7 Tips for Using Spotting Scopes for Hunting

Aaron Spuler is a firearms enthusiast and recreational shooter. Follow more or his work at The Weapon Blog

There is no doubt that a spotting scope is a great tool for the hunter and can do things that no other tool can do. But to get the most out of a scope, it has to be used correctly. Check out these tips to improve your spotting scope game from the ground up.

Get the Right Scope

There are a lot of variables to consider with spotting scopes and getting the right one can be fairly complicated. You need to match it to yourself, your environment, your intended use, and any other tools you may use in conjunction with your scope like a camera for digiscoping.

Selecting a good spotting scope can be tricky, be sure to consider things like the power of the scope that would work best, whether you need a straight or angled scope, and reticle selection before you make a purchase.

It’s Just One Tool in the Tool Box

A spotting scope does a great job at being able to pick out details of a far off target and can even be used to locate targets in a pinch. Some even have ranging reticles so you can determine distance. But a spotting scope is not the best at all of these tasks.

Having a good set of binoculars will make finding targets easier which you can then use the spotting scope to discern the details. Or if you see a place with the binoculars that is smaller but looks promising, you can use it to scan small areas. Scanning with a spotting scope, especially a powerful one, is difficult.

Adding a good rangefinder can also be helpful. Most spotting scopes lack a ranging reticle and those that do take a lot of practice to get good with. A rangefinder is poor at seeing distant details but great for finding range for a shot.

Make it Stable

Trying to use a very powerful rangefinder by hand is a great way to get a bad headache. Besides, with a 50x rangefinder even a little wobble will make it impossible to see detail. Always use a tripod to stabilize your scope.

You will have to match your tripod to your optic but generally the shorter the better. A full height tripod is often very difficult to use without shaking. A preference would be a tripod you can use comfortably when sitting.

Use your Magnification Dial

Most scopes have variable magnification. This works in your favor. You can use lower magnification for scanning and then go to full power once you have found what you are looking for. This is a great method if you don’t use binoculars for scanning.

You can also go to lower powered magnification to beat some atmospheric issues should you need to.

Working with Mother Nature

Piggybacking off several previous points. You should always pick a site to place your scope that is level so you can get the right alignment to the scope and to help keep it stable on its tripod. You don’t want to be bending over a scope and trying to scan all day.

You also need to account for glare and mirage. Mirage can be best mitigated by zooming out a little. At its worst, you won’t even be able to see your targets through the scope much less pick out any details.

For glare, use a sunshade if you have one. If not, I have often used a hunting jacked draped over the scope just enough to stick out over the lens. This has the added benefit of increasing the stability of the scope on its tripod by adding weight.

Bigger isn’t Always Better

Too many people buy optics solely on their power but a bigger scope has a lot of limitations. For one, they are far heavier and harder to transport than a smaller scope. They are also harder to set up, have more issues with mirage and glare, and cause more eye strain.

Sometimes the best scope is a handheld 20x or 30x scope rather than a huge 50x model. A spotting scope won’t help you at all if you leave it at home.

Don’t Overdo It

If you want to experience how bad a headache can be, spend too much time on your scope. In addition to blinding head pain, it can also cause eye strain that lasts for days. I try to limit my use as much as possible, often only using the scope for a couple of minutes at a time and then going back to my binoculars.

If you can’t do that, a good rule of thumb is to rest for half as long as you look through the scope. Probably no more than 10 minutes with the scope and a 5 minute rest. Even then I would limit it to just a few repetitions of that and then rest for an extended time.