MuleyMadness Hunting Forums

I'm looking at purchasing a spotting scope in the near future and wanted to ask for pro's/con's and just general opinions. I've narrowed my field down to Nikon EDIII fieldscope 60mm 20X-60X and Nikon ED50 15X30. The application would primarily be for backpack hunting high country mule deer. So right out the gate this is where my concern is: the EDIII weighs twice as much, is bulkier, and sports a heftier price tag. Is the larger objective and more powerful zoom worth the initial con's? Please feel free to give your opinion/elaborate/share you experience. Thanks in advance. R/bryan

I would prefer the lower power. I tend hunt terrain with some thicker aspens & pines and not a lot of open spaces. Lower power would work better for my particular application. But, if you're into the apline bowls and basins where it's considerably more open I could see where greater magnification would be great to have. I guess it depends on what types of areas you'll be hunting.
I have a 25x-75x and RARELY ever take it off 25x and I'd love to have the fexibility to go below that because of the thicker country I frequent.

I would go with the biggest objective spotting scope you can still backpack. The advantage is greater brightness and resolution at any power. I use a Pentax pf 65 ED2. Another option is the 65mm Vortex Viper HD.

Just my opinion but I would stay as light as possible. As the scope gets heavier they are less likely to be in your pack when you really need it.