OPTICS

Optical tools are essential for getting the most out of our outdoor adventures. This section will teach us how to understand them, show us how to assess them, get the best for our money, use them effectively and maintain them properly.

The Importance of Optical Tools 

By Ron Spomer (editorial) 

Our vision is our most dependable, useful and used sense. We might hear a twig snap or smell a rank elk, but until we see it, we can't fully enjoy it. And we certainly can't shoot it. Assisting our vision with binoculars, spotting scopes and rifle scopes augments our ability to enjoy the natural world. Hunting without them is like shooting without an accurate rifle – you can do it, but you don't get much. Birding or wildlife viewing without optics is like dancing without a partner. When I'm afield I use a binocular to not only find game, but identify songbirds, figure out what that odd, gray object is way over there, determine who's driving on the neighbor's field, even identify the tracks in the mud on the other side of the river. Anything I want to see I can see eight to twelve times larger with my binocular. Saves a lot of walking. And with a telescope (spotting scope) I can "cover" miles of country I'd otherwise miss. That big, 20X to 60X magnified view helps me see wildlife I would otherwise miss completely. That level of enlargement lets me observe details like fur, feathers and antler tines I can't detect at just 10X. Serious hunters will confirm that 20X magnification and higher is critical for serious trophy assessment. In addition it's fun for spotting elk and caribou as many as 10 miles away – or for seeing man in the moon or the rings on Saturn. The problem with optical instruments is that they're mysterious. A black box. What's in there? What makes one unit better than another? Which brand is the best? Why can I see great through some and poorly through others? Why did my binocular or scope suddenly go dim or fuzzy? Why can't I get my scope zeroed? Few other tools used by hunters are so challenging to understand. This leads to inefficiency, repeat purchases, missed opportunities ("my scope was fogged!") and frustration. 

In this section of RSO you should find resources and information to help you navigate through the haze of optics so you can assess and buy the right gear at the right price without feeling as if you've been led down the primrose path. There are instruments of shockingly outstanding clarity and precision for thousands of dollars, but there are tools nearly as good for much, much less. The information here should help you to find them.