Spotting scope or double

[couesarcher]

It is pretty clear to me after the Oct hunt that I need to invest in a spotting scope. After finding deer during my hunt either in the bottoms of the canyons or several ridges away and not being able to tell if they were either a buck or doe or how big the buck is.

 

What kind and which one? I've always heard get the best one you can afford.

 

I talked to my brother the other day and asked him which one he had, of course his response was swarovski. I should have know he would have said that.

 

I guess it comes down to if swarovski or the other top brands are out of my budget what would be next in line? Or do I just save up to get the swarovski's?

 

I have the swarovski 15x56 binos, and I think of it this way. I can see spending the money on my binos since I use them all the time, I am having troubl spending 2 grand on something that you use once in awhile.

 

Or will the doubler be sufficient enough for what I'm trying to do?

 

Thanks for your input

Terry

[firstcoueswas80]

Terry, I would look at the Leica, and the Ziess as well. I use a Zeiss riflescope and love it! Of course, I am one of the few here who have seen the light as far as Leica Duovids go, and I love them!!!! I believe when all other stuff is taken care of, I may start saving for a Leica spotter.

 

 

Minox has one with ED glass, it should be rather nice. So does Nikon, check out the Fieldscope with ED glass.. it is a winner in my book!

[azryan]

"Minox has one with ED glass, it should be rather nice. So does Nikon, check out the Fieldscope with ED glass.. it is a winner in my book!"

 

 

I agree with him him whole-heartedly...the Nikon ED scopes are very nice....they make an 25-75x82mm beast and a 20-60x65mm scope...They are the Fieldscope III line. You can get like three different eyepieces including a digiscoping eyepiece. The pics it takes are I think very good quality. They dropped in price a little too....Best for you money in my opinion

[Diamondbackaz]

Don't waste your money on a doubler. All I have ever read about them has been bad. You can find them for sale everywhere since people are trying to unload them. Nikon is a good scope for the money.

[COOSEFAN]

I have and use the Swaro 15's and that's all I need for Coues I also carry my EL 8.5's around my neck, but I honestly could get by without em'! I have the 20-60X80 HD Swaro spotter and it collects way to much dust to be considered worth it I rarely ever carry the spotter in the feild and the most use it gets is when I'm at the shooting range. I have no problem with my 15's on a tripod descerning whether a deer is a buck or not. If I can't tell, then it's too small to worry about anyways. Now, if you are wanting to evaluate and decide if the buck is 95" or 100"...then you will need a spotter, but C'mon......that's crazy....just kill it! I would say that if you really want to spend the money on something, try out the Jim White Tripler, I think it's cheaper than the doubler and i believe it works better and faster. You will not get the same quality like you would with a spotter, but you won't be out all that extra money and it's a WHOLE lot less weight to carry around! I believe you may have a hard time finding a Tripler right now, but Jim's got a bunch more on the way soon! JIM>

[firstcoueswas80]

Jim, Ill give you $1,000.99 for the Swaro. spotter... CASH!!!

[cpugsie]

I agree that the double is a piece of junk! I borrowed one from a friend that was trying to get rid of it. I wouldn't buy it at any price. He couldn't sell it and it just collects dust now.

 

I've heard alot of good things about the Vortex spotting scopes. Looked through one at the Mule Deer dinner last year and it looked bright and clear. I need to see it outside before I'd buy one though. I have the Leupold 12x40x60 and like it alot.

[azhuntnut]

I just had the chance to use a this Nikon spotting scope this weekend and loved it. It is very light and I would put the clarity up against my Swaro ATS 80 that I have been using for the last couple years. Take a look at one when you are checking out scopes. David

http://www.nikonsportoptics.com/product.ph...mp;product=8321

[ultramag]

don't waste your cash on the doubler. a spotting scope sucks to carry around. like coosefan said if you can see antlers then it is a good buck or something like that.

[out2hunt]

Agreed.I have a leica 32x77 spotting scope apo77 that is heavy as sin.You can see a country mile clearly but your back and legs are done by the time you reach your first spot!I have found that my zeiss 15x45 do a great job on the tripod! For the money and the weight, i honestly wouldn't trade them for any glass including the swaro's! It is pretty cool to watch the their nose run at 1500 yards though!!!!!LOL!

[out2hunt]

Agreed.I have a leica 32x77 spotting scope apo77 that is heavy as sin.You can see a country mile clearly but your back and legs are done by the time you reach your first spot!I have found that my zeiss 15x45 do a great job on the tripod! For the money and the weight, i honestly wouldn't trade them for any glass including the swaro's! It is pretty cool to watch the their nose run at 1500 yards though!!!!!LOL!

[gr8fuldoug]

As has been made abundantly clear in previous posts... Spotters are great, but only if you carry them. A 50-65mm tube is what is suggested for packing. If long days hiking are on the plans than you really should take a look at the Nikon Fieldscope 50 ED.

Check out these specs:

 

Magnification 13-30x

 

Objective Lens Diameter 50mm

 

Angle of View 3° at 13x (unspecified otherwise)

 

Field-of-View (@ 1000 Yds) 157' (52 m at 1000 m) at 13x (unspecified otherwise)

 

Minimum Focus Distance 26.2' (3 m)

 

Exit Pupil Diameter 13x: 3.8mm

30x: 1.6mm

 

Eye Relief 13mm at 13x (unspecified otherwise)

 

Relative Brightness 13x: 13.5

30x: 2.5

 

Twilight Factor 13x: 25.5

30x: 38.8

 

Weatherproofing Waterproof (up to 3.3'/1 m for 5 minutes) and fog free with nitrogen gas

 

Dimensions 8.2 x 2.8" (209 x 71mm) WxH [w/o eyepiece]

 

Weight 1 lb (455 g) [w/o eyepiece]

 

Great optics and it will fit into a water bottle holder on your pack. The price is right and there is an available option for $75.00 additional to get a 13-40x eyepiece in place of the 13-30x

 

Please feel free to give me a call to discuss different options and CWT member pricing

[Coues Sniper]

You guys are nuts! NO SPOTTING SCOPE??? For Coues? I'd rather go out there without pants on than my without my scope! I have the Sawro 80mm HD and it's worth it's weight in gold if you ask me, and that thing's dang heavy! I would pick the 15's over the scope if i could only have one but I sometimes spot stuff far enough away that I need that scope to even tell what kind of headgear he has, or whether he has any at all.

 

To answer you question archer, i had the doubler but found it to be more of a pain in the butt than anything else. Jimmy must have better eyes than i do, because i very much depend on my spotting scope to tell as much as i can about a buck, especially at long distances. If i spot a buck at 1500 yards or more, i have to have that to tell anything. Honestly, hunting without a spotting scope seems just silly to me. The old saying "buy the best you can afford" is very true. Quality costs more, and it makes a difference in the field. The top brands are obvious, but Leupold and Nikon both are good buys for the money. Alot has been said about Vortex lately, but a few guys i know have had some issues with them. One guy had his focus knob stop working on him in the middle of a hunt! It was pretty much worthless after that till he could get back to town. Take Doug up on his offer and pick his brain, but if there is any way you could go with one of the big names (swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss) DO IT. You won't be sorry you did.