Late season elk optics for idiots

[nettereo16]

My elk hunting has been primarily archery in timber. This year my CO friend drew a 3rd rifle tag and I'm tagging along & need an optics sanity check. His tag doesn't have antler restrictions so we only need enough glass to find elk & tell bulls from cows. He will shoot the first bull he can.

I currently have Maven 10x42s on my chest that I use on a tripod. I went on a moose hunt in 2020 with this setup and felt a little outgunned in big country.

Questions:

• In addition to my 10x42s for general scanning, would getting a pair of 12 or 15s be helpful in locating elk (thinking big country, and they might be bedded in some sparse timber)?
• Another buddy is tagging along who doesn't do much hunting. If he were to get one pair of binos for this style of hunting should he get 10s or 12s? He has a tripod.

Talk to me like I'm an idiot and make this simple for me!

 

[hunterjmj]

Best excuse to get yourself some 15's!

 

[Weldor]

Yea what he said ! 15's

 

[woods89]

https://www.rokslide.com/forums/threads/best-roi-on-upgrades-for-november-elk-hunting.242000/

Here's a thread I started last fall on this topic. I wound up buying a pair of Leica Geovid 10x42 and a tripod. I'm also very interested in renting some 15s to supplement next time I go. Hope it's helpful.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

If your buddy is merely hunting for any antlered elk, regardless of size, your 10x42's are more than enough. It ain't brain surgery. Save the money you'd be spending on an unnecessary optic for that type of hunt and put it toward a savings account to finance another big game hunt. You don't need a pair of 12x or 15x, or even a spotting scope to hunt any antlered elk in the western United States. Your 10x42's are plenty.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

My 10x42's are capable of identifying elk from miles away if the atmospherics cooperate (dust/smoke/fog/clouds/mirage) and I have a steady position/tripod. The first elk I ever glassed was at 1100 yards in a small timber opening, I was using 10x42's (zeiss victory sf), and I did have to use the spotter to tell if it was antlered or not. Now that I've had a chance to glass a few hundred elk, it's much easier to make out the antlers. I can't really imagine a scenario where, within rifle range, I wouldn't be able to distinguish antlers with 10x but could with more x's.

My brother has meopta 12x50's, when we needed to keep tabs on a herd 3 miles away my 10x42's were able to do the job, his 12x were not. Image quality matters a lot, and almost alpha glass is not alpha glass.

 

[wytx]

10x42 are fine. Anything bigger and you need a tripod.

 

[SoloWilderness]

10x42s work fine for elk. You can usually tell the difference from a long distance just by color and size (Bulls, at least where I hunt tend to be blonder, and much lighter colored). You can always pick up a cheap spotter like a Bushnell or a Nikon for a couple hundred if you want more verification. Glass up a herd, look to see if there are a couple bigger elk, than get closer and verify.

 

[General RE LEE]

I can't remember who it was on here that went to 8x42 for the larger exit pupil for low light and steadier free hand holding.

 

[sndmn11]

Buy a digiscope adapter and use your phones digital zoom through the binocular on your tripod.

Voila, 20-70x spotter perfect for what you are describing.

Your friend should get 8x noculars for the wider FOV.

Talk to me like I'm an idiot and make this simple for me!

 

[Hoodie]

If you were using 8x for you chest bino, I'd recommend 15x56 to augment them. Since you have 10x42 I'd suggest an 18x56 if you're looking for big tripod glass.

The 10x/18x combo has been killer for me.

 

[carsonkeys]

If you don't have the funds to pony up for alpha glass you can always rent some via @Rent Outdoor Gear. I just did the same and although the hunt isn't until Oct I was really impressed with the customer service.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

If you don't have the funds to pony up for alpha glass you can always rent some via @Rent Outdoor Gear. I just did the same and although the hunt isn't until Oct I was really impressed with the customer service.

There you go, right there - perfect setup.