Spotting scope for hunting

Suther

Suther

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So I'm wondering what everyone is using for a spotting scope while hunting. Currently all I have is a crappy $40 sale special from CT. It works for checking targets at 100m, but looking through it for any amount of time sucks. I am looking to get something else that isn't too heavy, and won't give you a headache in the first 10 minutes of use.

So what do you guys use? Please include whatever info you can, such as price, lens size, magnification, weight, ect.

Thanks!
 
i had an add pop up on my insta with one of them spotting scopes that can be attached to your smartphone, it can be used as a stand alone scope as well, for ~$50? if time allowes i’ll grab it before heading up north this year
 
Suther said:
So I'm wondering what everyone is using for a spotting scope while hunting. Currently all I have is a crappy $40 sale special from CT. It works for checking targets at 100m, but looking through it for any amount of time sucks. I am looking to get something else that isn't too heavy, and won't give you a headache in the first 10 minutes of use.

So what do you guys use? Please include whatever info you can, such as price, lens size, magnification, weight, ect.

Thanks!
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Just a really good quality pair of binos is all I use for spotting while hunting.

BTW I also own that POS CT unit. What a ####ing waste of money.
 
try EE for a used Vortex nomad... it's the model they had before changing their naming structure (now diamondback) It's not the same as their top line stuff but WAY better than binos and 3x WAY better than CT crap.
 
This would really depend on your needs and budget. If you are going from a CT $50 scope I am guessing you want to keep a lower budget. I will list off a few of my personal favorites at different prices (more low to mid range budget)
1. Minox MD 50 W - Sells for about $450 at Go big tactical and Tom is great to work with - This is a compact scope that is great if you are packing it in somewhere and not looking for the long long range views that has a great lens for the value
2. Vortex Diamondback 20-60X80 (only get the 80 mm as found the 60mm to have poor view found similar reviews) This runs about $650 and I have this scope and really like it. It is a little larger but not like a Razor HD. Good lens and good eye relief. No issues spending time behind this scope
3. Bushnell Legend T tactical 15-45X60 FFP MIl Hash - This is very compact , very clear and has great eye relief they sell for around $675 and when you find them and you want one, you don't think about it as they are typically sold out ASAP. Can be found at Wanstalls and Insite Arms
4. Minox MD 60 or 80 . We got to use one of these at our match and they are compact, great clarity and rugged. It has a mil reticle but only takes up half the view not the full view like many others. THis can be useful for ranging as well. These sell for about $1500 - $1650 at again, Go Big Tactical. This would be a top pick and for the value cant be beat.

If these are out of your budget I would likely look at getting Bino's . you can get some great binos for a good price and attach a tripod mount if you like
 
ironsighter said:
Just a really good quality pair of binos is all I use for spotting while hunting.

BTW I also own that POS CT unit. What a ####ing waste of money.
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For $40 I'm completely satisfied with it. I can see 22cal holes at 100yds, which is all I wanted. I can usually see 277cal holes at 200yds too, not always and it's not easy, but it's doable more often than not in my limited experience. It was bought for a purpose, and it works for what I wanted from it - the trick I found was that it's best at 20-40x magnification, cranked up to 60 its useless.

However, it's only good for about 5 minutes when hunting. It certainly beats my 10x30 leupold binos for long range magnification, and it's not bad for looking at a specific thing you can't identify with just binos, but anything more than a few minutes is simply torture...

Weight is important. I would love to buy something that can be used on a 4-7 day backpack trip, but at minimum it needs to be light enough to pack all day over 5-8km+.

I like the suggestion of used options. I'm all for used, high quality(for the price) stuff.

As for price range, I don't have a set price limit but I know I won't be spending $1500+. I'm not spending a whole paycheck (plus some) on one...
 
Suther said:
For $40 I'm completely satisfied with it. I can see 22cal holes at 100yds, which is all I wanted. I can usually see 277cal holes at 200yds too, not always and it's not easy, but it's doable more often than not in my limited experience. It was bought for a purpose, and it works for what I wanted from it - the trick I found was that it's best at 20-40x magnification, cranked up to 60 its useless.

However, it's only good for about 5 minutes when hunting. It certainly beats my 10x30 leupold binos for long range magnification, and it's not bad for looking at a specific thing you can't identify with just binos, but anything more than a few minutes is simply torture...

Weight is important. I would love to buy something that can be used on a 4-7 day backpack trip, but at minimum it needs to be light enough to pack all day over 5-8km+.

I like the suggestion of used options. I'm all for used, high quality(for the price) stuff.

As for price range, I don't have a set price limit but I know I won't be spending $1500+. I'm not spending a whole paycheck (plus some) on one...
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Your copy of the CT unit must be better than mine. I can see 100y and 200y targets better with my scopes and binos than I can with the CT unit.

I find that optical quality is far more critical than magnification when it comes to spotting things. To get a spotting scope that is the equal to my binos, I'd need to spend a couple thousand. Not going to happen.

Regarding used, check this out: ht tps://bigshotsbc.ca/threads/spotting-scope-up-for-sale.19230/

"Nikon Pro-Staff Spotter 16-60 x 80,,,paid $900 for it,,letting it go for $550" - reliable seller. Used once.
 
Ardent said:
Swarovski, better to spend your money on glass than the rifle if you’re serious about mountain hunting. If you’re casually hunting moose, deer, black bear a Vortex. Get the angled eyepiece and an ultralight tripod, as then you'll actually carry and use it.
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Not serious mountain hunting yet. One of these days I want to get into some serious terrain, but I'm not in the shape, nor do I have the time for that right now.

Honestly, what really made me want a better spotting scope was sitting on one side of Harrison lake, looking across at the cuts on the other side(and the islands in the middle)... It's pretty steep and hard to see much on the same side of the lake, but looking across you can see so much...
 
When buying spotting scopes just go through the counter inventory until you get to where the price leaves you staggering in disbelief; then go just a bit farther until you feel like you've been shot. If you dare you can continue to where the good ones are.

There is only one thing that you need to know about spotting scopes and that's that you get what you pay for.
 
Suther said:
Not serious mountain hunting yet. One of these days I want to get into some serious terrain, but I'm not in the shape, nor do I have the time for that right now.

Honestly, what really made me want a better spotting scope was sitting on one side of Harrison lake, looking across at the cuts on the other side(and the islands in the middle)... It's pretty steep and hard to see much on the same side of the lake, but looking across you can see so much...
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You’ll definitely appreciate real glass looking that far. I’d go as far to say I’d save my $1500 and wait until I could put it towards $3500 glass, as you’re going to do it anyway if you keep at the hunting game.
 
Suther said:
For $40 I'm completely satisfied with it. I can see 22cal holes at 100yds, which is all I wanted. I can usually see 277cal holes at 200yds too, not always and it's not easy, but it's doable more often than not in my limited experience. It was bought for a purpose, and it works for what I wanted from it - the trick I found was that it's best at 20-40x magnification, cranked up to 60 its useless.

However, it's only good for about 5 minutes when hunting. It certainly beats my 10x30 leupold binos for long range magnification, and it's not bad for looking at a specific thing you can't identify with just binos, but anything more than a few minutes is simply torture...

Weight is important. I would love to buy something that can be used on a 4-7 day backpack trip, but at minimum it needs to be light enough to pack all day over 5-8km+.

I like the suggestion of used options. I'm all for used, high quality(for the price) stuff.

As for price range, I don't have a set price limit but I know I won't be spending $1500+. I'm not spending a whole paycheck (plus some) on one...
Click to expand...

Well if you are looking to find something cheap and good I would likely stay to watching the used section and see what comes up. If you just want something better then what you have, I had bought aTasco, 20-60x80 for about $250 and it was really good for the price and could see decent all the wayy up to 60x but it would not match any of the ones I had listed before
 
Has anyone taken a look at the Konus spotting scope at Lever arms? They have a KONUSPOT-80 20-60X80 for $400, haven’t been able to find much about them and anytime I’m in Vancouver working I’m too busy to go by and look at them in person. I’m looking for something for casual range use, out to 300-400yrds would be the max I’ll need it for.
 
I bought a Celestron Ultima from Focus Scientific in Ottawa. Nice store, nicer staff. They let you rent out some pretty big telescopes. I'm pleased with it. The image is clear and there is a lot of light. The quality to price ratio was nice too.
 
Ardent said:
Swarovski, better to spend your money on glass than the rifle if you’re serious about mountain hunting. If you’re casually hunting moose, deer, black bear a Vortex. Get the angled eyepiece and an ultralight tripod, as then you'll actually carry and use it.
Click to expand...

Yep, I have a Leica spotter and rue that I didn't buy the Swarovski.
 
I’ve compared a Swaro 65 side by side to Kowa 77. Most would say it is not a fair comparison due to the difference in objectives. Image quality was pretty much identical and the Kowa edged out the Swaro at last light, which would be expected for a scope with a larger objective. They weigh about the same but the Swaro is slightly more compact. I own the Kowa and have zero complaints.

I had a 65mm Nikon Fieldscope lll prior to the Kowa. It was excellent glass in a compact unit for substantially less money. My main motivation for changing was to get an angled eyepiece.
 
Fore300 (post #6) is right about the MinoxMD50 for a compact and light scope you can carry easily when hunting. Excellent glass for the money. You can't get ten times better quality for ten times the price, the law of diminishing returns applies, but if you need/want the kind of performance Dogleg is talking about (post#11) you will have to pay the kind of prices he is warning you about.
 
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Butcherbill said:
Has anyone taken a look at the Konus spotting scope at Lever arms? They have a KONUSPOT-80 20-60X80 for $400, haven’t been able to find much about them and anytime I’m in Vancouver working I’m too busy to go by and look at them in person. I’m looking for something for casual range use, out to 300-400yrds would be the max I’ll need it for.
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I have a 20-60 x 100 that I bought about 10 years ago. It's not bad. I can see .30 holes at 200m but haven't tried anything further. There used to be a bunch of reviews on optics planet. The 100mm lens version needs a sturdy tripod.

I eventually upgraded and it's been sitting in a corner since.
 
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