Maybe I'm shakier than most
Shooting sticks are the friend of shaky folk. whether as a rifle rest or for glassing....
Maybe I just need to practice glassing more. I've seen a lot of improvement in my shooting from field positions, including off-hand over the last year or so. I brought a cheap pair of 10x40's to the range while I was shooting and found them difficult to use w/o a rest of some sort.
David
I cannot underestimate the need of a tripod when western hunting. If you are exclusively hunting in thick, dark timber forests or something where tripods are useless, you will need a tripod for the usual western mule deer hunting. Been all over the west, been hunting for over 35 years out here, and I am telling you you will need it if you want to be effective. Sure, you can by chance encounter a mule deer buck while driving or walking or something and the use of optics wasn't necessary, but to get a quality buck, you are gonna have to see him before he sees you. That means using optics. That means spending hours with optics on the side of some hill. That means you cannot hand hold optics for hours. And do it for days. And don't forget, often, the distances can be well over a mile. I have hunted with guys who didn't use optics and tripods, and, well, let's just say the people who use them tend to be more successful.
My advice is 10x42 and a tripod. And bring a spotting scope if you can.
