Binos with no spotter?

[28bang]

Been trying to think of a way to lighten my pack. I have a pair of 10x42 Leica Ultravid HD’s right now and was thinking of getting the Kowa 554 spotter for my pack. Wondering if people go with just binoculars and no spotting scope? This would be me backpack hunting for Mule deer bucks and bull elk. Already know I’m using a tripod no matter what. So I’m asking, should i go with the ultravid HD’s 10x42s that i already have with the spotter or just the swaro 12x50 Els? I have a 2.5-25x52 march on my rifle if you need to know that. I say the 12x50 ELs because it seems like everyone is saying its a game changer. Has anyone done just binos and regretted it? Thanks

 

[FlyGuy]

Interesting question. I'm not much help b/c of the mule deer angle. Thats just not my bag. If it were just elk, then that plan seems legit. I usually just use 8x32 EL's, but I'm always in the timber and using calls instead of optics to locate.

Those 12x EL's seem to be the cat's meow. I don't think you would ever regret owning them. And never pass up a good justification to buy more optics.

How heavy is your pack running these days? What are you trying to get it down to? Seems like most guys on here will cut out everything else before the spotter.

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[28bang]

With rifle and all my gear I’m almost 50lbs. It’s usually ready for 5-7 days. There are definitely some little things i can cut out. I set up a base camp and am not running around that heavy all the time.

 

[Hatchet Jack]

I’d have a hard time not taking a spotter. I’m constantly using it to check animals, even if I’m using 15s to glass. You have to ask yourself are you out on the mountain to look at animals or to see how light your pack can be. I’ll gladly add the 3 lbs. This year I’m going EL12 with Kowa 66 spotter. Great set up.

 

[28bang]

I hear you. That’s a nice combo.

 

[FlyGuy]

Man, that's fairly light IMO for a week with rifle. Nothing easy left to cut I'm sure. I really can't see a reason that set up won't work. 12x binos on and off tripod, then a 25x rifle scope to get a closer look. Seems light and efficient to me. Plenty of more qualified experts on here than me though.

I'm going to other way myself. I was just running the 8x32 on an ultralight KDC tripod (6oz) for all my archery elk. But I added bears and Aoudad to my annual hunt list, so this off season I added 15x meostars, med outdoorsmans, and a Kowa 773 spotter. Probably somewhere around 15lbs of extra optics so I gotta hit those squats hard!

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[justinspicher]

I bought a spotter two years ago and carried it once. Didn’t care for the weight and sold it after the trip. Since then I’ve been running just binos, 10x42’s on a tripod. Recently I picked up a nice pair of 15x56 binos to use on the tripod. We will see how that goes.

 

[Bulldawg]

I think that if I were hunting elk only I would most likely not take the spotter, but it also depends on the country as well, some country it would be nice to have the spotter just to find some elk a long ways off. It also depends on how far the pack in is, if it's just a couple miles then it's usually not too bad to carry one and have it sit at camp, if it's 6 miles it would be pretty annoying to pack it in and not really look through it haha.

If I was deer hunting in the high country I would probably take it. Mostly because I would like to hunt larger deer and a deer can be harder to judge because I've seen some small frame deer that I would look over but upon closer inspection they have some good qualities that bump the score up some. And they tend to hide better in the rocks and can be harder to turn up.

 

[codym]

I don't like spotters except at the range, for me if I can glass them up with 15x binos on a tripod, I can tell if it's something I want to try for. I'm not a great glasser anyway, I'm very ADD so it was hard for me to set the whole thing up just to take a quick look to verify it's what I was looking for. I'm sure better hunters than me find them indispensable but for 99% of what I do they are not needed. I use 10x42's for archery elk and 15x's on a tripod for coues/mule deer. If you just wanted one do all bino I would think the 12x50 EL's would be the one.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

It bothers my eye to glass with a spotter however even with 15x binos there have been times I wished I had a spotter for a closer look at some details. Some of the 60mm and smaller spotters can be pretty impressive for a light weight/space if you're in a position you want to know details a bit more w/o needing an 80mm to count inches.

 

[bcimport]

Everyone is different. I really enjoy my 12’s on a tripod. Other than trying to count annuli on sheep horns I really don’t use my spotter. I wouldn’t feel short changed without it. I do enjoy not having the weight and bulk in my pack.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

The Kowa TSN-554 is about the same weight as a 10x42 binocular, 28.5 ounces and is only 10.5" long allowing it to fit into a water bottle holder. If you're already carrying a tripod the Kowa is not really a big addition vs what it brings to the table

 

[28bang]

I’m looking into the kdc setup myself. Tripod and SnipePod. The Kowa 554 is the very light and have heard great things. I might have to get the 12s and the Kowa. I worry about spotting a deer and cussing myself if I didn’t have a spotter with me. Having the 25x on my scope i thought it would be okay without the spotter but might be annoying. This is all great feedback. FlyGuy, do you like the kdc setup?

 

[FlyGuy]

I’m looking into the kdc setup myself. Tripod and SnipePod. The Kowa 554 is the very light and have heard great things. I might have to get the 12s and the Kowa. I worry about spotting a deer and cussing myself if I didn’t have a spotter with me. Having the 25x on my scope i thought it would be okay without the spotter but might be annoying. This is all great feedback. FlyGuy, do you like the kdc setup?

Yes, if you are going in light w/o a big spotter then it is butter. It is unbelievably well made. The quality doesn't come across in the website pics, but when you hold it you will know what I mean. And he's a great guy, will answer all your questions to make sure you have what you need.

There is a sacrifice to the ultra-lightweight of course. No pan head for one (ball type), but for light optics it works great. I use it with my 8x32 and my 55 vortex spotter. I have not tried the 15x on them yet but I'm sure they will work just fine too. It's also made for glassing while seated on the ground only. I've never had it out in high wind yet. I'm guessing it might struggle some due to how light it is, but its also very skinny and low profile so it may be just fine? It also has a hanger for a water bottle to stabilize it but I haven't needed it yet.

It has its place in my bag. It wouldn't be my 1st choice for Glassing all day. If that's the kind of hunt I'm on for 5-7 days, then I would go to a full size tripod. But If it's just light glassing from occational Glassing spots, which is typical for me, then it is Soooo nice. Also, I can set up to quickly glass a draw way faster b/c I can leave my pack on. Works great if I'm trying to get somewhere else but I want to give more than a cursory look into a draw I'm passing. I can keep this tripod in my cargo pocket. Hit the draw with my binos real quick while I take a breather, and be on my way.

If you go with those EL's then he'll need to press in the adaptor. You have time, but don't wait until the last minute to order them. I know swaro endorses outdoorsmans stud instalation, but I confirmed with Swaro that the KDC stud install will not void any warranty.

Best of luck to you.


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[28bang]

Thank you, appreciate it.

 

[idahohikker]

10x42 and spotter for me. Only binos would leave me wanting. As stated above, it depends on the country and species. Where I hunt there's a real advantage to having the capability to look up to 4 miles to glass up game. Southern and Central Idaho and where I've hunted deer in Utah.

 

[snipepod]

Mr SnipePod chiming in. Couple of things to consider. For locating critters, binos beat spotter hands down. Your brain gets double the light, because two eyes are pumping it in. Also, as we age, the ability of our pupils to dialate declines, making the spotting scope more difficult to view through for longer periods and you can't use the big shaft of light. The binos help compensate for this decline. Personally I pack 10X32 Swaro ELs. They are stunning clear, edge-to-edge, and when mounted to my Granite Peak or V2/3L combo, I can do decent field judging out to maybe 1.5 miles. Beyond that, I rely on my Vortex Razor 50mm spotter.

 

[IdahoHntr]

Like some have said, it really just matters what you're hunting and what your goal is. If you are out there field judging bucks and bulls trying to determine score and looking for top end animals, then I think you really need that spotting scope.

If you are just out there to kill a decent animal and not so obsessed with score you can definitely get away with a good pair of 12x's. I change it up depending on what I'm hunting. Archery hunting for elk, I'm shooting just about any branch antlered bull, so there really isn't a need for a spotting scope. I can spot with the 12x's and I've never had an issue telling if something had horns or not, even from a long distance. Deer on the other hand I am a little more picky wanting to take an older animal, and so I pack the spotter so I can see the little things and not have to overwork my legs. In the end, if the extra couple of pounds in the spotter saves you miles that you have to walk to get a closer look then it's definitely worth it.

You just gotta figure out what works for you.

On a last note, I've never enjoyed trying to get a better look at animals through my rifle scope. Even when the zoom is there it just doesn't ever seem to be enough for me. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[28bang]

I’ll be taking my 10x42s with the little kowa spotter. Next year i might get those 12s anyway.

 

[Fins_N_Tines]

So I am doing exactly what you have stated. I am using 12x50's only on a tripod for high country mule deer. I can judge up to 1.5 miles away which has been ok for me. I would say if you are trying to glass or judge 2 miles and out you would want a spotter. I guess if the question is can you be effective at mule deer hunting with just binos the answer is yes. Most basins are going to be under 2 miles and if you know there are bucks in the basin you shouldn't have any issues glassing them up with binos, especially 12x50s.