Quote Originally Posted by KodiakHntr View Post
I'm fairly certain that the OP has expressed an interest in getting into sheep hunting in a couple of years. Fairly certain that someone has mentioned for him to get out after it this coming August on that thread to see how much he likes it before he gets too carried away with buying gear instead of waiting till 2022 (or whatever his proposed start date is...)
Very few guys who go on their first sheep hunt think to themselves "man, I dunno. Maybe I should try that one more time to see if I like it", you are either hooked, or it just isn't for you. Beg and borrow gear. Do what he needs to, to get out there after it and see what it is all about. Find out if he is going to be a sheep hunter or not. If he isn't, then he can reassess his hunting priorities in life.

Now before you gloss over that, fully comprehend what that statement is all about. The OP has stated that he doesn't have any background in mountain game hunting on another thread, but he is putting a plan in place to work towards his goal. That takes some drive to do that when none of your buddies are mountain hunters that have been talking up their trips.
To me, that says that he might be leaning more towards getting bitten by the sheep bug. Or at the very least, expand his hunting horizons. Good for him, that takes balls. There are a lot of guys out there that never do that, never hunt outside of their home region, or never try anything different as to species.

As to the buy once concept... I heard it a lot when I first started to read online forums. And I wish that I had taken it to heart earlier on.
I wasted a lot of money to start with before I came to fully understand that there are guys out there with a lot more disposable income than me, who buy gear and try it side by side with other stuff, simply because they want to. And a lot of those guys are more than willing to share what they have learned. A lot MORE of those guys are NOT willing to share what they have learned due to people shouting them down with the "not everyone makes as much money" or "this does just as good as that for less money" and they simply don't like conflict.
And there is a very big difference between the opinion of someone who has "done research online" and bought "this particular one because it is just as good so you should buy it too and validate my opinion" and the guy who has used X versus Y side by side and Y is better than X in this condition and under these circumstances and because of this specification.
Buy Once Guys are more likely to ask "hey, what do you really think your use level will be, and what do you want to do with it?" and then give you an option that they have used. Or tell you that "you know what, I wish I had saved up a bit longer and did it once because it would have saved me money in the long run, which let me buy more gas money for more trips, or upgrade this piece of equipment sooner which increased my overall enjoyment".
I personally have done it with optics - binoculars, spotting scopes, rifle scopes, and rangefinders. I have done it with rifles. I have done it with packs and tents and sleeping bags and pads. I have done it with horses, and trailers, pickups and bikes. In several of those things I listened, and jumped over several levels of upgrades and saved myself money in the long run, and found equipment that will best suit my needs. And that was from listening to guys who had tried it all, who could properly interpret what they were seeing, and who weren't afraid to say so.


The OP stated that he was looking to spend around $700, and then stated that he was adjusting that upper level of his budget a bit higher.
Dru, if you are thinking of bumping that budget up a bit, as much as I hate to say it, a Vortex Razor is going to be probably 80%+ of what a lower end Swarovski spotter will be. At last light you will be on par counting caribou tines at 1000 yards. Early mornings though, when the sun is at a bad angle and shining towards you, you will lose clarity, especially once you get to the edges. Colors might be a bit washed out in comparison, which may not be important to you, until you are trying to pick out a rock colored stationary animal bedded among rock colored rocks. That will be more pronounced towards the edges of the field of vision as well. And THAT will be a problem if you are trying to pick apart a hillside using it with proper glassing technique. If you are going to be using it looking at goats or assessing bears that you have already found with your bino's, then you are pretty close to where you need to be in regards to quality of spotter, IF you are going to be getting serious about that stuff.

For a mountain hunt though, robust glass is an important feature. Dropping your pack or having it fall against a rock and having a fragile spotter inside probably isn't a great feeling, especially on day one of a multi day hunt.

And I have no doubt that the scuba divers and golf players and expensive liquor drinkers who have too many hobbies and may be living beyond their means are going to find fault or shit to nitpick in this post, but I don't really GAF. For some of us hunting isn't a hobby, its a lifestyle, and we take this shit seriously.
Good post! Well said.