How Long Do You Glass?

[NonRes&Green]

Well, I am a long time viewer of the site and decided to join. My name will probably make sense after this question, but how long do you glass? Had my first Arizona hunt in 27 this past Jan - tons of fun but no deer. Saw 2 good Coues bucks and 1 small Mule buck. About 40 -50 deer total.  We looked over a lot of country. No, probably didn't get far enough off the road. Yes, got winded 200 yards into our hikes when we did try to get off the road and as solution, mostly drove up and down the FS roads with everyone else because we had no idea what we were doing. After returning home and doing research, I am noticing a common theme - glassing for long periods of time.  We glassed maybe 45 minutes tops at each spot. Just not used to looking through glass in the South. What is your strategy for glassing? How long do you look over a spot for? After how much glassing do you move spots?  Might return to 27, how would you glass it? Should we of seen more than 3 bucks in all that country? I'm in it for Coues or mule as I have never shot any western deer. 

 

Thank you guys! This site has helped start a love for Arizona Deer hunting and I can't wait to be back to this awesome state!

[More D]

A few years ago we glasses two great looking coues a long, long ways away. We Elmer fudded our way to 500 yards of where we bedded the deer. Three of us glassed for at least six hours trying and praying to pick the bucks back up. 

We finally called it and started to make our way back to the truck because hiking back in the dark was not safe. Within 15 minutes of walking another hunter on a quad bumped the deer up in the same exact area we had been glassing. 

That to me is coues hunting. Getting your butt handed to you just about every time.....

[wildwoody]

Until the cows come home..

[ForkHorn]

I like to sit in one spot all morning and through lunch where I can see a lot of country or where I've seen a big buck during scouting trips. If you have confidence in a spot and aren't seeing deer it's usually because they haven't stood up yet or haven't worked around a mountain face, etc.

 

Coues Deer have small enough home ranges that you just have to trust yourself and fight the urge to move when you're in a great spot.

[jknister]

In 19A where I hunt mule deer I never sit in the same spot for more than 20 or 30 minutes max.  And when I move I only go 100 or 200 yards away.  By doing that I can still see most of the area I was previously glassing plus some new unglassed area.  

This may sound weird but Every single deer my 17yo daughter has shot (5), and I have shot (2) has been spotted within 1 minute or less of sitting down.  I know there is value and sitting and waiting but every time I sit for 2 or 3 hours in one spot, nothing has shown up.

[AZbowhntr]

Depends on the glassing area.  If you are lucky and can find great glassing spots you can stay in the same spot or at least within a close distance and glass feeding areas first thing in the morning and only have to move a short distance to start glassing deer moving into bedding areas.  I took Dwane Adams glassing class several years ago and was amazed at how many deer we glassed from the one spot.  We glassed until about 9am watching deer feeding and working their way over ridges to bed down.  He had us flip around and start glassing the opposite direction and it wasn't long before different deer started feeding over ridges and eventually bed down.  I have hunted other areas where we only glass for a short time and then move a ways and do it again.

[trphyhntr]

until the tag is filled. 

[CatfishKev]

16 hours ago, NonRes&Green said:

Well, I am a long time viewer of the site and decided to join. My name will probably make sense after this question, but how long do you glass? Had my first Arizona hunt in 27 this past Jan - tons of fun but no deer. Saw 2 good Coues bucks and 1 small Mule buck. About 40 -50 deer total.  We looked over a lot of country. No, probably didn't get far enough off the road. Yes, got winded 200 yards into our hikes when we did try to get off the road and as solution, mostly drove up and down the FS roads with everyone else because we had no idea what we were doing. After returning home and doing research, I am noticing a common theme - glassing for long periods of time.  We glassed maybe 45 minutes tops at each spot. Just not used to looking through glass in the South. What is your strategy for glassing? How long do you look over a spot for? After how much glassing do you move spots?  Might return to 27, how would you glass it? Should we of seen more than 3 bucks in all that country? I'm in it for Coues or mule as I have never shot any western deer. 

 

Thank you guys! This site has helped start a love for Arizona Deer hunting and I can't wait to be back to this awesome state!

We're you glassing off of a tripod? That's the most important thing.  It's hard to say how long to glass a spot, just depends on the spot and what you're looking for.  

[NonRes&Green]

On 5/24/2020 at 7:27 PM, CatfishKev said:

We're you glassing off of a tripod? That's the most important thing.  It's hard to say how long to glass a spot, just depends on the spot and what you're looking for.  

yes, not a very good tripod and not very good glass either. I am trying to improve my equipment quality for next time for sure. 

[NonRes&Green]

Thanks everyone for the replies. If I wanted to improve my glassing abilities then where would I start? I don't live in an area that great for glassing practice. 

[ThomC]

  Do you live in a homowners asso.  where glassing is forbidden?  LOL   It is something that practice makes perfect.  Go to a park and glass for ants under a bush 100 yds away.  See how many ants you can count an hour.  Get away from people if possible cause they may think that you is a peeper.  😷

[CatfishKev]

We used to take a lot of drives and look for deer on the canyon roads, we'd compete to see who could spot the first deer. I think that helps a lot. You just get used to picking out a head or a back.

There's some threads on glassing here, do some searches. If you are cold animals will likely still ne milling around. Once you start warming up start looking in the shade and north facing slopes. You can glass one spot for a long time and think nothing is there and all of a sudden they materialize.

[lancetkenyon]

1st, a good pair of binos and a good tripod are invaluable.  I use 10x42s for anything out to about a mile for my quick checks.  When picking apart the county, 15x56s.  Find something interesting, break out the spotter.  Even my 10x42s go on a tripod when glassing.

As for time behind the glass, depends on the terrain and time of day.  On a 10 day hunt, I can spend from 70 to 100+ hours behind binoculars.  So good glass is a must.  Eye fatigue will kill your chances of finding game.

Anywhere from 30 minutes, to an hour, to 4 hours.  Morning/evening first/last light, 30 minutes then move and start over.  Mid-morning/early afternoon, 1-2 hours then move.  Midday, 3-4 hours, checking every single tree and bush, shadow, canyon, cliff, rock pile, etc.  

During long glassing sessions, I never look for an animal.  I look for parts.  I make a fairly quick pass over an area looking for the obvious, then go back over the area, picking it apart.  An ear, an antler tip, a tail, legs (vertical lines), a back (horizontal lines), movement, shape, color.  Work in a grid pattern.  Find a landmark that splits a hillside, like a canyon or tree.  Work half the hillside, from top to bottom, overlapping viewing area.  Then the other half.  

This is a view out to about 2 miles of glassable area.  Apparently, I have already glassed up something that my daughter is prepping for.

Here is a pattern I use.

Where I glassed up some deer.  882 yards away.  Right at .5 mile.

 

You might only get the shape and color to go by on a bull elk at over a mile away.  Then pick out the antler.

Wide, lightweight tripods are a must when packing glass too.  I use a Manfrotto 290 carbon fiber with a Manfrotto 700 RC2 pan head.  Low and wide for sitting, but extends high enough for me to stand too.  My son-in-law can use it standing too, and he is 6'0".

 

[Bucks&bulls]

You have been given some good advice here. You absolutely need the best glass you can get. If you can’t afford to buy new keep an eye on the classified ads on this and other sites. Good people on this site and some good deals on premium glass.

[PRDATR]

4 hours ago, NonRes&Green said:

yes, not a very good tripod and not very good glass either. I am trying to improve my equipment quality for next time for sure. 

Manfretto 190 or 290 are both decent tripods for the money. You can always rent glass for just a hunt from places like Optics For Rent.