The Spotting Scope Buying Guide: What to Look For Before Hunting Season

TL;DR

A spotting scope earns its keep the moment you need to judge an animal — antler points, body size, whether it's even the same species — at a distance where binoculars just show a shape. For backpack and mountain hunting, a compact 60-65mm angled scope keeps weight and pack space manageable. For truck-and-blind glassing where weight doesn't matter, an 80mm-plus objective gathers noticeably more light at dawn and dusk. Skip the temptation to buy on magnification number alone — a scope pushed past its useful magnification just shows you a bigger, blurrier image. EuroOptic's demo and blemished program is worth checking first for a premium spotter at a real discount, and Primary Arms covers solid everyday options.

What a spotting scope is actually for

Binoculars are for finding game and scanning terrain. A spotting scope is for the next step: confirming what you found is worth pursuing. That means judging antler score or body maturity from half a mile away, reading brands or ear tags at a distance, watching a bullet's impact to confirm a hit, or just glassing a hillside for hours without the arm fatigue of holding binoculars up. If your hunting involves any of that — Western big game, long-range shooting, or serious predator calling — a spotting scope isn't a luxury, it's the tool that actually closes the deal.

The specs that matter

Objective lens diameter. This is the real tradeoff axis for spotting scopes, more so than for rifle scopes. A 60-65mm objective keeps weight and bulk reasonable for backpack hunting and travels well. An 80mm or larger objective gathers meaningfully more light — genuinely useful in the last legal shooting light or for picking detail out of shadowed timber — but adds real weight and usually needs a sturdier tripod to hold steady at high magnification.

Magnification range. Most spotting scopes run somewhere in the 20-60x range. Higher isn't automatically better: atmospheric heat shimmer and your own tripod's stability put a practical ceiling on useful magnification well before you hit a scope's advertised maximum, especially over long distances or midday heat. A scope that's crisp at 40x beats one that's mushy at 60x every time.

Angled vs. straight eyepiece. Angled eyepieces make it easier to share the view with a hunting partner and to glass comfortably from a low or seated position; straight eyepieces are faster to get on target and pack slightly more compactly in some cases. Most serious glassing hunters prefer angled once they've tried both.

Glass quality (ED/HD designations). Extra-low dispersion (ED) or high-density (HD) glass reduces the color fringing that shows up around high-contrast edges at high magnification — the difference is most visible at the top of a scope's zoom range and in bright backlit conditions.

Close focus distance. Rarely advertised but genuinely useful if you ever use a spotter for load development or checking targets at moderate range rather than just glassing distant game.

Waterproof and fogproof construction. Same as with rifle scopes, this should be treated as a baseline requirement, not a premium feature, given how much time a spotting scope spends exposed to weather during actual glassing sessions.

At a glance: matching a spotting scope to how you hunt

Don't skip the tripod (or the harness)

A spotting scope is only as steady as what it's mounted on. A lightweight travel tripod that flexes in the wind will undercut even the best glass at high magnification — this is one area where it's worth spending real money once rather than upgrading twice. If you're hiking with the setup, a dedicated spotting-scope harness or backpack mount is worth the cost the first time you're glad your hands are free on a steep slope.

FAQ

Do I need an 80mm spotting scope, or is 65mm enough? If you're hiking any real distance to your glassing spot, a 60-65mm scope is the better trade-off — the weight and bulk of an 80mm+ objective adds up fast on a pack. Reserve the bigger objective for truck-based or stationary glassing where weight isn't a factor and the extra low-light performance is worth carrying.

What magnification should I actually use in the field? Start lower than you think — 20-30x is often plenty for finding and judging animals at realistic hunting distances, with the top of the zoom range reserved for confirming fine detail once you've already spotted something worth a closer look. Cranking straight to maximum magnification usually just adds shake and haze without adding useful detail.

Is ED or HD glass worth the extra cost? If you regularly glass at the top of your scope's magnification range or in bright, high-contrast light, yes — the reduction in color fringing is noticeable. If you mostly glass at moderate magnification in typical daylight, a non-ED scope will serve you well for meaningfully less money.

Angled or straight eyepiece — which should I buy? Angled is the more popular choice among serious hunters because it's easier to glass from a seated or prone position and easier to share with a hunting partner without moving the tripod. Straight eyepieces remain a reasonable choice if you mainly glass standing and want the fastest possible time to get on target.

The Bottom Line

Buy your spotting scope around how you'll actually carry and use it, not around the biggest magnification number on the box. Backpack hunters should prioritize a compact 60-65mm scope they'll actually bring along; truck and blind hunters can lean into an 80mm-plus objective for real low-light gains. Either way, put money into a stable tripod before chasing a bigger objective lens — a shaky mount will cost you more resolution than any spec on the scope itself.

Where to buy

• EuroOptic — Demo & Blemished Spotting Scopes (the move for premium glass at a real discount)
• EuroOptic — Full Spotting Scope Catalog 
• Primary Arms — Spotting Scopes & Optics 
• SCHEELS — Spotting Scopes (good option if you want to look through a scope before buying)