What X power are you spotting the most animals with?

[180ls1]

That is how I use my 8/10 and 15, I just spend more time in the 15s to pick apart. I think AZ is sorta unique for that, although NM, Colorado, and Nevada have similar areas.

When game are moving, it’s definitely more of a mix. Out past 500 yards, the FOV difference goes away and the higher power calls to me.

Glass choice is dictated by terrain and game for sure.

No centerpost huh? Is that just an AZ thing or all the time?

 

[hereinaz]

No centerpost huh? Is that just an AZ thing or all the time?

It’s a me thing, if I am not hiking it in, I will mix it up. Most often I use the Aziak barrel clamp type. I think I might still have a post and stud somewhere. I always ended up spinning out the studs or losing the posts. That is expensive…

 

[TaperPin]

When seated/tripod mounted. What mag are you picking up animals most of the time with?

Please exclude handheld use - I would like to focus on dedicated stationary glassing.

By far most of my Wyoming deer are seen first with 10x binoculars. It can depend on how someone glasses. I scan in increments with binoculars rested on the spotter turned sideways at a “normal” speed, then repeat it “slowly”. If nothing pops up the spotter is used in the same way - once “normal” speed increments and once “slow.” Scanning twice seems duplicative, but the level of detail seen picking things apart slowly is different. “Normal” speed my brain is looking for deer, horizontal backs, legs, or antlers and the speed allows my brain to process that level of detail. The slow scan really picks the area apart looking for those things as well as smaller parts like ears, eye balls, noses, tails, elbows (I guess those are called elbows), patches of hair, etc. Then I go back to the binoculars, rinse and repeat.

If what I’m glassing is closer in, like a sitting within rifle shot of a big patch of Krumholtz I tend to switch between binos and the spotter quicker so to not get caught picking apart pinecones with the scope when a buck stands up and tries to sneak off.

Likewise if the area in question is all at long distance binoculars may not be used at all, but typically I’m only glassing areas that can be hunted right now, and ignoring the far side of big drainages or distant ridges requiring a 4 mile trek to get to.

Some of my friends scan with bare eyes then go straight to the spotter. They tend to be the guys that don’t enjoy glassing with binos.

Antelope hunting or sagebrush elk, I can’t recall a situation where they weren’t spotted with binoculars first.