ChrisAU
WKR
8x42 Swaro SLC's and 12x50 Vortex Viper's. Which ones is going with you and why?
I have hunted and guided for antelope for 30+ years. A few things to consider;I’d take the SLCs. I would want a spotter, especially if you are going to be particular about size. Antelope are notoriously hard to field judge. I don’t think the difference in 12x and 8x would make a difference for field judging though, so I’d take the better of the two.
Agree with all of that. Conditions will determine, whether it is an early season hunt, archery/rifle, location, weather, etc. I’ve been on about 10+ personal hunts, limited experience, and have 10x, 12x, 15x, and a spotter. I find myself using 10x and spotter 95% of time. If I’m on an antelope I’m interested in and cannot make it out because of mirage, I’ll try to sit on it until it’s not an issue. Half my hunts have also been in Wyoming early to mid October and snow has been on the ground Archery hunts I just need to know if they are above ears before I go scare it away, can do that with anything!I have hunted and guided for antelope for 30+ years. A few things to consider;
An antelope 2000 yards away will appear like it is 166 yards away with 12x magnification. At the same distance, it will appear like it is 250 yards away with 8x. That is a big difference when trying to determine trophy quality.
Spotting scopes can be helpful during cooler periods of the day but heat mirage makes them useless on any setting higher than about 15x through a good portion of the day during normal antelope weather.
Talk to a group of antelope guides and you will find 90% of them use a good pair of 12x binos as their number one tool.
Just my 2 cents.
Been there lol. Boy can they run fast... It definitely changes the game if you are hunting in cooler weather. Then just about any decent binos and a good spotter are the tools of the day.Agree with all of that. Conditions will determine, whether it is an early season hunt, archery/rifle, location, weather, etc. I’ve been on about 10+ personal hunts, limited experience, and have 10x, 12x, 15x, and a spotter. I find myself using 10x and spotter 95% of time. If I’m on an antelope I’m interested in and cannot make it out because of mirage, I’ll try to sit on it until it’s not an issue. Half my hunts have also been in Wyoming early to mid October and snow has been on the ground Archery hunts I just need to know if they are above ears before I go scare it away, can do that with anything!
Sell the Vipers, sell the Diamondback, call Doug re: Meostar S2 82HD or the Kowa 773... prosper.I will have a tripod with me, and I will have a spotter. My spotter is just a Diamondback HD 16-48x65, though not in the same class I’ve found the glass to be worlds above a Kowa 502 I had. The reason I posted this thread is I finally got the bullet on Swaros for the majority of my hunting (8x for whitetail in the East) and I’m in love with them. Made me question my plan to take the 12’s to Wyoming in 2021. I do think I’ll be happier with these 8’s on my chest and the spotter in the pack. Hopefully upgrade spotter in the future but that’s not in the cards in time for this hunt.
Ide be curious how many of the people answering have looked through both vipers and SLC in the field? I think the choice would be much more apparent if that were the case.