parameters to the glasses I'm sure you'll like them out in the field.

Also remember when choosing frames to choose darker or grey matt colors to them. You certainly wouldn't want some frames which can reflect light and produce a glint they might see.

Even more important is to get all the cool coatings to the lenses such as anti-reflective, blue-blocking, UV-blocking, and getting them made from a a material that can provide your eye with appropriate levels of impact safety so just in case one day your rifle has some kind of failure you're not going to get the wrong kind of glass shards shot into your eyeball. the right kind of glass can stop a surprising amount of shrapnel.

 

[Bobs son]

slow down. look for parts of animals not the whole body. use a rest. invest in quality optics

 

[snowburns]

Stop bringing all of the gear I own. It’s easy to get wrapped up in bringing everything and not just what I need. Then I’m just hauling around a bunch of stuff I don’t use.

 

[Patriot2]

I think this is related. I am looking to get a decent tripod and my question is do I need one that goes up to standing height (65" ?) or can I get by with one that goes high enough to sit behind (42")? I want one tripod that does it all..........

 

[evergreenethos]

I think this is related. I am looking to get a decent tripod and my question is do I need one that goes up to standing height (65" ?) or can I get by with one that goes high enough to sit behind (42")? I want one tripod that does it all..........

If you want one that does it all you need to get one that is tall enough to stand behind

 

[TheGDog]

If you're going to go with an Outdoorsman Micro Pan Head and Tall Bino Adapter, it adds a bit of height, call 'em and ask how much extra height those items add so you can factor that in to your tripod purchase. It might allow you to be OK with a Tripod that's a little less taller you'd think you need.

Personally, I totally dig on their setup, especially the Bino Adapter system! Easy and quick to deploy!

 

[Mule3006Elk]

Tripod for sure.....but you have to enjoy glassing. I glass with the belief that I'm going to find something. So much so that I'm surprised when I don't. I glass up/down in a left/right pattern. If there are spots that looks overly gamey I will frequently check those spots when doing my grid pattern. I don't wait to finish the entire grid area then recheck spots with a higher probability for holding game.

I'm always surprised how many people don't spend the time dialing in their diopter. I really obsess over this. Check if every year or twice a year. Your eyes will change over time. When you're buying glass do the same. You can't evaluate glass w/o first optimizing the glass by adjusting the diopter to your eyes.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I think this is related. I am looking to get a decent tripod and my question is do I need one that goes up to standing height (65" ?) or can I get by with one that goes high enough to sit behind (42")? I want one tripod that does it all..........

IMO depends. I prefer to glass sitting. With that in mind I can get by with a thinner/lighter tripod.

If you want to stand you will need a taller tripod but it also needs to be sturdy enough to be stable. Guys will spend a lot of time researching height/weight/stability in hopes of finding the happy medium. Probably more so if you're on foot. If I had a pack animal I would focus more on stability less on weight.

 

[Honyock]

If you think you've glassed an area long enough, glass a little more. That's what I have learned.

 

[TheGDog]

Think of it like this... How pissed would you be if you missed an animal that actually was there? Right? So you want to be able to feel supremely confident NOTHING escaped your view.

So glass just like that. With the thought in mind that you want to feel very confident by the time you call it, that you feel certain if an animal was there, you for sure would have seen it by now with the level of scrutiny you've employed.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

if I took you to a ranch I grew up on I'd out glass you with my bare eyes as you already know where to look, you've figured out where they bed, where they move, that wasn't a fair initial comparison of glass, that was experience with the area vs none

as for learning lessons,

1. Use your bare eyes first, scan for the obvious, and the tighter the terrain or valley the more bare eyes you wanna use, magnification can be a negative once things tighten up.
2. Tripod/window mount whenever seriously tearing apart terrain, volume of game found will be more than triple.
3. Find very comfortable viewing binoculars that encourage max happy time behind the glass, for most of us this ends up in the alpha category between 3 main manufacturers.

 

[MallardSX2]

I used the grid spotter religiously for years. This season I am abandoning it for a fluid pan head. That grid spotter is just too flimsy for the 15's.

 

[Hornsrok]

I second the comment about dropping to an 8x for wider viewing.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I'd say first scan thru the FOV and checkout more obvious points of interest first, like where any bushes are on the side of a desert hill providing shade, down in a draw on the shady side. Checkout all those easier to spot shady spots where you'd think they might wanna hunker down to be trying to get out of the Sun. Check them first. Then after you've kinda preliminary scanned all those targets that caught your eye as "most likely", then go back and start over the FOV again only this time think to yourself you're doing a methodical robotic sweep this time, making sure you feel confident nothing is there before you proceed to move along sweeping/gridding in the FOV.

Also bring at least 2 of those lil micro-fiber lense cloths if you wear glasses. So you can wipe away fogging from the lenses that can happen if your body is giving off tons of water vapor from you sweating ATM (Even when I take caution to breathe downward away from the binos, if I've been exerting, just bringing the binos up to face can overwhelm the lenses with the water vapor coming off my face a lotta the times, so those wipers, especially on colder mornings with high humidity, can prove invaluable for us eyeglass wearers).

Also, work with your Optometrists office to make you a special pair of glasses you use just for hunting, where the non-reading part of the bi-focal (I do not recommend progressive lenses for hunting, I've had them make my shots be off due to them seemingly exerting an effect on paralax thru the scope. Also for outdoor activities like mtnbiking progressives IMO opinion are a big no-no and just plain dangerous due to their affect on near-field depth-perception during a rapid activity like MtnBiking where you don't have time to be adjusting the angle of your head.

Also... for your hunting eyeglasses... get some frame with the biggest largest eye ports possible. That helps greatly when on a close-quarters ambush sit, so you don't have to move your head much, since that larger lense width will provide you more real estate to "look with your eyes" before finally needing to turn your head. Also keeps the thirsty flying insects from getting at your eyes so much. That part is awesome!

-=-=-

ALSO - IMPORTANT SAFETY TIP - This one year with the fire closure and other stuff, I was forced to try a new area. It ended up having a lot more people (n00bs) hitting it up. I'd gotten there uber early, hiked in stupid early and got setup with tripod and 15s wearing my lightweight mesh ghillie suit from APC. The safety tip is... I should have stuffed the brim of my Orange cap I carry for the packout... into the pack beside me so that orange would stand up like a little flag. Cause I ended up havin' somebodies kid freakin' point their rifle dead-on at me because unbeknownst to me, a young 2x2 had crossed the road a bit behind me, and I guess it would have been making it's way to around where I was posted up. CANNOT tell you the feeling you get when turning your 15s, you focus in, only to see some 15yo daughter pointing her rifle dead-freaking-on at you, in full HD thru that primo glass, EEK! I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience that.

Never heard of someone making recommendations about eyeglasses before, good stuff. Hunters like you are also finally starting to make it sink in that I'm probably wasting too much time being thorough, but glassing wide swaths of close up ground that aren't likely to hold any game. This year I will be better about high grading the most likely places at first