By Paul Neess

Using your spotting scope most effectively will depend on several things. First and foremost, it must be mounted solidly to get the best performance - you simply cannot effectively hand hold one. You can use a tripod or window mount to accomplish this. Tripods are available in a wide variety of sizes and weights, but you must match your scope and tripod together. A large scope and small, compact tripod will not work well together. I would also recommend a tripod that has a variable leg spread angle. In addition to accomodating uneven terrain, variable angle legs will allow you to position the tripod low enough to sit behind for extended glassing sessions. Also remember that in a tripod, weight and size yield solidity and better image quality. 

If you're going backpack hunting for elk in the Rockies, obviously you'll want to use a smaller 60mm scope on a nice, compact little tripod. Window mounts work well with most scopes, and will allow you handy viewing while in your car or truck. By not getting out of the vehicle, you'll be less likely to spook close by game and birds.

Most often, the best way to use a spotting scope while hunting is as a back-up to your binoculars. Use the binoculars to find game, and the scope to identify very distant game you've found but cant make out clearly. If you try to use your scope as your primary glassing tool, you'll very quickly get eye strain and tire of it. Remember when using your scope, it's much easier to initially find things in the image by turning the power down to its lowest point, giving you the widest possible field of view. 

When switching from bino to spotting scope while looking at game, be sure you have the location clearly marked in your head. It's very easy to lose sight of what you were looking at when making this transition. Sometimes, if an animal is on the move, I'll wait until it's in a very visible spot before trying to find it with my spotting scope. Some guides and hunters who frequently glass extreme distances for long periods of time will use specialized tripod mounted high power binoculars in the 15-20x range, but these are impractical in size and cost for most hunters.

Due to their high magnifications, spotting scopes will show atmospheric conditions like mirage and heat shimmer. There is no way around this, and even the best scopes show it. If you're faced with this sort of thing, many times you simply have to use less magnification or wait for conditions to change. Remember also what I said earlier about the sun - your spotting scope will work best early and late in the day with the sun either rising or setting at your back. At this time of day, the air is usually calm with a minimum of heat currents and will offer the best viewing conditions. 

If you're planning on using your scope at the shooting bench, there are some things you should consider. Many shooters prefer the angled body scopes, which may work better from the shooting position. Obviously, you are trying to see very small objects (bullet holes) at long distances. The bigger apertured scopes with 20-60x eyepieces will work best for this application, but if you plan to spot at very long ranges (>250 yds.) even these may not give you enough resolution. Mirage and heat shimmer can come into play, and there may be times no scope will resolve a bullet hole at these distances.