Hunting AZ, typical shot range and Leupold VX- 2 3x9

[Lobo2087]

You can often find good tripods at goodwill. If you are not in a hurry i have 4 i am letting someone look at to see if he wants one. You can do the same once he has his turn if you wish

[Vinnie B]

I can't really help with any of the bino's except Zeiss and Swarovski as that's all I have now. Well, I do have a cheap $200 set of Vortex under my seat all the time and while they aren't too bad I wouldn't want to look through them all day. What I found before I got really nice binos is while I could see okay through the other ones my eyes got fatigued alot faster and I wouldn't glass as long. Then when I got my first set of Swaro's I could glass longer and I definitely started seeing more animals because I could pick the brush apart and see an ear or a face as opposed to looking for a complete silhouette. Early morning and late evening glassing is better IMO with the better glass, they seem to gather more light and are more crisp in those hours.

The first couple times I took the new wife scouting with us I set her up with the cheaper binos on a tripod. When I would find something I'd say come her and look, then I would hear I need binos like yours because I can't see near as well through mine. I'd go over and put her binos on the animal and she was right that there was no comparison in the two. But I would hope not as you are comparing $200 binos to 2k binos

WIth all that said, buy what you can afford and go have fun. If you are going to go every year and help others or hunt yourself, in the long run you will be happy you spent the money. If you aren't going to go much except when you draw a tag by chance then spend less and you may not regret it.

[TheAccountant]

Finding Vortex Diamond HDs 15x56 in the $300-400 range. Viper 12x50 for $500ish. Saw kiababs for $700, but they went quick.

Tripod suggestions? Sorry for the inane questions, trying to shorten my research and learning curve.

The Diamondbacks are nice to have in a 10x in a chest pouch to spot check, but I wouldn't want anything in that line as my main pair to glass hillsides with for hours a day. Those Viper 12x wouldn't be bad to start with. They won't be the limiting factor in your first couple hunts, and if you decide you like it then you can transition those to your chest pouch and get something a little bigger as your main glass.

Tripods are another area you can spend anywhere from $40 to $2k. Figure out which style head you like. I prefer a pan/tilt over the ball for glassing just because it keeps me on a more methodical pattern, but if I'm shooting off a tripod then I prefer the ball head. Vanguard and Manfrotto aren't bad places to start. Just watch the weight on them.

Don't be afraid to check the classifieds on national boards. I've seen some binos in your range pop up on sniper's hide in the last few weeks. Nice thing about buying Vortex used is their warranty. If there's an issue just send it in and they'll make it like new.

[kmj831]

Helpful stuff guys. Cost is always a consideration, it's a matter of being sure we're committed (and at what level) and then pacing myself. I've got four sons, and we (wife included) mountain bike, BMX, ride dirt bikes, and do the grappling/kick boxing thing. So our hobbies are expensive already, and whatever sports we pick up we tend to do as a family. I really enjoyed hunting as a kid, but it was a little simpler (at least in terms of gear needed) in NW Montana than it seems to be here, so trying to get my head around it.

The goal is to get started in a way that isn't overkill, but will allow us to have fun. The Oldest two boys are 11 and 9. They really want to get out and start calling coyotes ASAP, and that seems like one way to start teaching them about being quiet in the forest, paying attention to whether or not they are up or down wind, being patient, learning to shoot, etc.

So, I guess I'm looking to pick up a couple versatile rifles/scope combos and a decent pair of Binos that we can use for everything from rabbits and Coyotes to deer and maybe Elk, Javelina, whatever. My 11, 9 and 6 year old have been practicing with the hand calls we bought, trying to get their "distressed rabbit" on point. Ha!

Question; it seems the general consensus is that 10x is general as high a magnification as you want to go with binos that will be used as handhelds as well as on a bipod. 12x really being the limit if you have steady hands. Thoughts on that?

[TheAccountant]

I don't think your 7-08 would be bad for them to learn on. If you're trying to keep costs down, maybe share a rifle for now. The odds you're going to double up on bucks with boys that age are pretty slim, and it might get them to hunt as a team if there's only one shooter. I think putting that money towards another pair of binos to have another set of eyes out there would be more beneficial anyway.

My responses were in terms of Coues and my coyote hunting experience is limited so I'll let someone else give an opinion on that. You're gonna want a tripod for glassing Coues no matter how steady of a hand you have. The terrain is very repetitive, it's easy to get lost when you're staring at hillsides for hours, and even easier to lose them after you finally pick one up. You don't have to go out and buy some RRS thing, but just get something simple that will give you a fighting chance.

[Ballistic Therapy]

When the deer are not rutting , the bucks will run together.
I have see groups of bucks all the time running together.
Still you can share a rifle. I have done it many times.

[TheAccountant]

I didn't mean to say that there wouldn't be an opportunity to take more than one, only that an opportunity to do it responsibly on his first AZ hunt with two new hunters under the age of 12 behind separate rifles at the same time probably wouldn't present itself.

[kmj831]

I understand what you're both saying. The need for two rifles could happen but isn't likely.

I wasn't considering a second for that purpose so much as wondering if a .243 or even .22-250 or similar worry make a better varmint/target gun for the boys.

Anyways, I'm finding lighty used Vortex Viper HDs in 10x42 and 12x50 for the same price (Low to mid $400's) is the wider field of view and easier offhand use (due to ease of stabilizing without a bipod while hiking) of the 10 x42s more important, or the higher magnification of the 12x's the more important factor?

Thanks for the info.

[kmj831]

Grabbed a pair of Viper HDs in 10x42 and a chest rig for them for $375. So that will be a good starting point I hope. I'll grab some higher magnification Swaros or something in a few if the kids are enjoying scouting and glassing in general and shooting coyotes.

Thanks for all the help.