Spotter Power / How Much is Too Much??

BrentD said:

I'll knock $50 off the Nikon.

Click to expand...

I use one of these for work. It's a great scope, and for that price would serve someone very well.

As others have said it is all preference. I have both a Nikon ED50 and a Leupold 65 gold ring and I tend to use the 50mm because of backpacking. I hunt some pretty big country and from time to time I would like more power, but it usually gives me everything I need to make a decision. Adding a phone scope can also help because you can use the zoom on your camera/phone.

This is just my personal opinion and it relates to my style of hunting, but I don't put a lot of stock in the low light situations. I'm not one to scout a certain buck for days on end where I am constantly looking in low light without trying to make a move. In the morning I can wait just a few minutes and have more light and in the evening if its low light its too late to make a decision. I read and hear a lot about putting an animal "to bed" but rarely have I had an animal in the same locations in the morning as it was in the evening. Just my two cents.

We have 2 spotters, one for the pack and one for truck and short hikes.
The pack scope is an old Leupold GR 12-40 x 60, great scope.
The Swarovski ATS 20-60x65 is the truck, short hike scope. Even though the Leupold is a nice scope, world of difference.
More light gathering on the Swaro and clearer details. The higher power does get more heat waves but with cool temps the details you can pick out are amazing.

Get the best you can afford. You can also use it for some great long range photos with a digiscope kit.

Don't forget that the coues guys primarily use 15x bino's on a tripod instead of the big spotters. And if you aren't putting your 10x bino's on a tripod you have been looking past lots of deer...