lamrith Report post Posted September 12, 2018 Well I drew 34A Nov9 hunt for this year. I hunted the area a few year ago and recall it had a good bit of extended range glassing in the area we plan to hit. I am curious what sort of power ranges you experienced Coues hunters prefer? Looking at the area looks like lot of the valleys are in the 600-800meter wide range, with some if I glass up a draw being in the 1.4km range. I have Vortex Diamond Back 12x50 binos I can put on tripod for rough glassing and 10x28 binos on my chest harness for when moving around. I am thinking maybe a 15-45x spotter for the extended ranges or to ID that odd looking stick under a bush? My eyes are not the great so I tend to rely on glass to offset that, but do not think I want to go 20-60x as I seem to be reading they are often not very good past 35-40x anyway? Looking to stay in the $500-600 range. My normal hunting is here in WA and even my 10x are overkill for this dense elk country, so do not really want to bury a ton of $ into glass I will really use only every few years for a week. The Athalon Are's 15-45 looks really good and is on my short list, anyone used them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viper Report post Posted September 12, 2018 Sounds like you have a handle on what is required. I prefer 12x50's and carry them on my chest. I have a Zeiss 15 - 45 x 65 spotter that is packable and a Vortex 27 - 60 x 85 that does well, but stays near the truck. Buy the best glass you can afford. Ross Outdoors in Phoenix rents glass. Might be an option. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dse Report post Posted September 12, 2018 Honestly I haven't seen a spotter in that price range that was worth packing along. Sell the Vortex add the $600 to that and get a pair of Ziess conquest 15x56. You'll be far better off than with a cheap spotting scope! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lucafu1 Report post Posted September 12, 2018 Good advice! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Flatlander Report post Posted September 12, 2018 If you don’t hunt open country via glass often, just rent. Optics4rent and Ross both rent good stuff. You will end up with much better equipment with out spending nearly as much money. I would recommend the largest objective spotter you can get. Paired with your 15’s you will be in good shape. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Red Rabbit Report post Posted September 12, 2018 I would not carry both the 10x and 12x binoculars. Put both on a tripod and see which has the best resolution and contrast and 100 yards on a resolution chart. Carry the best pair only. (you did not say what level/brand your 10x43 binos are) The rental of good optics may be the best option for your one week hunt. Personally, I think a pair of high end 15x would be more useful and beneficial for Coues hunting than a spotting scope unless you are trophy hunting and counting inches. On my last December Coues hunt, a friend on the hunt had the compact Vortex Razor 11-33x spotter which I did not find much more discerning/valuable than my 15x binos. I found another friend's Swaro 20-60 much more valuable on that hunt. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PowellSixO Report post Posted September 12, 2018 I'm with Red Rabbit. A quality pair of 15's over a spotter any day of the week. Glass is SUPER important for finding coues during the october and november hunts. Good glass can equal being successful or not, honestly. I glass with Swarovski 15x56 SLC HD binos 90% of the time from my tripod, and switch over to my Swarovski 25-50x65 ats hd spotting scope for verification of size. But you can totally get along with just the 15's and no spotter. Glass does make a difference. My brother brought his Vortex Diamond backs with me on a few hunts. Even after trying to point deer out to him, he just couldn't see them with his binos. While yes you will glass a lot at 500-600 yards, you will want the ability to see well beyond that. I've glassed coues bucks at 2400+ yards before. If you can't find them you can't kill them. Coming from WA is a long ways to come just to realize you need better binos. So if you can't afford to buy the best, I'd recommend renting the best. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lamrith Report post Posted September 12, 2018 I really appreciate the info everyone. Didn't know you could rent them, that is a nice option. My 10x43's are Diamonbacks as well. Honestly I just don't have the budget for high end glass at this time, so I have always gone for the best bang for buck in my low budget. That is what has me considering the Athalon Ares 15-45 spotter, great reviews, small format and not overly heavy like the 20-60's tend to be. Lot easier to pack around. I should probably fill in a little on the hunt I will be doing. This is with my step-dad and his hunting partner, they are pick a spot and spend the day types. They have hunted this section of 34A for decades, so have certain places they go sit and wait. It is just how they have always done it. They are not miles on boots hunters which is good for me being sea-level desk jockey by day. I am not prepped for putting lots of miles on either, but I would like to split off and try to push farther up a few draws, or pop over a ridgeline and glass the other sides a bit which is why I am interested in better glass. I will def look at rental as an option, the logistics of it could be tricky with flights in/out and such, but worth an look. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oz31p Report post Posted September 12, 2018 With out a $2500 spotter your better off with the the best binos you can afford. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dse Report post Posted September 12, 2018 3 hours ago, lamrith said: I really appreciate the info everyone. Didn't know you could rent them, that is a nice option. My 10x43's are Diamonbacks as well. Honestly I just don't have the budget for high end glass at this time, so I have always gone for the best bang for buck in my low budget. That is what has me considering the Athalon Ares 15-45 spotter, great reviews, small format and not overly heavy like the 20-60's tend to be. Lot easier to pack around. I should probably fill in a little on the hunt I will be doing. This is with my step-dad and his hunting partner, they are pick a spot and spend the day types. They have hunted this section of 34A for decades, so have certain places they go sit and wait. It is just how they have always done it. They are not miles on boots hunters which is good for me being sea-level desk jockey by day. I am not prepped for putting lots of miles on either, but I would like to split off and try to push farther up a few draws, or pop over a ridgeline and glass the other sides a bit which is why I am interested in better glass. I will def look at rental as an option, the logistics of it could be tricky with flights in/out and such, but worth an look. Sitting in one spot and glassing all day will be alot more productive than walking lots of miles in coues country. You'd be surprised how many new deer you'll see in an area you've already been glassing for 5 hrs. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wetmule Report post Posted September 12, 2018 lamrith - I sent you a pm Thx! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CatfishKev Report post Posted September 13, 2018 PM sent. Let me know if you did not recieve it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lamrith Report post Posted September 13, 2018 Got the PM's guys thanks!! 14 hours ago, dse said: Sitting in one spot and glassing all day will be alot more productive than walking lots of miles in coues country. You'd be surprised how many new deer you'll see in an area you've already been glassing for 5 hrs. I do not plan on moving every hour or anything like that. but I want to get to a decent spot with lots of land to glass, and not have to worry about if it is 200yrd or 1000yrds that I have to scan. I see a number of people recommending 15x. Is that sort of the "do-all" power that works well in coues country, as in that is all you take, even when you have other options available? It seems a bit light to me, which is why I ask. I really appreciate the info guys, just trying to get a full handle on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZDirtyTaco Report post Posted September 13, 2018 I like the combo of 10's on the chest, 15's and a spotter in the pack. The 10's and 15's are my must haves. I'll use the 10's for at least the first hour of the day, then move to the 15's if there is little to no movement, and by lunch I'm in tight checking pockets with the spotter till mid-afternoon. From there, it's a rotation of the 3 till the headlamp is turned on. Everything I run is in the Viper line and I have always been very happy with the performance. You don't need $2,500 glass to be effective out there. Heck, I had a buddy pick up a Barska spotter from Big5 for like $80 on sale that you could see pine needles at 600-700 yards. I was blown away by how solid it was!!! I say pick up whatever you can afford to get the best tools in the bag you can. Hard to do any job without the right tools. Snap-on isn't right for everyone. Harbor Freight gets the job done too when you need it to... Renting as others have mentioned ain't a bad route either. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PowellSixO Report post Posted September 13, 2018 Most rental companies will send you a return label with the optics. So when you're done with your hunt, slap the label back on the box and dump it off at the nearest shipping company. It's super simple. Rent these, and you'll be set. Only problem is you'll want a pair for yourself after you use them. You WILL need a tripod for these fyi. You CAN'T use them off hand. The rental comes with a good tripod and adapter, so you really don't have to worry about it. http://www.optics4rent.com/productdetail3.html Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
