What size spotter for spring bear?

[Thisisme2828]

Hi everyone, This is my first ever spring bear hunt and my first time every hunting bears out west. Right now I run a Vortex razor 11-33x50 spotter, and that works great for cow elk hunting and midwest whitetails. However, in your opinions, is that enough magnification to glass cross canyon for bears? The quality of glass I have now is great, and being under 2 pounds is absolutely perfect but is it worth toting a larger optic in?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Geewhiz]

This is a very broad question that cant be answered without more details. However, if this is your first ever spring bear hunt, I think more focus should be spent on about any other area of the hunt.

"Run" the scope you have and worry more about other things would be my advice.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Should be fine, you're not counting rings on a sheep. This is 2 miles away with an STC on 40 power and phone on 2x, so only a bit more magnification.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Should be fine, you're not counting rings on a sheep. This is 2 miles away with an STC on 40 power and phone on 2x, so only a bit more magnification.

You need a new spotting scope. There are no bears in that picture.

 

[Blind Squirrel]

Hi everyone, This is my first ever spring bear hunt and my first time every hunting bears out west. Right now I run a Vortex razor 11-33x50 spotter, and that works great for cow elk hunting and midwest whitetails. However, in your opinions, is that enough magnification to glass cross canyon for bears? The quality of glass I have now is great, and being under 2 pounds is absolutely perfect but is it worth toting a larger optic in?
Thanks in advance.

You are fine with that. You’ve got binos, right?

 

[AK_Chuck]

I dont even use my spotter for bears unless Im hunting other animals and come across a bear (fella in my profile pic met his end that way), or interested in digiscoping. 10x on a tripod is the max Ill go, and I usually leave the tripod at home tbh. To be fair- Im almost always hunting bears above treeline and I would glass differently if I was anticipating trying to pick apart brush.

 

[Ron.C]

OP, nothing wrong with that spotter for bears. I do 95% of my glassing for bears with my 10x on a tripod. Can judge bears a quite a distance with them. When I really want a close look I use my 48x spotter, but rarely use it at max maginfication

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Depends on where and how you are hunting. You can get by with anything. The main areas I hunt have been burned, that’s a lot of bear shaped black stumps. I really appreciate a big spotter in that situation. Other places with no burns and a lot of rocks and meadows, you could use 6x pocket binos and pick them out.

 

[Taudisio]

I was watching two bears yesterday from a satellite verified .97 miles with my 12 power Binos. They were in a cut across a river from the cut I was in. One was color phase with blonde and brown, one was black. Took me at least 15 minutes to get within a half mile. They were gone by then. If I had my spotter with me, I would have wasted more time watching them instead of trying to make a play. The bears stood out like a sore thumb and the first thing my eyes focused on. The only thing my spotter would have given me, is if they had an ear tag or some other small detail that didn’t matter.

 

[mtwarden]

Small spotter (and binos on tripod) is all I ever use

 

[Thisisme2828]

You are fine with that. You’ve got binos, right?

Yes, I have 10x binos and my tripod. I don't normally use my spotter for anything other than judging deer in the open.

 

[Thisisme2828]

Depends on where and how you are hunting. You can get by with anything. The main areas I hunt have been burned, that’s a lot of bear shaped black stumps. I really appreciate a big spotter in that situation. Other places with no burns and a lot of rocks and meadows, you could use 6x pocket binos and pick them out.

I'm headed to the Bridger-Teton the first week of May. My thought was the spotter could be useful for glassing multiple drainages. The areas I have marked have not burned in the last two decades, but I will be out there before the green up really happens, if not too early (that's a whole other can of worms).

 

[Steve O]

I was watching two bears yesterday from a satellite verified .97 miles with my 12 power Binos. They were in a cut across a river from the cut I was in. One was color phase with blonde and brown, one was black. Took me at least 15 minutes to get within a half mile. They were gone by then. If I had my spotter with me, I would have wasted more time watching them instead of trying to make a play. The bears stood out like a sore thumb and the first thing my eyes focused on. The only thing my spotter would have given me, is if they had an ear tag or some other small detail that didn’t matter.

How does one get satellite verified distance? You got a special code from Elon?

 

[ThunderJack49]

I'm headed to the Bridger-Teton the first week of May. My thought was the spotter could be useful for glassing multiple drainages. The areas I have marked have not burned in the last two decades, but I will be out there before the green up really happens, if not too early (that's a whole other can of worms).

It has been my experience that bears tend to move around a lot. I don't often find them sitting still the way a bedded deer might. I'm probably glassing passed bedded bears but there movement gives them away more than anything in my opinion. Binos on a tripod work great for me in this application.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I use a spotter for bear hunting. It’s a fixed 20x Leupold.

 

[Taudisio]

How does one get satellite verified distance? You got a special code from Elon?

Should have read “satellite images”

 

[dirtytough]

I’m a big glass guy. I pack a BTX/ATX/95 for deer and elk. All 3 pieces are heavy but worth it to me. I wouldn’t worry at all bear hunting if I only had the small Vortex spotter. I would probably only get it out if I was trying to judge a bear.

 

[Kyle Hamilton]

Usually my little Kowa 553 is plenty for bears. I’m bringing a swaro 65mm to Kodiak this spring, where the country is more open, and for more careful judgement with this coveted tag.

 

[Thisisme2828]

Thanks for the input everyone. My wife is especially excited that everyone agrees the spotter I already own is good enough and that we don’t “need” to spend money on more gear

 

[Taudisio]

Thanks for the input everyone. My wife is especially excited that everyone agrees the spotter I already own is good enough and that we don’t “need” to spend money on more gear

If your goal of the post was to convince your wife you need another spotter…..

I’m afraid your vortex is sub-par. The glass is so blurry no one can even tell a bear apart from the bubble in it. You definitely need something with superior glass that costs a minimum of $1500 to even see a bear past 75 yards. You will not be successful in ANY of your hunting endeavors until you replace it.