Using a monopod to support binoculars

[chutinlead]

I recently switched to 12x50 Binos for hunting out here in NE WY and wanted some support, but not necessarily pack a tripod everywhere I go. I started with a shooting monopod that the cheap plastic fork had broke and a $5 mini ballhead off eBay. I did spring for the outdoorsman mount because that thing just works slick.

Then I won a Sirui CF Monopod from Cameralands Giveaway and it all started to come together. It fits on the side of my pack and doubles as a walking stick if I need it.

Curious if anyone else using something similar or if am the only one.

 

[Rodéo]

I have a promaster tripod that has one leg that can be used as a monopod. Never actually used it like that though because I was concerned about stability. How is the image while glassing with the monopod? I imagine it would be just a little less shaky than glassing off-hand. How do you stabilize the monopod while glassing and making adjustments to the ball head? I imagine it's a two hand process?

Neat idea though, as it's an easy way to cut weight when not carrying any bigger glass than your chest bino's. Might give it a try my next trip out.

 

[chutinlead]

Having just 1 leg going straight to ground takes all the shake out of it. If I'm sitting, I usually have my elbows on my knees, essentially making a tripod.

I added some gun slick grease to the ballhead and I'm able to move it with very little force, but it doesn't flop. The outdoorsman mount has some amount of tilt side to side that allows for not having to have the ballhead perfectly level.

 

[Str8shooter]

Primos trigger stick is great, I use the tall bipod version with legs closed as a hiking stick and is a perfect way to quickly stabilize my 12s for quick scans. And when time comes to shoot in taller than calf vegetation, its more than stable enough for 300yd shots.

 

[justinspicher]

I’ve had the thought of doing this for some time, but just haven’t ever committed to it.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

I'll do this periodically with a trekking pole and my SLC 15s. I'll rest the SLCs on the handle. It works well for relatively short glassing sessions. I would not go this route voluntarily for glassing from dawn to dusk.

Quite often I'll lock in the SLCs for when I find an animal. Helps that others can take a quick peek through them if they are having an issue find the animal through their own binoculars. Will also do it for where the animal went down. Makes it a lot easier to guide folks in, myself included, to retrieve their animal. And sometimes you need true stability to find the animal; there'll be more undesired movement with a monopod which will result in more animals missed.

I'll take the slight weight penalty of a tripod every time.

 

[chutinlead]

I'll do this periodically with a trekking pole and my SLC 15s. I'll rest the SLCs on the handle. It works well for relatively short glassing sessions. I would not go this route voluntarily for glassing from dawn to dusk.

Quite often I'll lock in the SLCs for when I find an animal. Helps that others can take a quick peek through them if they are having an issue find the animal through their own binoculars. Will also do it for where the animal went down. Makes it a lot easier to guide folks in, myself included, to retrieve their animal. And sometimes you need true stability to find the animal; there'll be more undesired movement with a monopod which will result in more animals missed.

I'll take the slight weight penalty of a tripod every time.

I just don't think I would get the tripod out. I know using this, I've seen so many more animals than I ever would have without it.

I think most of it comes down to fatigue. Removing having to hold the weight of the binos has led to me being able to sit and glass for longer.

I see your point with being able to let others take a look at exactly where you're looking or keeping tabs on where an animal went down.

 

[JNDEER]

I don't use a walking stick. So I just grab a stick whenever i get to where i am going to glass. Works better than my knees.

If rifle hunting i bring my bipod bogpods to use and will glass off them.

 

[chutinlead]

I don't use a walking stick. So I just grab a stick whenever i get to where i am going to glass. Works better than my knees.

If rifle hunting i bring my bipod bogpods to use and will glass off them.

That would work if we had sticks. Hugging a sagebrush to support binos isn't my definition of fun.

As for the tripod, it's only works if you don't decide to leave it in the truck cause of the weight. I haven't yet found myself wanting more support than the monopod.

 

[Jared2211]

I don't use a walking stick. So I just grab a stick whenever i get to where i am going to glass. Works better than my knees.

If rifle hunting i bring my bipod bogpods to use and will glass off them.

 

[Blue72]

I use a monopod often for my binocular. gives me more freedom to move around

7x binoculars work awesome on monopods, you would think it’s on a tripod. I know a few others who agree with this as well.

 

[Bobinbend]

I use a monopod with a small ball head for my ELs12 x 50. It works for me far better than any tripod system. Understand I have arthritis, back and neck, so cuddling up to a tripod is just difficult. I can easily move the mpod to my face instead of my face to the binos. It is surprisingly stable, and so much faster to setup. Its not perfect, but it works well for me. I would like to try a bipod type system if I could find one.

 

[General RE LEE]

I use my shooting sticks I keep in my 4 x 6 shooting house to stabilize my binoculars. Works great. Also the shooting sticks make an excellent butt stock support for my rifle. Fore stock rests on the window and shooting sticks support the butt stock making it steady like shooting off bench.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mgstucson]

I know this is a very old thread, but I just wanted to post what I put together as a trekking pole/monopod for hunting. I use this for everything from Vanguard 10x42 hunting binos to Celestron 15x80 big binos and it works well. It is a 61" monopod, 7"-13" adjustable top extension, tiny little pan and tilt head, and a Staoptic generic bino stud mount (very similar to Outdoorsman product as far as function and quality at around 10% of the cost). All totaled, everything cost about $85 for the entire setup and weighs about a pound and a half. A little heavy as trekking poles go, but very light for all the funtion I get out of it. Being 6-3 and 250, a heavy duty trekking pole is often just what the doctor ordered anyway. My entire setup is about half the cost of an Outdoorsman bino mount and stud alone. Outdoorsman has great products and I like them, they are just proud of them. Fully extended height is around 80". Works great as a trekking pole and I can quickly stick my hunting binos into the stud mount without even detaching the binos from my bino harness to quickly glass a hillside, ridge, or canyon while I am on the move. I usually carry a carbon fiber tripod in my Kuiu daypack for longer sessions from a hilltop or ridge location. If it is a particularly rugged approach (as they often are in southern AZ), I can carry this as my only glassing option and pack light and still get the job done. I keep one hand in the carry loop, and can grab my rifle and take a shot without even dropping the pole, it just hangs from my arm while I shoot.

1. The first pic is the tiny pan/tilt head ($21 off ebay) and the Staoptic bino stud tripod mount.

2. The second pic is the entire setup fully compressed, still about 30" long. Easily packs in my Kuiu 2300 daypack.

 

[justinspicher]

For the past two years I have been doing this, I am using a pair of Leica Duovids on a Manfrotto monopod, by way of an Outdoorsman Bino Stud. I am very happy with this set up and don’t see me using a tripod anytime soon.