New Mexcio glassing options help

[jadkins223]

Headed to new Mexcio for a southern area archery hunt by myself in 2 weeks.

Need some glassing input.

I’ve got the sig Zulu 16x42s and they were great on my hunt last year. I had my buddy’s large vortex spotter and tripod setup but found nearly all my elk with the sigs.

Im still learning elk hunting and how to glass for that matter.

Where im going will require lots of glassing and I’m debating also taking my Leupold 10x42s and getting a budget tripod off Amazon. Buddys spotter setup isn’t an option this year.

Was going to just take my sigs but wanted the groups thoughts if a cheap tripod / bino adapter is worth it for me and also take the Leupold binos?

Hoping to be light and mobile as well. Was planning to run the sigs and trekking pole setup only. 2nd guessing myself now.

 

[Burn Pile]

What distances are you planning to glass? And open or tight vegetation?

For me finding things past 500-600yds gets harder with my 8s and I go over to 12s on a tripod. If I was doing it I would go for some stabilization for the 16s preferably a tripod to locate and identify past 600-700yds. Then tuck those into the pack and run the 10s in a chest rig to keep an eye on things as you're closing the distance. But if you like using the sigs free hand with built in image stabilization then a tripod will help for the 10s if you are at shorter to moderate distances and using it to grid out tree cover. Where it would be hard to free hand and pick up details and to have a wide enough filed of view to not get lost.

I would defiantly have the 10s in a chest rig to pull out and peek thru as you move in. Quick to pull and quick to find target with the wider field of view. 16 is too much magnification for that happen smoothly. But cheap tripods tend to be heavy which will work against you that much more if you carry it around the whole time.

 

[Caseknife]

What is your end goal for elk on the ground, any elk or best that you can find? If you are new to elk hunting, suspect any legal elk. Elk are big and easily spotted. I would go with the 10x42's around your neck and the Sigs in the pack sans tripod and just use your trekking poles while sitting for a while.

 

[SAJ-99]

Go with what worked last time. You won’t miss the spotter and will be happy without the weight.

 

[Wyoming270]

I pack optics all over wyoming. This might not be the option you like but it has paid dividends for me:

For the size, coat and weight, ditch the zulus and get a pair of vortex fury hd 10x42. The glass is significantly better, they have an excellent 5,000 yard laser that is incredible for finding where the animals you glass are, and from a trippd they are much more stable than the zulu. Handheld or tripod the vortex will always be faster to acquire target not waiting for the drunken stagger of the zulu to level out. Ive used both extensively.

Get a pair of vortex kaibabs. i like the first gen 15x because they are managable without a tripod. I typically do use the tripod. The current production 18x are also great. I have no issue seeing the horns on a ram at over a mile with them on the tripod. To spot elk im over 5 miles. Pros over a spotting scope are lighter, much more compact, huge field of view, very bright image in both eyes. Those last two make a night and day difference finding elk 2 miles away at first light. I sold a viper hd 20-60x80 spotting scope over these. I dont miss the zoom one bit. a wide, clear, bright, image beats narrow, dull zoom every time for finding animals.

For a $300 tripod set up you wont beat: vortex high country aluminum tripod and vortex pro bino adapter. permanently mount a tiny $20 stud to each bino, a one handed 3 second affair to pop them on and off the tripod. locks em on ther rock solid.

For just under 2k on the used market, thats how you can put together a 8.5 lb system that will let you do anything you need too and carries easily.