So just wandering how far do you all glass for game. I know that if an animal is out in the open with 10x binos you might be able to see them at 3 miles ish is my guess. I personaly try not to go to places that i can see more then two just so i spend more time on the places nearer to me and have found game that far. But its also if you can see them in the brush when there partly hidden ....so thats my question
how far to glass?
- Thread starter Squirrel tail
- Start date
In the mornings ill glass as far as my spotter will let me. In the evenings I rely on the binos. Typically if I can find em in the evening with a couple hours of light I can close the distance before dark. But with the spotter it will really mislead you on how far the game is. Im good at judging up to 300 yards or so with my eyeballs as a rangefinder. But behind the spotter 2 miles can quickly turn to four/five and I end up racing the sun.
Grantbvfd
Active Member
This is a very generic question. It has many factors that have to be considered. I have glassed 2-3 miles away and I have glassed 200 yards away. It all depends on the terrain and size of the area. I use a combo of spotter as well as 10x binos on and off the tripod. Too many guys try and glass miles away without thoroughly glassing the closer areas. However you glass make sure you pick an area completely apart. Any experienced hunter knows how it feels to blow an animals out of an area because they didn't thoroughly glass thay area. Patience is key.
ya i did forget to put in about what you use to glass ....so how about a a spotter and binoculars in the 8-12x range ...i like 12x myself i dont find many people use 12 power heaver but things look closer
Grantbvfd
Active Member
8-12x is a pretty broad range. 8 power Is going to seem a lot less shaky than 12x. 12x binos on a tripod are a very useful tool. Same with 15x. It all depends what you need for the country you hunt in. Lots of variables to consider. Are you packing in? Do you bring a tripod? Do you have plan on using a tripod. With 8x binos and nothing else distance glassing is going to be tough. I have hunted country where 8x binos was all I needed though. As I said before lots of variables.
Montana
Veteran member
Fun question.. My very first rule of thumb is to get as high as i can. From there, I try my hardest to set up with a 500 yd immediate shooting area. Then I'll choose my focus area. Typically within a mile. Then everything else I will only glass for "fun", giving my eyes a break or my mind a rest.
In my experience, most successful times for glassing is the morning and evening. During that time , the sun/light changes so many things so often having too large of an area can hurt you.
Fun post... over the years glassing has become my favorite part of the hunt.
In my experience, most successful times for glassing is the morning and evening. During that time , the sun/light changes so many things so often having too large of an area can hurt you.
Fun post... over the years glassing has become my favorite part of the hunt.
I also enjoy glassing. It is very relaxing to me and is a huge part of the hunt. I start with my binos first and pick apart everything from where I'm sitting out to a mile or so. Then I use the spotter out to as far as I can clearly see. Then I work backwards going from the farthest with the spotter back to the binos and back to where I'm sitting. It may take me an hr to do this once depending on how much country I can see. Then I repeat, picking out points of interest to concentrate on. A deep canyon, a group of trees, spring and so on. I will consistently re look at the same area over and over again. With each time I look at it I will slow down and look at the base of every tree, bush, bolder so by the time I'm done glassing I know I haven't missed anything that would be out in the open or even bedded in the shadows. Again this can take hrs but when I'm done glassing that area and I move to a new spot I want to be as sure as I can that I won't spook a big buck or bull cause I didn't see him.
Old Hunter
Banned
Just to be different. I find no need to glass, so I don't do it. Something else I don't need to carry, and look at the money I save by not buying binos and scopes.
Don't hate me.
Don't hate me.
Timberstalker
Veteran member
I'm kinda like Old Hunter. I've never owned a spottng scope. I use bino's when scouting, but don't always carry them when hunting. I did use glass when I went sheep hunting though. I borrowed a Spotting scope from a friend, but I used my 10x bino's for spotting. I used the scope to verify. Ihad a tough time trying to use the spotting scope for glassing. I would glass one canoyn for 5-6 hrs then move on, It was hard to sit that long, but I knew there were sheep there, they just had to be in the right spot to see them. The funny thing is, the ram I shot, I spotted with my naked eye at over a mile away.
Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
I don't hate ya at all. I just wish more hunters didn't glass
I am a serious glasser, my earliest hunts were with guys who would sit on a high point and glass for hours, and I fell in love with it. For me it's a huge part of the hunt and can spend all day glassing and have a lot of fun doing it.
Funny thing is when I look at the last four years of hunting. Last year 2012, my wife and I took 6 animals (4 antelope, 1 sheep, 1 mule deer) and all were spotted with our naked eyes. In 2011 I took two mule deer and a 6 point Roosevelt bull, and all three were spotted with my naked eyes. In 2010 we took a mule deer and two antelope, only one antelope was spotted by glassing. In 2009 I took a sheep and a big blacktail buck, and the sheep was located by glassing.
So out of our last 14 animals only 2 were located by glassing....hmmmm a lot less than I expected. I guess one was to look at it is we are about 17% more successful by glassing.
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Old Hunter
Banned
It's not that I have eagle eyes. Just the opposite actually. As some of you know I still hunt the timber. Some hunters will use low power binos for still hunting, but over the years ive gotten pretty good at spotting parts of game showing behind tress, rocks etc. with my eyes only.
So, i'm always in iron sight range. If I can't spot the game with my eyes. I sure can't hit it with iron sights.
Sorry, to be off topic. I just thought i'd mention the other side of glassing.
So, i'm always in iron sight range. If I can't spot the game with my eyes. I sure can't hit it with iron sights.
Sorry, to be off topic. I just thought i'd mention the other side of glassing.
I think it depends on the terrain. I can easily find bucks at a mile out or more with binocs or even naked eye but what you need the glass for is to field judge that buck at a mile or more to decide if he is big enough to take the hike. Where we hunt it may only be a mile so as the crow flies but when you hike up and down the canyons to get to the buck its much more.
Timberstalker
Veteran member
Terrain/location is definatly what it depends on. In Oregon If you can see the rack from a mile away with bino's, it's worth going after, there's not alot of field judging going on here!
Eric Bailey
Member
I'm enjoying reading the book you mentioned - "The Still Hunter." I think it is going to come in very handy for muzzy hunting this fall. I can tell that your perspectives are not that different from the author's. I ran across these sentences and thought of this thread: "A good glass is a great help in a large open country; but you must not allow yourself to depend on it, and should use it only when you have to. In timber it will generally be of little use, though if you must carry a lot of things it will do no harm and may be useful." I thought that was pretty funny - "though if you must carry a lot of things it will do no harm..."
Old Hunter
Banned
Some things are stuck way back in our minds, and we forget where we got them. Then again, my dad never used binos, so i'm sure it came from there too.
Fatrascal
Member
I use my optics to glass everything and as far as possible as well as close. Sure, you may not be able to get to a big ole muley in the same day you spotted him but tomorrow is another day. I'm looking for big animals no matter how far away they are and I'm gonna try and do what it takes to get to him. Finding him is half the battle and optics are the tool to find them. fatrascal.
Old Hunter
Banned
More hiking, and less glassing might make you skinnyrascal.
Just kidding. I'm the forum clown. Welcome to the forum.
Just kidding. I'm the forum clown. Welcome to the forum.
Ooh fatrascal is about 6' of legs and is a hiking machine! Welcome to eastmans drew!