I’m not real sure where the op’s armpit of the Midwest is exactly, but if it is anywhere like where I hunt in northern WI. we can’t always see the forest for all the brush and trees in the area. All of my scopes are variables, but our deer here can show up fast and disappear just as fast and don’t always give a guy a classic broadside shot presentation. While sometimes I’ll have the time to dial up the power, I never have had the time to dial it back down. Given that, my variables are always set around 2 or 2.5 power for the big exit pupil diameter and wider fov. Many of the variable scopes marked 3.5 power on the low end are actually closer to 4x when you read the fine print. A smaller objective on the 2.5-8x36 gets it closer to the barrel in lower rings too. A variable 10x is on my western rifle, but not my WI. rifles.
