By Mike Deming

This question will illicit many different answers among a group of hunters.  If you live east of the Rockies and most of your time is spent in a tree stand, then you can probably easily answer this question with a no.   If you are out to experience the love of nature and you are just looking to fill your freezer with some tasty elk or venison, it is doubtful that you will want to spend the money or carry the extra weight.  However, if you spend most of your time in the west and putting a trophy on your wall is the main focus of time spent in the field, you must have a spotting scope with you at all times.

A spotting scope will allow you to reserve energy by looking at critters from a long distance without having to get in close to judge trophy quality.  When you are hunting at 10,000 feet, a two mile long hike could take you the better part of a day to determine that the animal you thought was a shooter has a broken main beam above the G-3 and isn’t worth your tag.  This expends a lot of energy and reduces your chance of success as the hunt goes on.  Having that spotting scope in your pack will reveal this issue from where you sit and reserve that energy for the time when you find Mr. Big with a full rack.

Figuring out the type of spotting scope that you would like to have is a daunting task in itself.  An afternoon trip to the gift bar at Sportsman’s Warehouse will confirm this.  Price, brands, objective diameter, angled or straight, field of view, low light capabilities, course and fine adjustments, size, and weight are just a few of the things that you need to take into consideration.  We have taken a look at some of the models available in Sportsman’s Warehouse during our summer scouting trips and here is what we have found.

Vortex Razor HD
This scope received very high marks in every aspect of the testing and I would put the performance of this product up against the most high end optics out there.  The Razor HD will cost you $1599.99 which made it the most expensive unit that we tested, but worth every penny.   The objective on this scope is 85mm and combined with the fully multi-coated lenses, it is a light gathering machine.   Maximum light gathering means more time in the field at prime time.  The large objective might pose a problem with getting it into some of the pockets on your pack, but is a tradeoff we are willing to take.   The bigger objective also makes the unit a little on the heavy side as well, weighing in at 65.7 ounces (4.1 pounds).  The edge to edge clarity even in low light conditions makes this scope tough to beat for the price.  One of the other great features is the course and fine adjustments which are extremely smooth and makes getting the exact focus simple.   We have one full year of experience in all different conditions with this exact scope to make evaluations from.  Quality in itself is enough to make you want this product, but the unlimited lifetime warranty makes this product truly a great value.  Regardless of what happens to your spotting scope, Vortex will repair or replace it at no charge to you.  There are no warranty cards to fill out, no receipts to verify, and no past ownership issues.

Carl Zeiss DiaScope 65FL

Carl Zeiss DiaScope 65FL
Zeiss has been around for as long as I can remember and longevity like that only comes with quality.  The DiaScope 65 definitely doesn’t disappoint and at a cost of $1299.99 and a reputation like that, how can you go wrong.  Although the scope only has a 65mm objective, it still drew in a great amount of light during the twilight hours.  The smaller barrel shaves off some weight.  It weighs 55 ounces (3.44 pounds) with the eyepiece.  The black rubberized armor coating makes this unit super durable with little or no glare in the field.  The LotuTec® lens coating sheds water and isn’t a marketing gimmick.  The water beads up and runs off of the lens unlike anything else tested.  The dual speed focus is another great feature on this unit.  Instead of having 2 separate knobs for course and fine adjustment, it is all built into one.  Rolling the knob fast to get you into a general focus and get you close and slowing down to fine tune the focus will get you a crisp clear picture.  There is no question that this is a great spotting scope for a great price with a great name behind them.

Alpen 788

Alpen 788
Alpen has been around since 1997 and consistently gets many awards for best value from major publication reviews like Outdoor Life and Field and Stream year after year.  So, it didn’t surprise us that we had a good piece of glass in our hands for only $449.99.  This scope has an 80mm objective lens and draws in a great amount of light.  The lenses are all fully multi-coated and clarity is excellent. At the highest powers in low light scenarios it tends to lose some clarity and we found that much over 40X wasn’t very useful.  The scope is a little bit large in size at a total length of 17”, but for the size the weight is very manageable.  It only weighs 56 ounces (3.5 pounds).  You will have a hard time fitting this scope in any pack pockets except the main compartment.  It comes with a small tripod and carrying case which is great for your bench shooting at the range, but I would recommend a larger tripod for your hunting experience.  However, it is a great addition for the price.   The center focus knob is extremely smooth and fine adjustments are easily achieved with only the one knob. I have one of these spotting scopes that never leaves the truck and has been in there for many years.  It has been beat up, kid tested, dropped, and still performs flawlessly. Overall, this is a great product at a great price.  If you aren’t sure that you want to drop a grand plus on a spotter, but would like to add one to your arsenal, this is a great place to start and it will provide you years of quality service.  Every product Alpen makes includes their no blame, no fault, lifetime warranty.

Leupold SX-1 Ventana

Leupold SX-1 Ventana
The gold ring of Leupold has long been recognized as a standard in optics.  Many of our special forces deployed abroad are carrying Leupold spotting scopes.  The SX-1 Ventana is another scope in that mid four hundred dollar range ($449.99) which provides some good quality at a great value.  It comes equipped with a black rubberized armor that is tough as nails and still looks brand new after several months of daily use during our testing.  The scope is on the large size at 17” in total length so it is going to take up a lot of room in your pack and it has an advertised weight of 37 ounces, but our test model is tipping the scale of our certified U.S. postal scale at 48 ounces (3 pounds even), which makes this the lightest of the large scopes.  The single center focus adjustment knob is extremely smooth and getting a good focus is very easy.  The power adjustment knob is on the stiff side and never loosened up over the entire testing period which requires you to tighten up your tripod prior to increasing or decreasing your zoom to stay on target.  The lenses are fully multi-coated making them extremely sharp with good clarity when lighting is good.  At extremely low light conditions, the upper range of zoom becomes distorted and clarity is compromised.  42X is about where the breakdown starts to occur.  This scope comes with a durable neoprene carry case, but with the armor coating, I didn’t use it except in transport in the vehicle.   This is another great scope that won’t break the bank and is well worth the money.

Minox MD50

Minox MD50
This little scope is in a league all by itself and even though I probably wouldn’t consider it as my primary spotting scope, I will guarantee that my next backcountry pack trip where weight is everything, my MD50 will have a spot.  This little dynamo is a must have for the backcountry hunter.  It is just a hair over 8 inches long and only weighs 23 ounces (1.44 pounds) which means that it will fit in almost any of the pockets in your pack.  The magnification goes from 15x to 30x according to the eyepiece, but the manual says 16x to 30x.   The lower end of this unit is very good, but as you get above 22 power, the clarity drops off a little out at the edges.   This is a trade off I am willing to accept to save a few extra pounds. The focus adjustment goes around the barrel of the scope itself and the power adjustment is around the eye piece.  Everything on this little scope is very handy.  The 50 mm objective doesn’t provide for great light gathering at super low light, but once again it is worth the tradeoff to save some weight.  At 15X I can use it quickly without the aid of a tripod.   The scope will cost you $209.99 and is a great asset to your arsenal for trophy backcountry hunting.

During all of our testing, we compared each of these scopes to a Swarovski HD 20-60X80.  This model seems to be the most recognized when talking about optics and is surely a top of the line product and a good base line for comparison.  We know that everyone can’t afford the price tag on some of these higher end optics, which will surely satisfy all your spotting scope needs, but we have provided some hard core tested products at different price levels to get you on the right track.  Each of these products in our test have made many weekly trips to our summer scouting areas and some of them have been used by our prostaff for years.  Some of these great optics will be given away during our “Great Forum Giveaway”, so, if you aren’t registered for our forum, please log onto www.sportsmansnews.com and register for your chance to win.

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