
The group was impressed with the clarity the Sig Oscar 8 Spotting Scopeproduced, both in low light and brighter light.
BEST HANDHELD TELESCOPE FOR BIRD WATCHING FULL
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF THE BUSHNELL FORGE SPOTTING SCOPE HERE Buy Bushnell Forge Spotting Scope Sig Sauer Oscar8 Spotting Scope Category Rank: #2 85mm- $1,000-$1,500

The Bushnell Forge Spotting Scope features dual focus, which proved to be the preferred style of this group of testers over the barrel focus style. The Kowa TSN 773 and Swarovski ATX still won the day in the 65 mm category, but if you can’t spend that kind of money, the Athlon Cronus was the best spotting scope in the “bang for your buck” category. The Athlon Cronus was the biggest surprise to the testing group as it received the most 1st place votes and out- performed, not only every other spotter in its price class, but several other scopes that cost hundreds of dollars more as well. The majority of the group also thought the Kowa TSN 773 out-performed the Swarovski ATX 65 mm, again coming in at $800 less. The fact that the Kowa TSN 883 was just BARELY edged out by the Swarovski ATX yet costs a grand less, is incredibly impressive. A couple of the surprises, ones that way out-performed their price points, were the Athlon Cronus UHD 86 mm, the Kowa Spotting Scopes (all three of them) and the Athlon Ares UHD 65 mm. Want a more detailed rundown of ALL of these spotting scopes? Become a Backwoods Pursuit Member and check out the detailed data chart used to put this review together.Īs you can see, finding the best spotting scope for hunting doesn’t necessarily mean just picking the highest priced one you can afford, however, there is absolutely a correlation between price point and optical performance. Make sure you check out the chart below to see how the team ranked each spotting scope.

None of these spotting scopes are bad, but we wanted to help you find the BEST spotting scope for hunting that fits your specific needs, so we’ll bring you our honest feedback of what we liked and didn’t like about each one. I want to make one thing clear: finding the best spotting scope for hunting in each category requires that we set out to be nit-picky and not sugar coat these results. Each of these were ranked from best to worst in the following categories relevant to its respective price range: While most of us were looking for the best spotting scope for hunting purposes, all of these can certainly be used for many other purposes. In the 65 mm class, we started at the $600 price point to try to find any bargains that might be out there.Įach participant was given a worksheet of things to look for and ranked them to help us find the best spotting scope for hunting in each category.

For the 85 mm spotting scope class, we started at the $1,000 range since that is the price point where the good glass starts. With that in mind, we set out to gather up as many test subjects that we could get our hands on to find the best spotting scope for hunting, as well as the best spotting scope for the money. No matter what your preference is, you probably have some type of budget and are looking for the best spotting scope for the money you have allotted for this purchase. For others, it is one that sits atop a large, steady tripod and isn’t carried around all day in your pack. Here at Backwoods Pursuit we love optics, so getting the opportunity to test so many spotting scopes side by side was a real privilege.įor some people, the best spotting scope for hunting means one that is ultralight, pack-able, and able to be used when sitting down.

Looking for the best spotting scope for hunting? Maybe you are looking for the overall best spotting scope on the planet or maybe the best spotting scope for ultralight, backcountry hunting.
