One of my favorite things to do while in the field, is to look through glass. Whether it’s summer scouting for mule deer or trying to turn up an elk shed in May, I absolutely love trying to find things through optics. We recently picked up a new pair of binoculars from Vortex and they did not disappoint. I’m talking about the Razor UHD 18X56’s.
Patrick and myself recently went on a scouting trip for our high buck hunt that is coming up in September. We each had binos on our chest, along with a razor spotting scope and the razor 18X56 binos. Oddly enough, this was the first time that I’ve ever had the opportunity to look through binoculars on a tripod. While they are great being handheld, they are amazing on a tripod and this is where they really shine. Trying to keep 18 power magnification steady with your hands is pretty difficult. The temperatures during our scouting trip were in the mid to upper 70’s, so deer movement was pretty slow. Along with it being slow, we also saw little to no sign. With seeing no deer and no sign, we decided to check this spot off of our list as a no for our high buck hunt. The razors gave me the confidence in making this decision because if there were deer in this area, we definitely would’ve seen them.
Who is a fan of keeping one eye closed and squinting for hours on end? Not me. This is one of the downfalls that you have to deal with when using a spotting scope. I’ve heard of some people wearing an eye patch, but if you want to be a pirate, save it for halloween. It doesn’t take long at all for the discomfort to set in while looking through a spotter. For me, if it’s uncomfortable I won’t enjoy it. And if I don’t enjoy it then I won’t do it as much. If I don’t do it, then I won’t spot any animals. This is one of the reasons why my go to for glassing at long distances is now the 18X56 bino. Besides the fact that using them won’t give you a headache, the visual pleasure of using them is another reason. The clarity and colors that come out while looking through them, is superb. They bring in so much light, that any bedded deer in the shadows, doesn’t stand a chance of going unnoticed. Ergonomically they are outstanding as well. In my opinion, 18 power is the perfect magnification to get in close while keeping it crystal clear. The razor spotter is 27-60, but even at 27 power it has nowhere near the clarity as the binoculars at 18. As you can imagine, the further you zoom in with the spotter, things just keep getting more blurry. I’m a big fan of using both of my eyeballs and feel that it’s far more effective.
Last year on our high buck hunt, I was one of the lucky ones that got to pack in a spotter. We traveled 7 miles and gained 4,000 ft in elevation to reach our destination. As you can imagine, every ounce of gear adds up. The razor spotter weighs in at 65.6 ounces and the razor binos weigh in at 41.6 ounces. So the spotter is a whole pound and a half heavier than the binocular. Even that is enough for me to skip out on the spotter and bring a jar of peanut butter instead. Aside from them being lighter, they are also a lot more compact and easier to carry in your pack. A spotter can take up a lot of room and be difficult to carry, especially if the spotter has an angled eye piece. The binoculars will easily fit in the lid of my pack or tuck away nicely in the bag unnoticed.
For us, glass is one of the most important pieces of gear that we bring into the field. If you don’t have enough confidence that you’ll spot animals at any distance, then maybe you haven’t tried the new Vortex UHD 18X56 binocular. I think they will be a game changer for me this year, and I bet they would be for anybody else as well. The vortex spotting scopes are an outstanding product and all of us really enjoy using them. It’s just my personal preference to use the 18’s. Of course, this all is just my opinion and you may end up not liking them at all. But I highly doubt that. I highly recommend this new optic and encourage everyone to go check them out. Happy hunting.
