Upgrade binos or spotter?

[jt63]

Hey all,

New to Rokslide and looking for advice/opinions.

I went on my first rifle mule deer hunt last year and absolutely loved it. I currently run a pair of vortex viper 8x42’s but felt a little under-glassed last year and was hunting in an area where a spotter or bigger binos would have been beneficial.

My question is, would you upgrade to a pair of 10’s or 12’s or keep the 8x42 vipers and run a spotter? Or something else entirely?

Looking at a budget of $1500 to upgrade my optics this year.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mag_7s]

10s or 12s on a tripod and hold off on a spotter until life allows. You'll be amazed what a good set of binos and a tripod can do.

 

[jt63]

10s or 12s on a tripod and hold off on a spotter until life allows. You'll be amazed what a good set of binos and a tripod can do.

Thanks for the advice! Any tripod recommendations? I’ve been eyeing the Sirui T-024SK VA-5 Fluid Head but not sure if there is a better option out there.

 

[Mag_7s]

Like most things in this game weight saving comes with cost and diminishing return. I'm not familiar with the one you mentioned. I'm also I'm in the camp that prefers pan heads. There are many good tripods out there, Outdoorsman, slik ect. and they get pretty expensive. For the money I think the Black Ovis Alpine carbon pro would be a good choice.

 

[jt63]

Like most things in this game weight saving comes with cost and diminishing return. I'm not familiar with the one you mentioned. I'm also I'm in the camp that prefers pan heads. There are many good tripods out there, Outdoorsman, slik ect. and they get pretty expensive. For the money I think the Black Ovis Alpine carbon pro would be a good choice.

Thanks! I’ll check those out.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Thanks for the advice! Any tripod recommendations? I’ve been eyeing the Sirui T-024SK VA-5 Fluid Head but not sure if there is a better option out there.

Good tripod. Mediocre head. I’d sell the 8s and get range finding 8s. Save up your money and buy some Meopta Meostar 15x56 and ditch the spotter. I almost never bring my spotter on hunts anymore. It’s always 8s in the harness and 15s in the top of the pack. For a head, the outdoorsmans micro pan head is fantastic.

 

[fords4life]

I would absolutely upgrade binos before the spotter. The binos will get used a lot more.

 

[DaleW]

As others have said, I would recommend getting the best high power binoculars you can afford and also a decent enough tripod. 15-18x binos mounted on a tripod are pretty hard to beat for spotting game IMO.

 

[IdahoBeav]

The VA-5 is a great head.

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

[jt63]

Good tripod. Mediocre head. I’d sell the 8s and get range finding 8s. Save up your money and buy some Meopta Meostar 15x56 and ditch the spotter. I almost never bring my spotter on hunts anymore. It’s always 8s in the harness and 15s in the top of the pack. For a head, the outdoorsmans micro pan head is fantastic.

Thanks, I’ll look into those options.

 

[Beer_Me]

Another vote for upgrading your binos before getting a spotter. A good pair of binos will get used more and can hold you over until you decide IF you even need a spotter for the hunting you'll do.

I have my 12x on a outdoorsman tripod and pan head. Heard great things about the VA-5 but never had a chance to try it out.

 

[jt63]

Another vote for upgrading your binos before getting a spotter. A good pair of binos will get used more and can hold you over until you decide IF you even need a spotter for the hunting you'll do.

I have my 12x on a outdoorsman tripod and pan head. Heard great things about the VA-5 but never had a chance to try it out.

Thanks for the recommendation. What 12's are you running?

 

[Beer_Me]

Thanks for the recommendation. What 12's are you running?

I have a leupold bx4 pro guide HD 12x50... I like them and perfect for my needs.

My previous binos was a hand-me-down leupold mojave 8x32 that worked okay, but after using 12x for a few years, I will never go back to an 8x haha.

 

[Mag_7s]

Thanks for the advice! Any tripod recommendations? I’ve been eyeing the Sirui T-024SK VA-5 Fluid Head but not sure if there is a better option out there.

https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/sirui-284-carbon-fiber-tripod.

I'm not sure if this is the exact tripod you mentioned but I thought I'd share anyway

 

[carsonkeys]

Buy the absolute best binos you can afford, an aziak bino clamp, and a good tripod. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you can get done with that set up.

Then, if the hunt calls for it, rent any spotter you want from @Rent Outdoor Gear.

 

[Firestone]

Are you planning on trophy hunting or just want to fill a tag? I personally need a spotter to hunt mule deer, I am a little picky on what I want to shoot though. My advice would be sell your binos, now you 1650 to spend. Used 10×42 swaro slc $1300 and find a used spotter for $400. You could get a used razor 11x33 for $400 in the classifieds, when you want to upgrade you can sell it for what you paid for it.

 

[sickles107]

If you are not already, put your current binos on a tripod.

Depending on your budget/long term goal/hunt style, next step would be upgrade binos, or get an entry level spotter.

I ran $200 binos for years, then got an Athlon 65 spotter, then got swaro binos. jump from no spotter to spotter was amazing. jump from cheap binos to nice binos was just OK.

 

[NickT406]

Here me out here because I feel you can have your cake and eat it too for $1500. Athlon ares uhd 65mm spotter (great spotter on a budget), slik fluid head with decent tripod and a good pair of 10's or 12's (I use meopta meostar hd 10x42). If you shop around you could get all 3 with your budget. I scan with binos off tripod 90 percent of the time and use the spotter if I need a closer look and it's very nice to have that option. Tried a pair of 12's this year and liked them off a tripod but hated free handing with them. I've used this set up for mule deer hunts for the last few years and it's a great set up for the price point. I wouldn't shy away from tract Toric 10x42, I feel they will be an upgrade from your vipers for sure and can be had for very reasonable if you check the classifieds.

 

[Mag_7s]

There are a lot of good glass being sold on the RS classified here lately...keep your eyes peeled OP and you could find a gem.

 

[DosAmigos]

Binos for sure. Then a quality Tripod