Backpacking and Spotting Scopes

• Sep 13, 2018

• #1

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huntingheritage

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I have been preparing to do some backpack hunting for blacktail deer and black bears and am shopping for a new spotting scope. For those with backpacking experience, do you find a 65 mm scope to be too big, a 50mm to be too small? I am looking at Vortex Razor models. I have spent a lot of time behind 85mm Vortex Razor glass and for the open country elk hunting I do, it is great, but now I am looking at shaving weight and still getting the performance I need.

 

• Sep 13, 2018

• #2

AvidIndoorsman

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If you have an 85 I might drop to the 50mm... just because it's half the weight of the 65mm. If you are doing something like sheep hunting where you are trying to determine if an animal is legal from a ways out you will bring the 85mm so right now you are just getting a scope that will help you determine if something has antlers or not from a ways out, I would imagine the 50mm will be adequate for that purpose.

 

• Sep 13, 2018

• #3

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I find a 65mm to be too big and a 50mm to be too small . Everything is a compromise, and it depends what you're trying to do, as wllm said. I backpacked with a 25x50mm leupold for a while, then a 13-30x50mm Nikon ED II. I then moved to a 62mm Leica and now 65mm Swaro. I had an 80mm Leupold concurrent to several of those but I just couldn't usually justify the weight for what I was doing. That and the Leica and Swaro were enough nicer to look through that it almost outweighed the bump in objective size.

For me the mid 60-65's are a nice compromise, and the place I like to be having just one spotter. With two I'd agree a 50 to compliment your 85 makes some sense. They can be had pretty cheap really. The 50's I've had, despite being decent quality, are no picnic to glass through. They are a confirmation of frame or legality tool, not a pick apart the landscape deal.

 

• Sep 13, 2018

• #4

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I've toyed with picking up another one of those old 25x Leupold's expressly for elk.

 

• Sep 13, 2018

• #5

grizzly_

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Kowa 553... 'nuff said

(Not really. If you're not familiar with Kowa, go Google Swarovski vs Kowa.)

 

• Sep 13, 2018

• #6

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shaffe48

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I have the compact Leupold which is much easier to carry than the full size I tried carrying once being that it is 20 oz. I was able to distinguish some things as not.a bear that I couldn't distinguish with an 8 power pair of binoculars bx2 also not the greatest. However, at least as often I couldn't distinguish what I was looking at through this spotter either.

I'm getting a nice pair of binoculars that are tripod mountables. If these work real well, I might ditch the spotter.

If you are an Alaskan bear hunter, keep tabs with me and we can share notes. I'm heading out for round three this spring.

 

• Sep 14, 2018

• #7

utahminer

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Colorado

I have both a 65mm Leupold Gold Ring and a Nikon ED50 and use both, just depends on the trip. If I'm packing in for hours and with a full camp on my back and I don't need tons of detail then I opt for the 50. I used the 50 for years and had great success. I have been dreaming of a nice Swar, Zeiss or Leica 60 or 65 for a couple years.

 

• Sep 14, 2018

• #8

6mm Remington

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I have a 15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring Compact scope that I really like. A few years ago I did not have that scope and used a Leupold Gold Ring 20x fixed scope all summer and fall on my mountain goat hunt. It worked but I would have liked a bit more magnification like the scope I have now.

 

• Sep 14, 2018

• #9

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shaffe48

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6mm Remington said:

I have a 15-30x50mm Leupold Gold Ring Compact scope that I really like. A few years ago I did not have that scope and used a Leupold Gold Ring 20x fixed scope all summer and fall on my mountain goat hunt. It worked but I would have liked a bit more magnification like the scope I have now.

Click to expand...

This is precisely what I have. I need to work with it more and compare it to whatever binos I get to see what it really gains me. I will probably be carrying the snipepod version of a tripod which will reduce the utility of a spotter even further. Even if the 20 oz spotter is worth it, a 2-3 pound tripod surely is not.

 

• Sep 18, 2018

• #10

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huntingheritage

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Thanks guys. I do want to use it to pick apart the landscape from afar and decide if a critter is something I want to invest the time to go after. I get pro deals on Leopold, Vortex and Zeiss so buying from one of those brands. I use Leopold rifle scopes, but have no experience with their spotters.