The Importance of Great Optics

I wrote a post about my recent elk hunt and in it I talked about one of my most prized possessions, my " Leupold Mark IV " rifle scope. It's a truly remarkable rifle scope.  The clarity and its ability to function in low light situations is unmatched in scopes in this price range.  I could not recommend it more.  I wanted to expand on the other optics I use on a typical hunt.

For years I've been using a set of Nikon Monarch 8X42 binoculars.  The ability to get glass on animals quickly is something not everyone talks about.  I rarely hunt by myself.  Usually I'm with two or three other friends.  Generally, one of us is the "shooter" while the other two are glassing.  The field of view of the Monarchs has been invaluable.  They help us put horns on deer and elk.  They also help determine if the black roundness we're seeing in the brush is a bear or Black Angus calf.  Their utility in any situation is excellent.  From pulling over the pick-up to see if it's a coyote in the sage brush, to hiking the dry hillsides, the Nikons have proven their worth over and over again.

Once the confidence is high that the animal we've spotted through the binoculars has antlers or is what we're looking for in the case of a bear, we pullout the spotting scopes.  For several reasons, we have all gravitated to the "Leupold 12X40 Gold Ring Spotting Scope. I know I sound like a Leupold Homer here, but I've looked through a lot of spotting scopes over the years, there are more expensive spotting scopes out there.  There are scopes with more magnification.  There are scopes that perform better in low light situations.  However, for the price, the weight, and how compact this spotting scope it, it's tough to beat.  I purchased the "Gold Ring Kit" which included a tripod (more on this in another post), a window mount, and adapters for the various lenses of my "Nikon D5200" DSLR.  

Here's an example of a photo I took with the DSLR connected to the spotting scope via the adapter (wind was blowing about 15mph):

I have no idea how far away these elk were, between 900 and 1100 yards if I remember correctly.  You're looking at a picture from a mid-range DSLR through a 55-300mm zoom, connected via an adapter to the Leupold spotting scope.  From early morning to late evening, this spotting scope has the chops to distinguish between the animals you want to stalk and the ones you want to let get a couple more years on them before you try to get them on your table.

My most recent purchase is a PhoneSkope which connects my iPhone 6 to my spotting scope.  It consists of of two pieces.  As an aside, do yourself a favor and go follow their Instagram page.

PhoneSkope is a company based in Utah.  Their website is easy to use and guides you to the right product for your particular equipment.  Have an iPhone 5 and a Vortex Spotting scope?  No problem, just select your gear and the website gets you to the right product for your set-up.  The customer service is also very good.  The phone cover fits very tight and mates to the spotting scope by spinning three dogs into the proper position under the milled aluminum adapter.  Although I'll never be able to replicate the quality of my DSLR with a ridiculously expensive zoom lens, for the money and compactness, I'm not sure you could have a better camera set-up for the price.

In closing, consider your optics carefully for your outdoor activities.