New Glass Needed

[emiller35]

So I'm pretty new to Elk hunting as I just moved to CO. about 5 months ago, but have been a few times before the move. Question being, I had an old pair of binos that I used for white tails back in IL. that finally bit the dust. So I'm looking at replacing them or exploring the possibility of getting a spotting scope. Would like to hear some opinions and any recommendations on individual optics anyone might have.


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[backcountry_hunter]

It would help tremendously if you gave us a price you were looking to stay at or under for both binos and spotter. Essentially with glass always get the best you can afford.


At face value and assuming youre not looking at Swaro's (cause then you wouldn't be asking) I'd be looking at a zen-ray prime spotter and some vortex razor 10x42 binos. That's going to be north of 2K for glass though. If you can go more than that you have some really great options also.

 

[cohunter14]

Agree with pretty much everything backcountry hunter said. I'm also a big fan of Vortex. If your budget is lower, the Diamondbacks are also great glass for the money. If it were me, I would get a good pair of binos over a pair of binos AND a spotting scope unless you are planning on doing a bunch of long range glassing. I rarely ever use a spotter unless it's to verify what I'm looking at through my binos, i.e. how big a bull is or if I'm looking really far out there, is it a bull or cow.

 

[WW]

10x42s seem to be the choice binocular of most elk hunters. As for a spotting scope, if you want to lug one around, go for it. But I have never considered one an essential item. If you think you need a spotter, remember you will also need a tripod to hold it steady. Just extra weight. Really not all that heavy but they do take up a lot of space in your pack.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Just to add to my (and COHUNTER's comment) if you can afford both, get them but if I was only picking one I'd get a good set of 10x42's


I use a spotter the more on deer/antelope hunts and binos more on elk hunts

 

[emiller35]

Thanks for the input guys! As far as budget goes, I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" so while I'm not going to be dropping 2-3k per piece, I was targeting/figuring around 1k for a spotter and maybe 500ish for a pair of binos. I know Leupold optics are pretty standard with a lot of people, but interested to see how the vortex variants hold up, seem to be decent quality and a no hassle warranty 


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[WW]

There is a Vortex spotter over in the Wapititalk.com classifieds for $475. Heck of a deal even if something was wrong with it. Vortex has a lifetime no questions ask warrantee.

 

[cohunter14]

Remember to set some money aside for a decent tripod as well if you get a spotting scope. With that budget I think you will definitely be able to get some good glass. I would try to go somewhere where you can look through the glass and compare them to each other if I were you. One other suggestion: if you get a spotting scope, I would recommend going with an angled one versus the straight on. I've got a straight on spotter and I'm not very fond of it.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Thanks for the input guys! As far as budget goes, I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for" so while I'm not going to be dropping 2-3k per piece, I was targeting/figuring around 1k for a spotter and maybe 500ish for a pair of binos. I know Leupold optics are pretty standard with a lot of people, but interested to see how the vortex variants hold up, seem to be decent quality and a no hassle warranty 

With that kind of change, I would be looking at a Zen Ray spotter and vortex viper HD binos. The binos are going to be middle of the road and good for the money. $500-$700 binos aren't going to have alot of optical differences... I've found many of them are in the same ballpark in terms of quality and ergonomics.
After spending alot of time behind swaro's angled spotter, I literally cannot see any difference between that and my buddy's zen ray prime (which he found somewhere for like 1100$). Honestly hunting forums are not a good place to get straight forward opinions or reviews on optics. Hunters tend to have a lot of brand loyalty and purchase what is trendy at the time. Reviews on optic forums or birding forums tend to be the least biased....  That is if you're truly interested in the best bang for your buck.


I'll echo cohunter also, I don't think I could ever go to a straight eye spotter.

 

[emiller35]

Thanks for the info now being I'm pretty new to the area does anyone have a preferred place/store to go locally to check out optics and all things backcountry hunting? Aside from the standard cabelas or bass pro


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[cohunter14]

Cabelas and Bass Pro will be your best choice to check out optics I'm guessing as they have the largest selection. Smaller stores could work, but most won't have near as much supply on hand.

 

[emiller35]

That's what I was figuring, but I heard/saw something about 1 shot gear here in Denver so was just seeing if it might be worth the stop.


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[cohunter14]

I personally haven't been in there but I've heard good things. They have a website and seem pretty good about keeping inventory up to date if you want to check it out...

 

[Cking38]

I am a huge fan of Vortex, I think they have great glass even at their budget level optics. I took my first trip out to Colorado this year and had both a spotting scope and binoculars. I won?t take the spotting scope again. It was heavy and I used it once just to look at the scenery, the binos worked great for everything.