Mid Range Optics

[mntnflyr4fun]

I recently returned from my annual elk hunt on the Oregon coast and ended up missing an opportunity on a very large branch antlered bull.
I have hunted this area for 40 years and as the elk are becoming more human intolerant I have setup my 338 for shots out to 800yds+ and upped my optics game for longer range. I primarily hunt from logging roads in heavily logged areas with everything from mature timber to open clearcuts.
I have some 8x42 Leupold BX4 HD binos, a pair of 10x42 Zeiss Conquests and a new this year Athlon Ares 20-60x85 spotter as we are looking from close ranges under 500yds to 3.5miles. I felt I had my bases covered, but turned out to be wrong.
During the hunt, minutes before shooting light was gone, I found a very large bull in heavy cover at under 500yds, I had him in my Conquests, but his head was behind a 20ft tall fir tree and after wasting some valuable minutes trying to get his head defined (I hunt in a point restricted unit) I gave up and went for the Ares spotter, I unfortunately realized that the min 20x magnification at such a short range in low light made it almost impossible to get on target quickly enough with the tight FOV and he took a couple steps and was gone. before we got him on lockdown. Hunted him 4 more days to no success.
Now I am wondering how to fill the gap between my 10x42 conquests and the 20x Ares as I don't want to find myself in the same spot next year. I need a quick to deploy intermediate optic with larger FOV at ranges under what the 20x is good for.
I am thinking maybe a fixed 15x compact spotter or 15x binos or sell the big Ares and drop down to a 15-45x65 Ares spotter keeping the bino's I have, but am concerned about losing low light performance. I also don't want to Invest another large pile of cash for this once in a blue moon circumstance.... I am open to ideas on how to fit this need.... And for anyone interested, the Athlon Ares is OUTSTANDING and went head to head with an in camp swaro of the same size at 98% performance at 1/4 the cost, clarity was outstanding at all ranges, low light performance impeccable (I could see thru the scope before and after I could see with my eyes) and if anything at all it may give up a little around the edges, MAYBE, but I could easily count points at 3.5miles. If I downsize the spotter it will be another Athlon ARES, without question..... Looking forward to hearing some thoughts.

 

[Rhett Crider]

Suggestion. If it looks good in your 10x42s, put him in the crosshairs of a good variable high power range scope at lower power and zoom in. If he's a shooter, you're already on him. Not sure if you range him w/ binos or range finder for dialing though. I have Nikon 12x42s that I've used for years w/ no complaints. Not going to suggest what scope but something that will dial up to 25-37 should work.

 

[ducky]

Honestly, I wouldn't add an optic. You missed an opportunity on a bull, it happens to everyone more times than not. If you can't judge a bull in the last few minutes of shooting light under 500 yards with 10X42 Zeiss binoculars, you probably didn't have a good chance anyway.

IMO you need more than a few minutes to judge a bull in timber/heavy cover. You said you pursued that bull for four more days, did you see any other bulls in that time? Who's to say you didn't see that same bull again and pass on him because there was something you didn't like when you could judge him better?

 

[FEENIX]

I recently returned from my annual elk hunt on the Oregon coast and ended up missing an opportunity on a very large branch antlered bull.
I have hunted this area for 40 years and as the elk are becoming more human intolerant I have setup my 338 for shots out to 800yds+ and upped my optics game for longer range. I primarily hunt from logging roads in heavily logged areas with everything from mature timber to open clearcuts.
I have some 8x42 Leupold BX4 HD binos, a pair of 10x42 Zeiss Conquests and a new this year Athlon Ares 20-60x85 spotter as we are looking from close ranges under 500yds to 3.5miles. I felt I had my bases covered, but turned out to be wrong.
During the hunt, minutes before shooting light was gone, I found a very large bull in heavy cover at under 500yds, I had him in my Conquests, but his head was behind a 20ft tall fir tree and after wasting some valuable minutes trying to get his head defined (I hunt in a point restricted unit) I gave up and went for the Ares spotter, I unfortunately realized that the min 20x magnification at such a short range in low light made it almost impossible to get on target quickly enough with the tight FOV and he took a couple steps and was gone. before we got him on lockdown. Hunted him 4 more days to no success.
Now I am wondering how to fill the gap between my 10x42 conquests and the 20x Ares as I don't want to find myself in the same spot next year. I need a quick to deploy intermediate optic with larger FOV at ranges under what the 20x is good for.
I am thinking maybe a fixed 15x compact spotter or 15x binos or sell the big Ares and drop down to a 15-45x65 Ares spotter keeping the bino's I have, but am concerned about losing low light performance. I also don't want to Invest another large pile of cash for this once in a blue moon circumstance.... I am open to ideas on how to fit this need.... And for anyone interested, the Athlon Ares is OUTSTANDING and went head to head with an in camp swaro of the same size at 98% performance at 1/4 the cost, clarity was outstanding at all ranges, low light performance impeccable (I could see thru the scope before and after I could see with my eyes) and if anything at all it may give up a little around the edges, MAYBE, but I could easily count points at 3.5miles. If I downsize the spotter it will be another Athlon ARES, without question..... Looking forward to hearing some thoughts.

Seeing game clearly at 500Y half an hour before and after legal shooting time is a tall order for any optics (including NVs/thermals) regardless of make.

 

[txaggie1]

I'm all for variety of bino's for range difference myself. I have 15x56 vortex vulchers prob best bang for the buck can be had for 499 almost anywhere perhaps catch them on sale for better price. I also have a pair of 18x56 razor hd's as well as 10x42's and 10x50's for our regular hunting. That's just me -

I do agree we spend allot or to much time debating on quality of animal to me if i'm in the wild (being from texas and stand hunting is standard you often get more time to look at an animal is what i mean) I would hope I know real quick on shooter or not.

Good luck in your journey;

 

[BrentM]

I'm with the general consensus you may need to up the scope game but at that range and low light it's a tough call for most optics. A good scope at 12-18 x is going to out perform a sporting scope at 20x plus. It really sounds like a common low light sheet show that we all face at some point and there's not a lot we can do. I had a wolf a couple weeks ago at 505 was that easy to find in my Leica's but rough in the scope. By the time I got on it, it slipped away and so did my 2000.00 bounty check. What's really stupid is I have a thermal scope now that should have made that an easy kill.

 

[mntnflyr4fun]

Thank you all for your comments and input. I know I had a tall order in front of me to get that bull defined well under the conditions at the time. Bulls like the "one that got away" are extraordinary in the woods out here, (we all know they exist as we can see them on the refuge, but are truly ghosts in the environment of the West Coast forests.

Honestly, I wouldn't add an optic. You missed an opportunity on a bull, it happens to everyone more times than not. If you can't judge a bull in the last few minutes of shooting light under 500 yards with 10X42 Zeiss binoculars, you probably didn't have a good chance anyway.

IMO you need more than a few minutes to judge a bull in timber/heavy cover. You said you pursued that bull for four more days, did you see any other bulls in that time? Who's to say you didn't see that same bull again and pass on him because there was something you didn't like when you could judge him better?

You can rest assured that if I had seen this particular bull a 2nd time I would have known it, bulls like this one are few and far between.