As many of you know, I’ve been drawn to glassing for big game animals going back to the early 70s. My family would walk from point to point or stop to glass from any vantage point to see what game that terrain held. Glassing then was a lot different than now. The techniques required to glass and the equipment have evolved over the years, for sure. 

In this article, I’ll do my best to simplify glassing and the equipment needed to ultimately improve your days afield in hopes of finding more big game animals using what I call the Three Pillars of Glassing. However, before we cover the three pillars, we must understand a few things first.

What exactly is glassing for animals?

The act of “glassing” can be defined as scanning one’s surroundings with binoculars or a spotting scope. Yet, you can use the term in a variety of ways: as a verb, “We glassed that mountainside all day.” or as a noun, “Quick! Hand me the glass.” You may even categorize hunters into groups: “Oh, he’s a glasser and sits behind binoculars all day as opposed to a still hunter who quietly moves at a slow pace.”

Glass quality in binoculars and spotting scopes has changed considerably over the years, giving hunters many choices at price points that range from a few hundred to many thousands of dollars. This statement can be applied to both binoculars and spotters, but for this article, binoculars will be the focus. This is because using both eyes behind binoculars is far more effective when glassing. That is true for the most part because spotting scopes only utilize one eye and this causes stress on the face and our eyes work better when they are relaxed and functioning together. Spotters also have a much narrower field of view (FOV) because they operate at a much higher magnification, which also makes them harder to stabilize. Again, all of that causes more eye fatigue when using a spotting scope.

Glassing Pillar Number One: Buy the best glass you can afford

The first Pillar of Glassing is “Buy the best glass you can afford!” This by itself is often misleading or misunderstood. This is important because quality glass makes your eyes work less to stay focused for longer periods of time. If you are constantly adjusting your focus system to get a precise and distortion-free picture, you are just taking time away from glassing. If your eyes are constantly searching for focus when using less quality glass, your eyes will tire just like muscles. You may feel like frequent breaks are needed again and again, which takes you away from glassing. Better glass quality makes more efficient use of your time by keeping you locked in behind them.

Remember that when buying new binoculars, I suggest that a person should upgrade or improve their current glass. As a general rule, I like to jump up at least one, if not two levels in terms of quality from what I am currently using. This is where you’ll notice a bigger improvement. Features that make a difference are glass quality, coatings and prisms. 

For example, If you’re glassing with a Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 binocular or Leupold BX-2 Alpine HD 10x42 binoculars, you could move up one level to the Vortex Viper 10x42 HD binoculars or the Leupold BX-4 Pro Guide HD 10x42 Gen 2 binocular or Sig Sauer Zulu10 HDX 10x42 binoculars. Or, better yet, the Vortex Razor HD 10x42 binoculars and Leupold BX-5 Santiam HD 10x42 binoculars. You’ll start to notice better fields of view, clear edges, low light performance and higher quality parts to make the binocular feel better in your hands as well as notice that these binos are smoother and easier to operate.

You can’t go wrong when upgrading binoculars! One of the most common questions I get asked is, “Is the 1,000 buck difference between the Swarovski 10x42 NL Pure at $2,999.00 and the Swarovski 10x42 EL  at $1,999.00 worth it? Will I really see a difference?” The answer is yes! Yes, you will. There is a certain wow factor that gives customers that “aha” moment. Whether you’re testing the new Swarovski 14x52 NL Pure on a resolution chart or in the field glassing a Coues deer with a Swarovski SLC 15x56 before sun up, it’s decisive, the better glass just performs better.

Now, before anybody gets riled up or lights me up in the comments, I didn’t say you can’t find big game animals with less expensive glass. I’m just making the point that by buying better glass you’ll stay behind the glass longer with less eye fatigue. The better glass just makes you more efficient at finding big game animals. Period!

Glassing Pillar Number Two: Mount your binoculars on a tripod

The second Pillar of Glassing is to mount your binoculars on a tripod. I get a lot of feedback or follow-up comments from customers who say that this technique alone changed their success in finding big game animals more than any other single practice. This comes mostly from guys coming from the East Coast to hunt big game out West on the more open terrain. I have said before that I’d rather forget my rifle or bow before I would forget my tripod. It’s simple: at least I can glass and find big game from a distance and come back tomorrow — and they’ll be right there.

In many cases, customers have already purchased a tripod for their spotting scope, but they don’t make the connection or understand how close they are to simple glassing bliss. Any tripod is better than no tripod, right? Nope. Like everything else in the gear world, it’s worth taking the time to research the tripod system that will work best for you. 

Some basic questions about tripods to consider

Carbon fiber or aluminum? Twist locks or flip locks? Lightweight or medium to heavyweight? A standing or sitting setup? Pan head or ball head? These questions will allow you to make an informed decision based on your needs or hunting scenario. Hmmm, sounds like another article I should write…

In the interest of this article, there are some choices in the GOHUNT Gear Shop that will get you out glassing. Brands like Sirui have several kits available like the top-selling Sirui T-024SK VA-5X Fluid Head Carbon Tripod Kit or the newer ST-125 and ST-124 kits. These kits are what I consider “do all, do everything tripods.” There are other brands that will stabilize your binoculars like Tricer. The top choice from Tricer is the model Tricer AD tripod with a Tricer LP Pan Head. If you are more budget-minded, but want a capable tripod kit, the Vortex Mountain Pass Aluminum Tripod Kit is a great option. Or you could go ultra-lightweight with an Azaik Equipment Backcountry Lite Tripod and the Aziak Backcountry Lite Ball Head. Another option for the lightweight crowd, but with the ability to stand easily, is the MUTNT Gear CF-69 Carbon Fiber Tripod and MUTNT Gear Micro Fluid Head. All of these suggestions will reduce eye fatigue and extend the effective range of your binoculars by stabilizing your binoculars.

If you’re wondering, mounting your tripod can be done in several ways. You can use a plate with a band holding them steadily in place. This system is sort of an older design, but very effective and versatile for many different styles and brands of binoculars. The Swarovski Universal Tripod Adapter EL/SLC is a more popular version of this style. Another way to mount binoculars is by using ring-style adapters. This is where a ring that is individually sized goes around one tube of the binocular and attaches by way of an integral Arca-Swiss base or plate from your tripod head. These adapters range from Aziak’s Bino Clamp, Tricer NL Bino Clamp and the Tricer ELR Bino Clamp) and Dead On Industries Binocular Adapter are very lightweight yet sturdy. 

Finally, the often preferred method of mounting binoculars is by using a stud and bino adapter. This system uses a stud that is screwed into the threaded hinge on most binoculars and then will quickly connect and disconnect onto a binocular adapter that connects to your tripod head, securing them for sturdy glassing. Brands like the MUTNTGear Gen 2 Binocular Tripod Adapter Kit, Vortex Pro Binocular Adapter, Tricer Bino Adapter, Leupold Quick-Stem Binocular Adapter, and the Swarovski TA Tripod Adapter NL are all excellent ways to mount up. This way is most desirable because they are secure, allow for adjustment and quickly disconnect at the tripod head and binocular stud for switching binoculars to spotters and safe storage.

Glassing Pillar Number Three: Glass with a purpose and be methodical

The third Pillar of Glassing is to glass with a purpose and be methodical. Now that we have our binoculars upgraded and stable on a tripod, we can start glassing. Glassing techniques and styles vary for the big game animal you are hunting, time of day, weather conditions and terrain.

There are times when you want to be moving and glassing as you go, which can be effective for shorter periods of time. During these times, you’re looking out ahead of you or checking your backtrail. You can do this by hand holding your binoculars for quick looks. With today’s new offerings from Sig Sauer, the ZULU6 HDX Image Stabilized binoculars have made this handheld style much more effective by electronically counterbalancing the movement it senses. The ZULU 6 HDX 10x30, ZULU6 HDX 12x42, ZULU6 HDX 16x42 and ZULU6 HDX 20x42 have not eliminated the need for a tripod, but they have certainly made reducing eye fatigue with hand holding possible.

You can mount ZULU6 HDX stabilized binoculars to a tripod as well with the Aziak Equipment ZULU6 Binocular Clamp and the Tricer Z6 adapter (which mounts into the battery cap threads for a solid mount).

Once you are at an elevated vantage point, it’s time to let the binoculars do the walking. I like a seated position, slightly off the skyline. Then I get comfortable with a GOHUNT Glassing Pad, Helinox Speed Stool or a Hillsound BTR Stool. I like to be seated or use a stool for glassing positions to keep movement and noise to a minimum. And mostly because the shorter the tripod, the stiffer the leg, which means less vibration at the binoculars, meaning it helps to reduce eye fatigue.

I always glass the places that look like they should hold my quarry first. I have heard guys call this power-glassing, which is mostly done at a faster pace. Not hasty or too fast, but I am looking for the obvious at this point. Maybe even looking at spots where I have seen deer before. Usually, the movement of an animal gives them away. Once I have done that, I’ll start to glass more slowly. I’ll usually pick a slope or piece of terrain and start at the top left of the slope. Without moving my field of view, I will let my eye check out every bush, tree, rock, shadow or open space in my field of view. If nothing is detected, I will move my FOV to the right so that it slightly overlaps the previous field of view. I will repeat this until I run out of slope. I will then drop it down one field of view and repeat the same process going back to the left. This style of glassing is called gridding and it is very effective. When I am done with that slope, I’ll pick another and continue the process until I feel like I’ve exhausted my search. Again, depending on the animal and my experience, I may choose to move and get a different angle of the same country or I may move so I can go look at the backside of the slopes I just looked at.

Over the years, being in the field with some of the best hunters in the world, I have concluded that hunters give up on areas too soon. I have even witnessed hunters arrive late in the morning to an area and stand up to glass and, unbeknownst to the hunters, the entire time there are deer closer to them and visible to them, and I’m off in a different location glassing and picking up deer in-front of them — only to see them pack up and leave. The discipline is to sit down, get comfortable and glass methodically with a purpose. I promise you will find more big game animals!

In conclusion

I know there was a lot covered here. If you have questions about the Three Pillars of Glassing, gear needed when glassing or further explanation, please feel free to comment or reach out to me at optics@gohunt.com or you can give me a call at 702-847-8747 and I’d be happy to help.