anchor,
Given that the OP is in S Idaho he might be glassing for mule deer over miles, literally. I've hunted the other side of the Snake River and you could spend days glassing the breaks. In fact, there are some groups that set-up in Idaho and glass across the Snake into Oregon. So although different than sheep hunting the opportunity for long distance glassing is still there.
I think Jordan's post is another good example of determining the distance and size of object before settling on a certain objective size. A 50mm isn't the best choice for antlers at 2 miles, at least not the ED50.
J
While this can be true, most of that kind of spotting is done from the truck or close to it. There is no shortage of hunters doing just that. I'm talking about a 3-4mile hike with a 1000 to 2000' of vertical mixed in. The type of hikes that most guys consider stupid then start hunting - spot and stalk style. This is what it takes to shoot a decent buck on 'open' hunts with any regularity. Every ounce counts when you put 3 or 4 days of that together. I have tried bigger spotters and from the truck they are awesome, but after the first day they get left in the truck. What I want is something compact yet good enough to be a useful piece of equipment. I don't expect any 50mm spotter to be brighter/better than an 80mm but the 80mm is useless because I will not carry it. I think the Nikon and Vortex 50mm spotters may be just right. Thanks for the opinions thus far.
