Help me put together my glass system for sheep hunting.

[thinhorn_AK]

In past years when sheep hunting I’ve used mid range glass, even low end comparatively speaking. I’m in the market now to step up my glass game for this season.

Last few years I’ve been using the following:

-leupold vx3i rifle scope. I actually like this scope quite well so I’m not in a rush to replace it, if I do I was thinking a z3.

-vortex viper HD 10x42 binos. These are ok but I sort of want to upgrade. I don’t have a whole heck of a lot of confidence in the vortex brand and while these are actually pretty decent, I wouldn’t mind upgrading.

-leupold gold ring spotter, an old one, I’ve had this for a long time and now I want something better.

I’m looking at companies like kowa, meopta and Swarovski but open to options, budget would limit me to about 2500 on the top end for a spotter which means if I went the Swarovski route the 65mm would be what im looking at. For binos I’d like to keep it in the 1-500 range so I’m very open to suggestions.

I’ve been looking at the 80mm meopta scopes, 65mm Swarovski, that compact kowa 553? Spotter, meopta meostar binos, stuff like that.

What route have you gone to finalize your glass for the mountains? I live and hunt AK if that matters, sheep, goat, moose and caribou.

I realize this is broad and will be a mix
Of opinion, personal preference and experience so I’m looking for any and all input.

Thank you.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

It would be our pleasure to work with you on this.

We have a great opportunity right now on a Meopta MeoStar 82 HD Straight 541630 Kit w/ 541650 Eyepiece for $1,999.99

I do agree for packing there's nothing better than the Kowa 55 series

For binoculars I'd suggest either the Meopta Meostar 10x42 or the Leica Trinovid HD

I am in all week if you'd like to give a call, 516-217-1000 to discuss different packages
Doug

 

[realunlucky]

The baby kowa has a 45x upper end so that may wieght in on your decision. I personally like the option of having more magnification. The meopta is a great deal has an available 20-70x zoom or 30-60x wide eye piece but you'd better double check it's total wieght if that's a concern. I know a few guys that pack the Swarovski 95mm sheep hunting. I guess it's about how you use your optics and if that trade off is enough to pack a bunch more oz's for more zoom and field of view.

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[couesbitten]

Good information provided so far, and Doug from Cameraland is a great guy to work with and he always has some fantastic deals available.
I'm a firm believer in the adage that "you get what you pay for", and nowhere is that more applicable than optics. In consideration of the fact that you will likely spend 4x the amount of time looking through your binoculars than your spotting scope, I would spend the larger portion of available funds on binoculars.
The Meopta binos that Doug provided the link for are a great binocular, and you can get an "open box" pair for $900. Based on the numbers you provided in your original post, that would leave you $1600 - 2100 to spend on a spotting scope. If you watch the classifieds here or work with Doug, I think you could be the owner of some "new to you" quality optics come this year's hunting seasons.

 

[wind gypsy]

Spotter - Used Kowa 883, swaro ATS/ATM 65, or Kowa 55 depending on weight consciousness. I have the meopta s2 and kowa 553, the S2 rarely makes it in the pack but is great when i use it. For the weight difference between the S2 and the 883, I'd snatch up a used Kowa and know you have something approaching the swaro 95 hubble.

 

[Yellowknife]

I'm a fan of the 60/65mm class of spotters for general purpose hunting up here. I've had and liked an 85mm Zeiss, but it was a pain to pack for a lot of hunts, so got left behind more often than it should. So for "just one" I traded back down to a 62. There has been times I miss the 85, but at least I had the 62 with me and not sitting back at camp. If I was always going to be sharing a spotter with a partner OR if my hunting focused more heavily on hunts that required more looking than packing (bears), I would go back... but neither is true. I hunt at least 50% of the time by myself, so the smaller unit is the better fit for me. Also, the 85's require a stout tripod to get the maximum benefit, so that adds weight and bulk beyond the paper spec on the unit.

I currently use an older Leica APO and it has counted for quite a number of critters at this point, but my favorite that I've used by far is the Swaro 65mm. It's optically good, very well armored, good eye relief, and the focus is easy to use with gloves. Ease of field use count's in my mind, and the Swaro has it in spades. The other option I really like is the older (used market now) Swaro 80 ATM. It's as light as most currently sold 65's and trim enough to still easily slide in a side pocket. If you could find a used one, that would another top choice in my mind.

As far as binos, if was going to bother jumping from Vortex Vipers (assuming they are HD's), it would need to be enough of a jump to make it noticeably worth it. To me that would mean alpha glass, probably SLC's. Although I don't own any Vortex myself I've hunted with several guys using those Viper HD's and while not top tier glass by any means, they seem to use them to excellent effect. If that is what I already had, I would prioritize the spotter first.

 

[timberbuck]

Swarovski SLC 10x42 #1 best 10x42 I have used and I have had near all of them.

Leica or Swarovski 65mm current spotter, 62 Leica APO if you can find one as a second choice.

85mm or larger premium spotter as bonus optic if you can afford to buy or carry.

 

[elkstabber]

I will go somewhat against the grain. If you're concerned about the total budget I would spend more on the binos because you'll be using the binos a lot more than a spotter. You mentioned a spotter for $2,500 and binos for up to $500 so I'll assume your budget is $3,000. Also, you didn't say if you had a quality tripod so I'll assume you don't.

I'd go with either Swaro 10x42 SLCs ($1,600), or Leica 10x42 Trinovid ($1,000), or Zeiss Conquest 10x42 ($1,000)

Spotters are generally not used as much as binos. When using a spotter you'll need clarity and magnification. I'd be inclined to go with a used Leica 62 ($1000?) or used Swaro 65 ($1,400) to fit in your budget. An older used Vortex Razor 65 ($600-700) would easily fit in your budget.

Tripod should be carbon. Promaster 525 ($300) or Sirui ($300). Plus a pan head either a Benro S2 ($70) or a Sirui VA5 ($160).

Swaro SLC 10x42 1,600
Leica 62 spotter 1,000
Promaster 525 300
Benro S2 head 70
---------------------------
TOTAL 2,970

I've bought most of my optics from Doug at Cameraland. He'll treat you right.

You can look at SandS Archery for the tripod, I'm pretty sure there is a Rokslide discount code.

 

[Yellowknife]

I will go somewhat against the grain. If you're concerned about the total budget I would spend more on the binos because you'll be using the binos a lot more than a spotter. .

While this is correct for most kinds of hunting, the OP specifically mentioned dall sheep. Sheep is a spotter critical type of hunting when it comes to determining full curl at distance. Almost any decent bino will work, but sharp glass in the spotter can be make or break.

For other Alaska critters (moose, caribou), the binos do play a larger role. If the OP spends considerable time hunting those species also, then yes... all good points and a good list of gear.

 

[DoubleBroomedMountainRifles]

Swarovski 65mm spotter in either the ATX/STX or the ATS/STS line.

Maven top end binos if wanting to get most bino for price. About 95 percent of the top end EL Swarovski’s. I use them as my backup set. My primary is the EL Swarovski. But would have no hesitation on using the Mavens as my primary if nessesary.

Your rifle scope currently used is top notch and no reason to change.

A good tripod from the Outdoorsman would also be a must have.

Without any discounts the above mentioned items will be about $4K

I spend about 35 days in the field sheep hunting here in Alaska and these items truly make my time in the field more enjoyable and productive. Good luck on your search. PM me if you’d like.