What glass are you using. Binoculars and spotting scope.

S

slancey

Guest
Mine are:
10x50 binocular
20-50x82mm spotter
7x24 rangefinder
 

ljalberta

WKR
Joined
Dec 7, 2015
Messages
1,439
Newer bighorn hunter here, but I managed to put one down last year. I ran Swaro 10x42 SLCs and a Nikon ED50 13-40x. The binos were worth every gram, and I couldn't see myself ever running pocket binos for sheep hunting - even dalls. There's plenty of better places to shave weight in my books. As for the spotter, it was adequate, but I'll certainly be upgrading to a 65 or 80mm spotter with a little more zoom once I can afford it. I found myself wishing for a little more zoom and a larger objective with more eye relief plenty of times. The ED50 is a sweet little spotter though for deer/elk.
 

ndbuck09

WKR
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Messages
607
Location
Boise, ID
Zeiss 15x56's and Leica APO Televid 65 angled spotter. I only really use the spotter after a target is identified, but so needed to figure out whether a ram is worth an 8 hour move.
 

Snyd

WKR
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
808
Location
AK
Newer bighorn hunter here, but I managed to put one down last year. I ran Swaro 10x42 SLCs and a Nikon ED50 13-40x. The binos were worth every gram, and I couldn't see myself ever running pocket binos for sheep hunting - even dalls. There's plenty of better places to shave weight in my books. As for the spotter, it was adequate, but I'll certainly be upgrading to a 65 or 80mm spotter with a little more zoom once I can afford it. I found myself wishing for a little more zoom and a larger objective with more eye relief plenty of times. The ED50 is a sweet little spotter though for deer/elk.

Don't get too hung up on zoom. What you need is high resolution. You can't always use the extra zoom but ALWAYS need the resolution.
 

BRWNBR

WKR
Joined
Feb 11, 2015
Messages
740
Yes. Resolution!! I’ve had people tell me the 60x swarovski eye piece is no good at 60x and to get the 50x wide angle that it is much better. Because at 60x you cant see anything anyway. That is not true. I spend a lot of time on 60 power looking at Sheep horns, rubs on bear hides and counting tines on a Kodiak buck at 2 miles. It has the resolution to do that. My old scopes when I’d zoom in got blurry and wouldn’t have been able to tell me what my swarovski can.
 

Snyd

WKR
Joined
Feb 10, 2013
Messages
808
Location
AK
Yes. Resolution!! I’ve had people tell me the 60x swarovski eye piece is no good at 60x and to get the 50x wide angle that it is much better. Because at 60x you cant see anything anyway. That is not true. I spend a lot of time on 60 power looking at Sheep horns, rubs on bear hides and counting tines on a Kodiak buck at 2 miles. It has the resolution to do that. My old scopes when I’d zoom in got blurry and wouldn’t have been able to tell me what my swarovski can.


High $$$+High Resolution= Zoom you can use!!

One year a buddy of mine was all excited about his new (cheapo) Cabella's 20-60x80 heavy , bulky spotter. After all, it cost him 400 bucks!! He just had to pack that sucker in the Sheep Mtns even though we'd used and I packed my Pentax 65ED with the Williams Optics Zoom for a few years. 17-52X, high res, excellent image. Light and compact. Anyway, of course that Cabella's was crap. Pretty much unusable beyond 20-30x and low res at those powers. I'm surprised he didn't bury it in the rocks somewhere.
 

Big Nasty

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 7, 2016
Messages
140
Location
Kelowna, Canada
Carry the best glass you can afford, it took me 20 yrs to get really good glass. Running the Swaro SLC's 10X42 and the swaro ATS 20-60-65mm spotter. I appreciate them every time I look through them, should have ponied up 20 yrs ago.
 

Bruce Culberson

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 28, 2015
Messages
290
Location
BC
Bausch & Lomb Discoveries 10x42 (2003 to 2017) upgraded to Leupold BX 3 Pro Guides.
Bausch & Lomb Elite 15-45x60 (only 26oz).
Definitely not high end glass but good enough to pack into the mountains and help me take a couple Stone’s....
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2013
Messages
1,777
Location
Colorado
Vortex diamondback 10x42 binocs and cabales krotos 15-45x65 spotting scope.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Jimbob

WKR
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
1,409
Location
Smithers, BC
First year sheep hunting

10x42 Leica Trinovids
15-48x65 Cabelas Krotos
Sig 850 rangefinder

My neighbor uses Swaro 10x25 and a 65 mm Swaro spotter. He said one year he hunted without a tripod and NEVER again. Trying to rest his spotter on a backpack and determine if a ram was legal in high winds did not work. He'll always have a tripod with him now. He said the small binos work for him. This is for Stone's in BC.
 

armyjoe

Super Moderator
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Messages
1,043
Location
Denver, CO
Swaro glass
SLC 10x42
ATS 80hd. 25x50 W eyepiece.

Leica
1000R rangefinder

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

luke moffat

Super Moderator
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
102
Vortex 12X50 binos, though if going on a long haul sheep hunt (15-20 one way approach just to get into where to begin hiking for sheep) I may just bring 8X33s.

Ziess 85MM 20-75X eyepiece.
 

Fjelljeger

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
275
Location
Alaska
Vortex 12X50 binos, though if going on a long haul sheep hunt (15-20 one way approach just to get into where to begin hiking for sheep) I may just bring 8X33s.

Ziess 85MM 20-75X eyepiece.

That is probably my senario this year....long hike to get to sheep territory. Weight will be a serious issue. Will be taking the 65mm ATX Swaro..just not sure on the binos yet.
 

Big Nasty

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 7, 2016
Messages
140
Location
Kelowna, Canada
That is probably my senario this year....long hike to get to sheep territory. Weight will be a serious issue. Will be taking the 65mm ATX Swaro..just not sure on the binos yet.

I would suck up the extra ozs to bring 10x42's, I spend a pile of time behind them when walking into my spot, looking every 5-6 mins you never know where they are. I'll never leave my SLC's 10x42 behind for anything now. I'm so use to them in the harness you don't even notice them after awhile.
 

thinhorn_AK

"DADDY"
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
10,341
Location
Alaska
I just use vortex viper HD 10x42. Say what you will but I really like them and. Have never had any issues with them. I have a zeiss spotter as well, I do t remember what model it is though.
 
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