Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Best Optics For Big Woods And Running Game

I have been hunting dark swamps, and palmetto thickets in Florida and Georgia for better than 50 years now.
I favor a low fixed power scope, with a low power variable a close second.
I don't often get a shot more than about 35 or 40 yards, and a 2X works well.
Those darn little Pentax 1.75-5X scopes that Doug sells are ideal.

Big wood, running game, sounds like driven hunt condition. In that situation, around here the Swarovski 1,25-4x and the new 1-6x, especially with an IR, would please many of the hunters I know as scope users on running game.

I believe an aimpoint would be a very good choice too.

I agree with grand veneur.

I grew up hunting northen WI and MN And was very fond of the Weaver K-2.5 as I get older I'm finding that 1x4x20mm will get the job done from coyotes to deer. I have a little Savage 99 in 375 Win that wears a Weaver K-1.5 in a Weaver Pivot mount that is my goto rig for the black marshes of Northern MN. I like the Weaver V-3.



This is my 6x45mm Leupold VX-II 1x4x20. A coyote busting out of the sage at 20 yrds make the 1X a great option.



erich

The King..... Swarovski Z6 or Z6i (illuminated) 1-6x24mm with exteneded eye-relief (4.74") with a field of view of 100+ feet at 100 yards. A circle-dot reticle either plain or illuminated and your good to go in any woods.


Want a little more magnification the Swarovski Z6 or Z6i 1.7-10x42mm with a variety of reticles.

Not inexpensive but then the best never is.

Elitist statement - not true at that.

16$ Butcher knives Victorinox have proven "the best" utility knives in my hunting and guiding in Ger and Ak. No need for any 400 $ handmade shine custom integral hand crafted mouth blown foot ground...

Just one example. To each their own. Goes for judgement as well.

In continental Europe, where drive hunting with hounds is the norm, light, small powered scopes with large FOV are the most effective for running shots. My personal battery consist of these :


Fair weather rifle : FN-Browning O/U in 9,3x74R + Swarovski 1,25-4x24 in S�hler claw mounts.


Foul weather rifle : Blaser R93 in 9,3x62 + Swarovski 1,25-4x24 w/lighted reticle.


Lend out rifle : K98 "Scout" in 9,3x62 + Leupold 2X EER & Ching sling.

In most situations, I set the scope on 2X and shoot with both eyes open (very efficient from 5 to 75 m). Only when posted in a clearing where long shots are expected, do I increase power to 3 or 4X.

Rem. 7600 .308 with Weaver 2.5 K in Leupold STD Mount.

Inexpensive, Reliable, Fast.

Hard to imagine a more suitable set up for drive hunting - safe for a Merkel SR 1 with Aimpoint Micro H1.

US Optics 1.5-6X32 w/Illuminated reticle.

To cmg:

Is your gear common/typical in Germany ?

I would be pleased to learn more about your experience using the .308 Win during dirven hunts.

GV,

my gear is not so much typical. .308 with 165 gr. TSX is my load in that rifle. Works quite well for manning a stand. Got hooked up with that rifle by buying it for my lefthanded brother to use. Got to like it myself.

I admit, .308 /165gr TSX is my personal lower confidence level for caliber/bullet weight/construction, but this combination, if I do my part, I have complete confidence in. The areas we hunt have red deer. wild boar, fallow deer, roe deer and mufflon.

Do you use it from static position or at short range among the beaters ?

Like I said, for manning a stand. Static position, in your words.

Thanks for your answers.

Most welcome. Aimpoint sights, used with both eyes open, work well, too, as you have mentioned before.

All the best.

I use to use the docter sight 2+ (low mount) holo sight during driven hunts. I would say it is perfect for shots up to 60-70 yards. Very quick aiming and large field of view.

Surprised it took someone so long to suggest a Leupold Scout Scope! I've not yet tried one in hunting situation but hope to this coming year.

I've farted around with red dots for hunting because I use one at work on a Colt 6933. But in LE we can use a white light! My experience in thick Tennessee woods is that in the dawn and dusk and very overcast days the green tint on the Aimpoints makes it hard for me to see deer.

In open areas with ample daylight or close with white lights, Aimpoints are the heat for getting on target fast. Aimpoints are very popular with the military serving in SW Asia for that reason. Those who need to hit bad guys in lowlight at distance or have better target discrimination (say a bearded face surrounding itself with kids and women) at any range still use a magnified optic, and 3X magnifiers have come into vogue on many M4s, too.

I currently run a CompML2 on my 6933, but my personal car-quiver also has a mid-range 16-in. precision AR with a Leupold 1.5-5X & Aimpoint T1 piggybacked at the 2 o'clock for extreme close range. Tilt and squirt.

Something like that latter set up might be the heat for a treestand/still hunting rifle with say a 4x or 6X scope with HD reticle for the stand & threading bullets through branches and a T1 or Doc Optic for deer moving quickly at close range...on well lit days.

I have a friend who has a 4x scope in a Weaver flip mount on a Remington 141 .35. Works real well in the woods for him.

Except for the complete lack of cheekweld, maybe those dudes using Ironsighter scope mounts are onto something?

For those who can afford it, the Schmidt & Bender 1.1-4X CQB Short Dots may be THE answer for most hunting and "tactical" usage.
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My pick would be a 2 x 7 x 40 Leupold, for using in the hardwoods of my state while hunting, need more power just turn up the magnification to 6 or 7 power.

I think Leupold has the best bang for the buck and warranty is tops. I have a couple of these rifle scopes with heavy reticules atope hunting rifles. They are very versatile to cover a large selection of hunting needs with a rifle.