15-45x65 vs 20-60x85 spotting scope??

[skerk]

Picked up an Athlon Ares 15-45 spotter which is awesome but kinda wondering if I'll regret not having a 20-60? Could get the bigger Ares or the gen 1 razor in 20-60x85..

Primarily hunt open country but hopefully doing more hunts in the mountains more often. Thoughts on this? Anyone glad they have a lower power scope vs the big dog?

 

[Wedgy]

Are you using it for judging antlers or spotting and what is you weight limit/are you trying to go lightweight ?

 

[skerk]

Are you using it for judging antlers or spotting and what is you weight limit/are you trying to go lightweight ?

So far, mostly use my spotter for location deer and judging size of deer, don't need to know how many points, etc. Also use it at the gun range- I never have and not sure if i'll ever see the opportunity to back pack in on my own so weight isn't AS big of an issue, but certainly something to keep in mind. The Athlon Ares x85 is 70oz while the razor x85 is 65oz.

I guess my question is if you're going to own only one spotter, is it best to go big or is 15-45 just fine for hunting purposes and at the range shooting 600 yards?

 

[Wedgy]

For locating animals a spotter is not my choice as I find it much easier with binos, I use 12x50 EL's or 20x56 on a tripod then the spotter to better judge the animal if needed. If you are packing the 85 takes up a lot of space and adds weight. Normally I carry a Nikon ED50 13-40x50mm on a vortex summit SS tripod that weight a little over 2lbs and is very compact. I can spot hits on paper at 650 yards only under good conditions, under bad conditions(humidity, mirage which is more often than not at my range) I can't even spot them with the 85mm or Meopta S2 either so keep that in mind. I also have a Swarovski 65mm with the 20-60x eyepiece that seems to make it in the pack more than the bigger spotters but if I was on a sheep hunt or a tag that took 10 years to draw I would take the biggest spotter I could take.
My smaller Nikon sees more range and hunting work than the bigger spotters for sure, most definitely.
Take a look at the Kowa spotters, they are among the best for their price.

 

[Dosh]

The 85mm would be great for seeing targets, but I like Wedgy's binoculars for spotting, much lighter.

 

[wyodeer]

I like being able to go up to 60x to judge bucks here in the mountains
45x doesn't cut it way out there