Elk in CO - Spotting Scope needed?

[Lytro]

For what it’s worth, I bought a Vortex spotter last year and hated it. Sold it this summer and set my 12x50’s up on a tripod for this season. I don’t think a spotter is worth it unless you can afford to get the best swaro available. I’ll be saving that extra pack space for snacks.

I hunted the flat tops first season in 2016 and never wished I had one then. My buddy and I killed bulls on days 1 and 3, both from sub 200 on bulls that got spooked to us from other hunters. With the pressure that area gets, I‘d be surprised if you would be able to spot something from far enough away requiring a spotter that a handful of other hunters aren’t already on their way towards.

 

[Vids]

I've hunted first rifle in the Flat Tops many times. No reason to carry a spotting scope. I always bring mine along but it stays in the truck and rarely gets used. There is so much pressure in those units that elk will be spooked to you, instead of you glassing them up and stalking within range.

I have to disagree with BigBuckDirtNap about only a top end Swaro being worth it. I have two scopes - a 60mm Bushnell Elite and a Vanguard Endeavor 80mm. Both have their place and are worth having. The 60mm is great for high country deer hunts because I can pack it in and judge bucks better than using my binos, and the 80mm is great for scouting from the truck. Personally I could see upgrading to top end Swaro binos someday, but I have a hard time justifying spending that much on a spotting scope.

 

[coppermushroom]

For me 15x binos on a tripod are the absolute best of both worlds...excellent glassing capability with some weight savings. With 15x though a tripod is a must.

 

[kcm2]

Quality 10x binos are plenty........unless you're looking for Boone and Crocket #1.

 

[CJohnson]

For what it’s worth, I bought a Vortex spotter last year and hated it. Sold it this summer and set my 12x50’s up on a tripod for this season. I don’t think a spotter is worth it unless you can afford to get the best swaro available. I’ll be saving that extra pack space for snacks.

I hunted the flat tops first season in 2016 and never wished I had one then. My buddy and I killed bulls on days 1 and 3, both from sub 200 on bulls that got spooked to us from other hunters. With the pressure that area gets, I‘d be surprised if you would be able to spot something from far enough away requiring a spotter that a handful of other hunters aren’t already on their way towards.

I'll second this from personal experience in the area.

 

[stratofisher]

I hike without spotter, but like to have with me where I can observe hillsides from afar if in the truck. Was able to locate herd from 3+ miles with the spotter. Binoculars aren't helpful at that range. Although nothing worked the second day with all the smoke.

 

[NB7]

Wondering how the OP made out this season and which way he went with his choice to carry the spotter or not., and his thoughts afterward? I'm planning a DIY rifle elk hunt next year, with my only previous elk experience being archery hunting with low power binoculars, which were more for just finding elk on opposing ridges.

 

[raskgc]

I am new to Elk hunting and have been going back and forth I believe I have decided on Binos only

 

[trophyhill]

Archery or muzzy? No. Rifle? Could be very helpful

 

[Mowy33]

Wondering how the OP made out this season and which way he went with his choice to carry the spotter or not., and his thoughts afterward? I'm planning a DIY rifle elk hunt next year, with my only previous elk experience being archery hunting with low power binoculars, which were more for just finding elk on opposing ridges.

Hi NB7 - Things changed a little prior to my hunt. I ended up buying a Vortex Razor 10x42 and a Razor 22-48x65 spotter as I found them on a really good deal. From my perspective, the Razor's are all I need for the amount of time I spend hunting and knowing the warranty will always take care of you.

Day 1 & 2 of the hunt, I took the spotter and quickly realized there was so many hunters in the area, even if I spotted something with the spotter, chances were there were 5 hunters between me and the elk. In fact, the second morning I spotted an elk about 2 miles away and 2k feet below me. I then noticed there were about 4 hunters sitting all around that elk - wasn't sure if they saw it or not so just watched - and sure enough one of them finally spotted it and shot it. This was 6-7 miles from the trailhead, off trail and I was solo.

I decided that night I could cover more ground if I left the spotter behind and had less weight on my back, so that's what I did. The elk are big enough so that you can spot them with bino's. If the elk are that far away where you can't see them with bino's (my exp 10x42), I believe they're too far meaning there will be 25 hunters between you and the elk so chances of you seeing it miles away, and actually getting to it is slim with the amount of orange in the woods during this time. I left the spotter in the car the rest of the trip after day 2.

I'll keep the spotter as I got a good deal and who knows what hunts will present themselves in the future. It is also handy at the shooting range.

Hope this helps.


TLDR; Spotter is not worth it in CO, elk.

 

[NB7]

Mowy33, thanks for the insight I appreciate it

 

[Str8shooter]

Generally no...but...on day 3 if you havent found elk...thats when the spotter induced audible can save a hunt.

 

[Blackstorm]

My experience this past year was a little different than yours and after going thru it I bought a spotter. I hunted on private grounds with a guide and we saw Elk every day we hunted and most were at my max shooting range of around 450 yards. My guide was a converted ranch hand and knew the grounds, his hunting experience was substantially less. He was a good guy and I'm going back again this year. The rationale for the scope came from when and where I took my shot. It was on a cow right at the 400 yard mark and I had time to set up on my tripod and picked a good cow who was slightly quartering away. 1st shot dropped her and I lost her in my scope for a moment, and seen her pop up wobbly, hit her again and seen her drop. The first reason for the scope is I saw 7 Elk in the scrub Oak and Sage with my 10x42's, there were 16+ that got up after I shot that none of us saw, if we had scoped there may have been a better animal possibly a bull. The cool part is we all heard the impacts on the cow and none of us saw her get up. My first mistake was to go to her immediately after shooting, on all my deer that I shoot, I wait an hour or more. We had to have bumped her, but the guy we left from the shooting spot never saw her get up, I tracked her for over 2 miles when her tracks blended with the herds an they went onto private lands that we didn't have permission for. The scrub Oak and Sage are thick on the ranch and surrounding BLM lands and finding an Elk or even a Mule deer is very difficult on these grounds. Other hunters in my group and their guide's had their spotters set up with the hunter phone camera so they had a record but more importantly they knew where they hit the animal. We did find lung tissue at both sites and I never would have thought an animal could take those kind of hits and get up, but she did. but by reviewing what happened and having something that can see and record these small details would have made a world of difference in how we approached her.

 

[TERMINATOR]

In Colorado on public land, most of the time the elk will be in the thick stuff. Good binoculars are fine, especially if you just want to kill a legal elk. 90/10 the weight you save will be worth more than the chance you might wish you had a spotting scope.

If your hunting undisturbed elk on a private ranch from a horse or a 4x4.....then yea...a spotting scope helps you look over the bulls. This is how it is on TV hunting shows...

 

[TERMINATOR]

Took mine off my pack last week and dam glad to drop the weight.

This....is how I feel about a spotting scope in Colorado on public land

 

[WTFJohn]

Here's a few pictures with the approximate range to the animals for help in anyone's decision making process. These were all taken in 3rd/4th season, 1st season you'll be dealing with a lot more vegetation and leaves still on the trees. Pics taken with an iPhone 11 (handheld) on 1x thru a pair of 10x42 Nikon HGs (tripod), except the last one.

I'm a 50/50 guy when it comes to carrying my Swaro 65; I'll bring it as often as a leave it at home. Sometimes you just want to watch elk/deer/bears/whatever (and I don't really chase the lightweight pack dragon).

In all of the pictures below, I could ID bulls vs cows either due to antlers, body size, or coat color (or a combo). Counting 6 pts is possible out to somewhere near a mile if you have a high contrast background, that distance plummets when you add additional leaf or brush cover.

~600 yds, 1x, 10x42


1.01 miles, 1x, 10x42


~1.11 miles, 1x, 10x42 (elk are bedded primarily in the ridge area between the two pockets of pine, center left of frame and across the main open face below the upper pocket of pine)


~2.3 miles, max digital zoom on the phone (8X I think?), 10x42s. I could tell this was a group of bulls, and two stuck out for body size in particular, but could not see antlers with my binos. They are in the center-upper-third of the frame on a semi-open ridge bracketed above by aspens and below by thick oak brush.

 

[ezshooter]

Depends on the unit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jake23]

I've hunted first rifle in the Flat Tops many times. No reason to carry a spotting scope. I always bring mine along but it stays in the truck and rarely gets used. There is so much pressure in those units that elk will be spooked to you, instead of you glassing them up and stalking within range.

I have to disagree with BigBuckDirtNap about only a top end Swaro being worth it. I have two scopes - a 60mm Bushnell Elite and a Vanguard Endeavor 80mm. Both have their place and are worth having. The 60mm is great for high country deer hunts because I can pack it in and judge bucks better than using my binos, and the 80mm is great for scouting from the truck. Personally I could see upgrading to top end Swaro binos someday, but I have a hard time justifying spending that much on a spotting scope.

any chance you'd be willing to send a DM to a first time hunter in flat tops for first rifle?

 

[Vids]

Jake23 - sent you a PM

 

[tdhanses]

Truthfully if you don’t have a high end spotter, the best boots, high end camo and a $1000 invested in a pack your best to stay home.

Oh and if you don’t have a flat brim hat forget elk hunting period!