To spotting scope or love life?

[rratzlaff1490]

Considering selling my swaro ats 20-60 spotter for a pair of nl 14’s and using my 10x50 ELs and Pures for a complete set up. I hate looking through spotting scopes and have only used my current spotter like 2 times in the last 4 years.

Thoughts, questions, concerns!!!

 

[WRO]

I’d sell your els as well and get some 8x32s for quick work and weight saving


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[westonadkins]

10s and 14s is a great set up. All you're missing then is a good spotter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[willfrye027]

It’s a good idea. The maven 18s are also good glass and have a bit more reach if you’re worried about not having enough magnification

 

[hereinaz]

If you don’t use it, you don’t need it.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

10s and 14s is a great set up. All you're missing then is a good spotter


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’s the worst dilemma I’ve faced so far haha

 

[rratzlaff1490]

If you don’t use it, you don’t need it.

Words of wisdom

 

[hereinaz]

Words of wisdom

If you sit and glass for long periods and out past 600 yards, you will like the clarity, field of view, and magnification of the 15 EL, 12 or 14 NL Pures.

I run a 10x rangefinder and 15 EL. When I have the money I will buy the 14s.

 

[rratzlaff1490]

If you sit and glass for long periods and out past 600 yards, you will like the clarity, field of view, and magnification of the 15 EL, 12 or 14 NL Pures.

I run a 10x rangefinder and 15 EL. When I have the money I will buy the 14s.

No spotter in the setup, or any plans to add one?

 

[hereinaz]

No spotter in the setup, or any plans to add one?

I have had spotters. I love them at the range, but never used them hunting. I really wanted to love my Kowa 554, and even tried to arrange my other glass so it would make sense to use on a hunt. I always went back to 10x and 15x. I have experimented enough, that I don't need to try anything else.

Friends have spotters that we use from the truck or short walks. I never really look through them, except to digiscope.

Apparently, you don't need the spotter to count points and check size, cause you've maybe used it twice. You aren't doing the things they excell at enough. Spotters are good for judging game at distance and for digiscoping long range shots. They are not really good for glassing for game unless you are a pirate and have one eye.

If you are stuck with the idea of keeping the spotter, there must be some idea or something holding you back, cause it's not reality. I know I have gotten stuck in that too.

Maybe this exercise will help you decide: Make a full throated defense of why you have thousands of dollars tied up in gear that you have used twice in four years, instead of buying a pair of binoculars you would use every time.

 

[justinspicher]

I’d dump the spotter if I were in your predicament. A good set of binos and a tripod for the win.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

Just go all out and keep your 10x, buy the 14xNL, keep the spotter and get the BTX oh and get a second tripod too! Then you won't run into any more glass dilemmas.

 

[nphunter]

I could never give up a spotter altogether because I use it too much. I did sell my ATC and my Meostar 15's to buy some NL14's though. I'm running some Razor 10's, NL14's and Meopta S2. I cannot due without a big spotter because I'm after big animals and hunt big country, I need to know what I'm going after and the spotter is the only way for me to do that. I tried going with the ATC to shed some weight but ultimately everytime that I took it into the field over the last couple of year I wished that I had my S2 instead. I have carried my S2, Meostar 15's and Razor in on my back multiple times and everytime I leave one of them I'm wishing that I had them.
My next purchase will most likely be a set of 8.5EL's for the larger FOV over the Razors, IMO there isn't a bino made that can replaced a good spotter. A person just needs to decide what is the most important to them.

 

[Netherman]

I don't think I could make the argument of dropping my spotter for something in the 15x class. I use it on ~50% of my western hunts and occasionally at home glassing summer bucks on bean fields with the kid. For my use case I'm currently planning to keep it and add a set of 15s (SLC or Meopta) or maybe talk myself into NL14s for the FOV.

For someone trying to decide big binos vs spotting scope I'd ask what hunts they do/planned to do and see what fit best. If I was only an archery elk guy I'd be selling the spotter with no regrets. For me I would have been better served with 15s first and then adding the spotter later as I'm not a point counter, but still see a need for both. One thing I'll add is that only a spotter can fill the spotter hole. You can substitute the 15s with a spotter it's just painful and inefficient.

Past three year hunt examples
2024
NM Elk - No use for spotter or 15s.
CO ELk - Used and needed the spotter 15s would have helped as well.

2023
MT Deer - Used the spotter 15s would have been better.
KS Deer - didn't use the spotter, might have used 15s.

2022
CO MZ Mule Deer - Used and would want a spotter
[no second tag due to point creep]

Future hunt plan
2025 [hopeful]
WY Antelope - expect to need and use the spotter. 15s would be helpful if glassing is longer than 10 capability.
KS Deer - Could live without either but 15s would be nice.

 

[dirtytough]

I really believe it depends on what you want to kill, and where you are hunting.

Most trophy hunters are going to use a spotter unless the terrain vegetation doesn’t really allow it.

Most opportunity hunters don’t need a spotter. Some use one though.

 

[TaperPin]

Thoughts, questions, concerns!!!

What kind of hunting are you doing? Are you not using the spotter because it’s hard to use, not needed for your type of hunting, or something else?

 

[Macintosh]

This is a no-brainer. The people saying to
keep it all USE their spotter. If this post was in the general forum, and you didnt ID what the gear was, but simply asked “i have this piece of non-safety gear that Ive used twice in the past 4 years, and I have a stand-in that does 80% of that that I use all the time, would you get rid of it?”…is there really anyone that would answer anything other than “if you dont use it, dont bring it”?

 

[Hnthrdr]

The fov on the ATC makes me love that spotter, generally fov is why I hate spotters. But yes Binos are always easier to look through.

 

[StupidLightweight]

Big spotters are just dead weight to me afield. The only one I carry and use is a Nikon ED50 with fixed 27X wide angle lens. It weighs like a pound.

As for binos, that's trickier. I've owned Swaro 8x32 and 15x56 binos for the past 5 or so year. I loved this duo and wasn't planning on changing anything, but last fall, I used NL Pure 12x42s followed by SIG's 14x50mm ZULU6 HDX Pro. Holy cow. Image stabilization changes the equation.

I won't steer anyone away from high-end optics, but I would suggest trying this technology before dropping big money. If I were going on a dream hunt tomorrow and could use anything on the market, I would take IS binos.

 

[Jake Larsen]

I think what people are trying to figure out is WHY he isn’t using a spotter. Since lots of us consider it to be a must have piece of equipment.

When I’m glassing, it’s 10s or 15s on the tripod untill I see an animal. I will instantly switch to a spotter once I’ve seen something, in order to determine its size, ect. As soon as I decide it’s not something I’m interested in, im swapping back to the binos. If I was going to break it all down by percentages, I’d say I’m 98% of my time on binos. But that 2% on the spotter is giving me critical information.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk