Spotting scope for Alaska caribou?
Contributors to this thread:Caribou
From: Jasper
20-Jul-20
Going on my first caribou hunt in Alaska in 21. Researching packs and boots and a few others things I need but what about a scope and tripod? Will my 10x40 Nikon binocs be enough or is a spotting scope worth the weight? It would be nice to have it for self videoing. Thanks much! John
From: wildwilderness
20-Jul-20
I would put the money into a real nice pair of binoculars first.......
From: trakman
20-Jul-20
All i ever tack are good binocs
From: Bou'bound
20-Jul-20
Binos
From: wildwilderness
20-Jul-20
FYI good binos will cost over $1000, sometimes much more!
No they don't make a Trekking Pole tripod? Sounds like there is a thing or two you need to learn about optics. But at least you are getting out there.
From: Eric Vaillancourt
20-Jul-20
Good binos
From: Nick Muche
20-Jul-20
They do make a tripod that can be used as trekking poles, Spartan Precision Equipment makes one and it's surprisingly nice. A friend used one last year on one of our hunts and it worked great.
I'd get a real nice pair of Bino's and forgo the spotter if going guided. Or buy nice ones of both!
From: Nick Muche
20-Jul-20
Nick Muche's Link
From: LKH
20-Jul-20
Hunted the Haul Road about 15 years when I still lived there. We used spotting scopes with window mounts on the pickups almost constantly. My father-in-law killed a PnY caribou that was bedded about 300 yards off the road. They were in scattered willows and many rigs had driven past them when we spotted the antlers with our scopes from about a mile away. He had quad bypass the previous year and was 80. Used a longbow.
We often found bou a long ways off the road that binos would miss.
It depends on how you are hunting and while you don't need them, they are very useful.
From: Nick Muche
20-Jul-20
For the Haul Rd, or any DIY caribou hunt, I'd never go without a spotting scope.
From: TEmbry
20-Jul-20
I love having a spotter along but agree nice binos are more important if choosing between the two
From: Jasper
20-Jul-20
Thanks Nick and everyone! Sounds like my best best is a bino upgrade.
From: Medicinemann
20-Jul-20
Jasper, PM sent
