Binocs Vs Spotting Scope

[Jucebox]

Hey Ladies and Gents

I was just curious (Been watching Meat Eater a lot lately) And the host has just a tripod for his binos, where as a bunch of his guests/buddies run a spotting scope and tripod. Usually I stalk and pursue (White Tail mostly) and run an adorable set of barsakas around my neck, and I got curious about spotting scopes. So, what your guys' take on them vs just a set of binoculars

[BobMarliesDonkey]

On his podcast, Rinella said that he feels a tripod increases the effectiveness of binoculars as no one can ever hold perfectly steady and any movement of the binos can mask movement of critters you are trying to spot. I'm pretty sure he also runs a spotting scope as well for a lot of hunts.

I'm also a big Rinella/Meat Eater fan. The podcasts are definitely worth a listen IMO - and as a bonus he just started releasing them weekly.

I'll edit this to actually answer your question: Rinella hunts a lot of open country and looks for big, wide views where sitting with a tripod makes sense. I personally find that chasing whitetails in Northern Alberta, spotting scopes are decent for scouting ag fields but on public land up here where the bush is thick they would be over kill 99.9 per cent of the time. I think it mostly depends on where you hunt.

I'm sure people with more experience will chime in with better advice but that's my .02

[Nyksta]

Originally Posted by Jucebox

Hey Ladies and Gents

I was just curious (Been watching Meat Eater a lot lately) And the host has just a tripod for his binos, where as a bunch of his guests/buddies run a spotting scope and tripod. Usually I stalk and pursue (White Tail mostly) and run an adorable set of barsakas around my neck, and I got curious about spotting scopes. So, what your guys' take on them vs just a set of binoculars

He uses both. He glasses large areas with his binocs so that he can use both his eyes and the larger field of view to take in as much info as possible noticing any movement or slight detail of any animals. If he finds something he then wants to examine, he puts on his high detail narrow field of viee spotting scope to take in better information about the object.

Both have their uses. Binoculars are the first step, and sometimes the final step for hunters. A spotting scope used for scanning would be a lot of eye strain on the one eye if used for hours of scanning.

[calgarychef]

I've got some really big steinersl can't remember the size offhand but they're huge. One of the best things for spotting game, I can clearly see elk horns way before the sun gets up and I can see game miles away.

[Jayhad]

I use my nockers on a tripod, and when I want a better look I pull out the spotter, just as Rinella; Your eyes will thank you for using the nockers more.

[Jjolg123]

Originally Posted by Jayhad

I use my nockers on a tripod, and when I want a better look I pull out the spotter, just as Rinella; Your eyes will thank you for using the nockers more.

When you typed this i automatically here Rinella's voice in my head saying it lol.

As stated above, he will use both. After hearing him and Janis on his podcasts discuss it, i tried it and haven't looked back since. I find that its not only alot more clear but can sit much more comfortably and glass longer.

[Twobucks]

Where I hunt (mostly mountains) spotting scope is for getting a better look at something that looks kinda funny but you can't quite make it out. Most of the time my 10x42 razors do the work.

[Hammerhead]

I would invest in a good set of binoculars before you get a spotting scope. I would say you're more than likely going to get way more use out of them. You can spot way more with clear high density glass. On probably 80% of my hunts the spotting scope stays at home. You need to figure out where you hunt and make that determination for yourself. The only time I found my spotting scope very handy was when I was hunting elk down south.
I hope that helps.

[Pekan]

In open country I use my binos resting on a hiking pole. I find that works fairly well. I only get out the scope when theres something I cant quite make out, or to photo an animal thru the scope. Its good to have both but binos i use much more.
Plus I get eye fatigue from scopes.

invest in the binos first

[doughgoat]

What tripod does everyone use for bino's, and what attachment do you need? Vortex Diamondback if that matters.

[Pekan]

Originally Posted by doughgoat

What tripod does everyone use for bino's, and what attachment do you need? Vortex Diamondback if that matters.

I got a bino adapter from London drugs for $25.
there's a threaded opening in the front of the binos hinge, under the vortex logo.

Will attach to any tripod.

[Hammerhead]

I use a Vanguard Alta tripod. The head on it has a handle on it to pan. I prefer this over a ball head because find I can make finer, slower adjustments if I don't have my hand on the binos/spotting scope. I also use a leupold bino adapter, but I have Leupold binos... Vortex makes their own adapter.
It really depends on what you're using it for and how much you're willing to spend. For me the Vanguard was a nice compromise because it wasn't terribly expensive and still good quality. If you don't care about the cost Manfrotto makes some really nice carbon fiber tripods that are super light... but also super expensive.
https://www.vortexcanada.net/en/hunt...tripod-adaptor
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...r_UaAkHK8P8HAQ

[Hfp1422]

Do a search on Amazon for their amazonbasics carbon fibre tripod.

You can swap out the ball head if you want. But the whole thing is just over 2 lbs. I got it on sale for like $80...