Spotting scope help

[Brightwhite]

I have never owned a spotter, have spent 10 days or so sheep hunting looking through a Pentax (not sure of the model) and I was not a big fan - I have a feeling it was low quality, fuzzy, hard to focus and see clearly.

I have ~$1,000 in Cabela's points saved up, so I have been looking hard at the Swaro glass, I want to buy quality....Swaro, Leica, Zeiss most likely.

What I don't know yet:
Angled or straight
65mm or 80mm
STS/ATS, or buck up and look at the ATX/STX for Swaro

I would be using this spotter mostly on backpack hunts, so the 65mm smaller package seems to be the way I think I should go. So,if you had $1,000 in Cabela's points to put towards a lifetime purchase of a spotter, what would you buy and why?

 

[LaHunter]

Swaro HD sts 65 mm straight. This is the spotter that I have and don't think I will ever feel like I need to upgrade. I just prefer the straight vs angled. I feel like I can get on my target quicker.

 

[Blockcaver]

Swaro 65 mm angled HD with 20-60X eye piece works very well for me sheep hunting, digiscoping etc. Mine is 7 seasons old now. The ATX is very slightly better optically when I compared them in August in the NWT. For the price ($$$$) ...you need to compare them yourself as either are a big purchase and great optics. I do not want to pack an 80 mm scope but some don’t mind. I do know every scope in the NWT Dall sheep camp where I hunted were Swaro 65 mm angled scopes last August. One was an ATX, the rest HDs.....(5 scopes). A guide that was there on the first mid-July hunt used an 80 mm scope, but he was gone when I arrived. Good luck with your choice!

 

[dotman]

I vote swaro ATS 65 HD with the 25-50 WA eyepiece. ATX I'm sure is great and better but it's heavy. I have the 80 and really do like it but wish it was smaller at times.

 

[mfllood3800]

Swaro for sure.
I packed an 80 this year- heavy for sure. Never really noticed it til my pack was thinned out and suppose to be light, but wasn't
lol

If I do a goat hunt, I would do a wide angled 65 for sure.

I am looking for a that very spotter right now.
1 doesn't really do it for me, as I have too many different types of hunts.
I wont be packing that 80 again like I did this year.
It has its place, just not on a bow hunt, in a back pack at 11,000'
-I'd rather have that extra weight in water.

 

[huntsman22]

I have the straight swaro sts 65 and 80 HD's. Have a 30x vortex eyepiece on the 65 as it is smaller, shorter and a bit lighter than the swaro eyepieces. I don't pack in the 80.... Can't imagine needing the atx

 

[Brightwhite]

The weight of the 65mm STS is attractive, but the more I read about the Leica televid 65, it seems to be getting rave reviews. Anyone have an opinion on the Leica?

I think if I do go swaro STS the. It would be with the 25-50 wide eye peice. That ATX is a hard one to swallow price wise.

I do hunt a lot of different terrain, but I have another Kodiak trip planned for next year, high country mule deer, probably will draw an antelope tag, and have a few buddies that are close to sheep and goat tags that I will have a chance to go on, so the scope needs to be versatile. I think I've settled on the angled body, so that decision is out of the way at least.

 

[Blockcaver]

Leica spotting scope experience from around 12 or 15 years ago is that it lacked eye relief if you wear eyeglasses.

 

[willidru]

I'm in a similar situation looking to upgrade my Leupold Ventana. Talked with the guys at the outdoorsman yesterday and obviously everyone has their own opinion and for that kind of money, definitely want to put your own eyes on it. For what it's work the ranking I got was the Swaro ATX/STX series, then ATS/STS, Zeiss and Lecia. The one thing I'm considering with the ATX/STX is that it's a modular system, so if I want a 65 mm right now I can add the objective for an 85/95 later with out having to rebuy the entire set-up.

 

[dotman]

Leica spotting scope experience from around 12 or 15 years ago is that it lacked eye relief if you wear eyeglasses.

Yeah don't think that is an issue for their model today. Frank on Kifaru cast says out of all the optics Aron has which includes the ATX the Leica 65 is his favorite, get the WA zoom eyepiece no matter if you go swaro or Leica.

 

[Lawnboi]

I did the same as you this year, finally broke down and got a scope that will hopefully keep me happy for the next ten years or more. I ended up with the swaro ats 65. Can't help with a comparison but that's what research led me to buy. I was not disappointed this fall compared to using cheap scopes in years past.

If I would have gotten an atx my wife would have killed me.

 

[Brightwhite]

Thanks for all of the input guys. It really is a tough decision and I have no idea what I'll do. I guess I'll see what Black Friday deals look like and see if something speaks to me so I can make up my mind.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Angled if your are going to be glassing for animals for long periods.
Straight if you glass with binos and just use the spotter to verify stuff or if you want to use a window mount.
I have the swaro 20-60-80mm
Wish I had gotten the wide angle as at 60x it actually a little fuzzy.
The 80 is actually only like 5oz heavier
Worth the weight for me when I'm trying to judge at 1st light.