Got into new country in Wyoming. Scouting the first evening we watched elk dropping off a 10,000+ foot mountain headed to feeding areas way down low.
I don't know the distance but must have been 2-3 miles away.
Through 10X bins they looked like tiny dots; through good spotter,you could ID sex at that distance and see twice as many elk.
Might not always use them but I would not leave home without a spotting scope.