Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Spotting Scope for Sheep Hunting?

I took my cheap Bushnell spotting scope on a Dall Sheep hunt a few years ago. It didn't work very well. The focus adjustment was <B>so</B> sensitive! I never did get the feeling I had it focused right. Plus it didn't seem to have enough magnification. <P>Anybody got any suggestions! I was thinking about the Leupold variable scope.<P> <P>Thanks! <P>Oh yea, what about the angled eye pieces?<P>------------------<BR>Brian<BR><A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/bw_99835/" TARGET=_blank>The 416 Taylor WebPage!</A>

I am thinking hard about the little tripler that Zeiss just started making for their 10x40 binoculars.<P>Gives a very narrow field of view, which means it should be good for picking out detail in minimal light conditions. It weighs next to nothing, and face it, dall sheep hunting does not require a lot of time behind the scope trying to find critters, just the final check to decide if it is worth getting closer.<P>Swarovski is making a doubler for theirs, but they have (to my eyes at least) a much wider field of view, therefore light is used over a much larger area. If you do not have light to spare that could make it hard to use.<P>I have, use, and have used, a number of different scopes on sheep hunts for years, and the weight to use ratio has always left me wanting something better.<BR>art

Sitka Deer,<P>Thanks for the suggestion! I haven't been checking out some of the fancier names in optics, and hadn't heard of the tripler thing. I'll check it out.<P>BTW, I lived on Kodiak from '92 thru '98. Yes, I'm Coast Guard. We live in Sitka now. I'd like to hear more about your lil'40 foot boat , and your charter company. I recall the "Ten Bears" and seems like one other charter boat.<P>Thanks Again!<P>------------------<BR>Brian<BR><A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/bw_99835/" TARGET=_blank>The 416 Taylor WebPage!</A>

BW<P>You might want to wait a month or two as Kowa is coming out with a new 66mm spotting scope that is going to be waterproof and weigh less than 2lbs . If you have ever used their spotting scopes , you know that they are one of the very best . Most bench rest shooters use Kowa but the big drawback for the hunter was weight and not watertight . Apparently they will now have a scope designed , I think , mostly for bird watchers but should work great for us . I plan on buying one as soon as they become avaiable . The Nikon Field scope IV is also ecxellent and waterproof but weighs too much . Hope this helps<P>Sitka deer<BR>I had the Swarovski doubler and it worked pretty good for certain situations but absolutely , positively , was NOT the answer to replacing a spotting scope ( used it on a pair of the new 10X42 EL's) . If I had thought about it more , I would have realized that a 20 power eyepiece looking through a 40mm objective was NOT going to cut it !!! In bright daylight and some situations , it was really good but did not do what a spotting scope will do . I am getting old and lazy and was looking for the "easy" way and to lighten my pack but it wasn't the solution . Ask Chris @SWFA about the doublers ( and worse , the triplers ) and I think he will tell you the same thing . <BR>bounty-hunter<BR>

My point on the Zeiss tripler is the sacrifice made was field of view, exactly the right place, IMHO. Looking into a dark corner from about 50 yards with both the Z 3x and the S 2x told me the S was a mistake. The Zeiss was usable. <P>For dall sheep hunting you are either looking to distinguish legal rams, or big boys. In either case you do not need a lot of long range detail, just enough to tell you whether you must get closer. Trying to decide anything beyond that, at distance, I consider a waste of time.<P>BTW Part of the reason why I do not need it for sheep hunting is the fact that I would have taken a good close 2-eyed look at all the rams on the mountain, from an airplane before hand. I'm then just looking for the one I have already located.<P>BW: My boat is the Emerald Rose. There are a number of boats there, and some very good ones. Ten Bears is near the top of the list as a boat, but horrible for satisfying people needs. They have very few hunters return for a second trip, and it is not the boat's fault.<P>Among others, 3 Bears, the Shaik, U-Rascal are all good boats, good captains, in the bigger size.<BR>art

BW,<BR>The B&L Elite or Nikon XL are great for what you are doing. The B&L is very rugged and dependable, in fact its currently used by U.S. elite special forces (pretty good endorsement). As Bounty-Hunter mentioned the new Kowa is another excellent choice and very light weight. As far as the doubler and triplers go, they are very handy but no substite for a spotter as Bounty also pointed out. The doubler works good for those things you see with your binoculars but can't quite tell what it is, like a bush that you would bet money is a monster mule deer or those rocks that look just like a sheep. Its a lot faster to pop on the doubler and take a closer look than it is to unpack and set up the spotter. But for really judging something or just sitting up on the hill covering alot of area you can't beat a good spotter.<P>------------------<BR><A HREF="http://www.RifleScopes.com" TARGET=_blank>RifleScopes.com</A> <BR>SWFA, Inc.<BR>CF

For sheep hunting here in AK I use the<BR>B&L 15 X 45 Scope it is (light) and very<BR>clear. I can tell good rams from marignal<BR>ones at extreme distance. Weight is the <BR>most important factor in sheep hunting.<BR>I hunt alone somtimes and must keep weight<BR>under 40# to have a succesful hunt.<BR>It is also very streamlined and packs well.

Another vote here for the B&L Elite 15-45. I've used one for several years for mountain hunting, all by backpack. For the price, you can't beat the optics and light weight. The only drawback to it is the need to refocus when you change power, but I don't think you'll find a scope that remians focused throughout the power range for anywhere close to the price of the B&L.

I used the Redfield version of the B&L Design. The Redfield did not have the phase corrected prism like the B&L and it showed. It was great at the lowest range but became really soft at the highest. Went to an older used fixed 20x60 Celestron with ED glass. Very nice! I've looked through the Kowa's and they are hands down the best I've seen, but I haven't seen the Zeiss and Swarovski's. My Celestron is the same design as the fixed Leupolds (even has the gold ring!) except with the ED glass. <BR>The birder boys like the Leupold variable for a compact scope btw. <BR>Don't be afraid to throw your binoculars on a tripod. You'll be surprised how much better you can see with them on a tripod. We were getting too much mirage across a big valley in Colorado this year and my big Fuji 7x50's on the tripod were stunning!

Read my post and it sounds like I didn't like the B&L design. The B&L Elite is an awesome scope. The phase corrected prism and bigger objective really make it great. Checked one out in a local shop. I found the design to be ideal for carrying in the field. Just didn't feel like spending the dough needed to buy one. Seems to me there are two choices in objective size? Always take the bigger one. I had it in a soft case in a side pocket of my daypack. Got both the scope and small tripod in that pocket. Good luck, you'll be glad you got a good one.