Spotting scope for Alaska Moose

[Smallblock388]

This is my first time going on a moose hunt in the Wrangell National Park area. I was thinking about taking a spotting scope but do not know if it’s worth hauling it all the way there. Do you guys recommend taking one?

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Probably not gonna hurt anything to bring it, but let's have more details...what do you want it for? Antler ID? What is your transport to hunt area?

 

[Larry Bartlett]

I can think of very few cases (one occasion in 24 years) where a spotting scope would have been prudent over binos for moose.

Unless weight isn't a factor for your hunt logistics, leave the spotter behind.

 

[Smallblock388]

Weight is not an issue as I am 20# under the limit. The only reason I thought about taking it was for antler Id.

 

[rodney482]

Ive spotted coues bucks at a mile w 10x binocs on a tripod. You wont need a spotter for a moose

 

[Kevin Dill]

Personal choice. I never take one. Would it be nice to have one? At times....yes it would. But I could say the same thing about plenty of other nonessential gear out there. Having it for antler study is a luxury which might save boot leather. Nice for birdwatching and digiscoping, but again.....just a luxury.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Weight is not an issue as I am 20# under the limit. The only reason I thought about taking it was for antler Id.

Nothing wrong with having a spotter if that's what you're comfortable with...beats busting brush for hours only to realize that distant bull was sublegal....or shooting it...

 

[VernAK]

Our moose hunting location allows to to see bulls 2 miles off so we take a spotting scope for the heck of it but when we see game within a mile, we use it to take pics. We have taken pics of a bull and a year later were able to bag a bull with identical antlers......nice to be able to review.

 

[Yellowknife]

We have found a spotter to be extremely useful , even critical, for early season spot and stalk in the four brow tine areas. We usually hunt up near timberline so getting high and glassing into the timber is the MO. For any bull areas or calling type hunting it would be less useful.

 

[AKDoc]

The pros/cons of taking a spotting scope really depend on the area that you are going to be hunting. If it's a 4 brow-tine/50" area with some high ground near your camp that allows good distance viewing of the surrounding area, then you might want to have the spotter with you. I took one with me for many years in the aforementioned circumstances, and I could accurately count brow-tine pretty far out there. Keep in mind that you've got to get all that wonderful meat back to camp, so sometimes spotting a legal one way out there can be a good thing and a not so good thing.

That said, I haven't brought a spotter for the past half-dozen years (nor planning to this year) because I hunt an any bull area and my 10x42's work just fine. I also prefer to drop it closer to camp on dry ground given the wet/tundra area where I hunt. Calling them from camp or near-by camp is real doable most of the time if you don't stink-up the area around you by hiking all over the place...and of course practice your calling skills.

Good luck to you sir!

 

[Smallblock388]

Thanks for all the advice gentlemen!

 

[AK Troutbum]

I usually take one but pretty much only for digiscoping purposes.

 

[bullmoose]

For me it depends on the hunt area and type of hunting that I plan to do. When hunting interior Alaska's vast open country I always bring one. When I hunt the brushy country in south central I rarely bring it along, but will if there are some decent high vantage points to glass from.

I like to grid out an area with my spotter during the middle part of the day when the moose aren't moving around much and there have been many times when I have used a spotter to see the top of a paddle or some tines sticking out of the alders from a long distance away that I would have never seen with my 10x binos.

Also, in an antler restriction(s) area, a spotter will help you to identify if a bull is legal or not from a longer distance away and potentially save you a lot of walking only to realize you have stalked in on a sub-legal bull.

If in an any bull area, it is usually easy to see something with substantial head gear with just 10X binos but you might miss a legal spike or fork (I have easily mistaken them for cows from a distance) that could have been seen with a spotter.

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

For spot and stalk I’d say take a spotting scope. We had binos and terrible spotting scope last year... we didn’t go after a bull cause we couldn’t see how big it was at 3 miles. The next morning he was shot and measured 56” and had 4 brow tines on one side. If we had a higher quality scope we would have had that moose and not the fork we ended up with. So I went and bought a 27-60 vortex razor specifically for that reason. Eliminates hours of wasted time following a sub legal bill and trying to determine brow tine count from a couple miles out. Where I hunt (unit 13 above eureka, which is within view of the wrangels on a clear day) you can cover a lot of ground on a quad out here so finding a bull from 2 miles is still within easy hunt distance. The SOB is heavy but it’ll reduce a lot of wasted man hours. Just my .02.

 

[mcseal2]

I took one and we used it a little. Mostly to watch a smaller bull that came in from a long way off. I like my optics tripod with the Outdoorsmans rest to shoot from anyway so I figured I just as well take it. My spotter is a smaller Kowa 55mm that only weighs about 33oz with it's case and adapter if I remember right. The tripod also helped hold my tarp up to glass under when I got tired of the rain one night. If you have the weight I'd probably take it.