Behind the Glass 

  For those of you that have taken time to humor me by reading any of my articles  you might remember that I almost always mention the use of optics. Back when I was growing up and hunting with my Grandfather, binoculars were mainly used as a tool to identify buck from doe. We sat and looked off in the distance as we moved from ridge to ridge hoping to “jump” up a buck. Granted my Grandfather knew the country very well and we always managed to find a buck to fill our tag. As a matter of fact, he knew the country so well that he could just about always drive out to a set of ridges and walk out from the jeep and find what we were after. But that was then and this is now.

  I am not sure if deer have gotten a little smarter or I have forgotten how and where to find the animals like we used. What I do know is that I have had to turn to different ways to find game.  I had to start making myself sit behind my binoculars to find game before they saw me. I would like to say that this has improved my success. I now find more game than ever. The key is a comfortable pair of binoculars.

  When it comes to self-discipline you have to get over the urge to want to move every five minutes. Get to a good location and sit your butt down and stay put. I can’t tell you some magic formula or technique to doing it except just to do it.

  Here are some tips to help you in being more successful on finding game with your optics. The most important thing to remember is to be in an area where there is game. I don’t care how much and how good you are at glassing if there isn’t any game in the area you won’t find much. Do some pre-season scouting and find the area where the animals are. Remember the 3 basics needs of life, FOOD, WATER, SHELTER. That is always a good place to start.

  Next take a look at the big picture of the area where you want to glass. Now divide it into four even sections. Use major landmarks and terrain key points to help set up boundaries. Once you have set up those quadrants  scan the entire area looking over the obvious areas to see if there is anything standing in the wide open. Then start at top left corner of the upper left quadrant and work across like you were reading a book. (Yeah, I know some of you are saying, Louie what do you know about reading a book?) Be sure to really pay close attention to all of the shaded areas and less obvious cover. You would be surprised just how little cover it takes to hide a buck. Try and stay as even and straight as you  work your way across to the right hand edge of the first guardant. Continue in this manner until you have finished all four quadrants. Now, who is to say that you have to glass none stop. There is no one sitting there watching your technique. Stop and take breaks.. Keep your eyes rested. If your eyes get tired you will too. Take as many breaks as you want.

 Why do your eyes get tired? That has so much to do with your position and how you are holding your optics and how good your optics are. A lot of you are probably getting tired of hearing the old saying, “Buy the best glasses you can afford.” Well that is almost the truth; buy the best glasses you CAN’T afford. Folks, do yourself a favor and save your pennies and get the best you can. The reason being is if you go out and spend $40.00 on a pair of binoculars you are just going to get a $40.00 head ache. The better the quality of glass you get the more it will cost and more effective you will be at finding  game. This is due to you being able to stay behind the glass longer. You will also save money on Tylenol. How much is enough to spend on a pair of binoculars? When I got my first pair of decent glasses I paid $200.00 for a pair of 12X50’s.

  I was sure impressed with the difference between those and my old $40.00 pair of 10X50’s.  I could look through the new glasses for 15 continuous minutes and not get a headache. As a matter of fact I didn’t even realize I had been glassing for that long. If you don’t believe me, try this. Take your $40.00 glasses and sit in you favorite chair and get in the most comfortable position  possible, then glass for 15 minutes non stop. Be honest with your self and see if your eyes don’t start to blur and maybe you will also start to feel a little pressure just above you eyebrows. Take a 15-minute break and repeat this. Now, go get some Tylenol. Remember, these are optimal conditions and you have given yourself a headache. Imagine being up high on a rocky ridge with your soft side on a piece of rough granite. You would be cutting the time you were able to sit in you comfortable chair down to about a 1/3.

  Now when it comes to holding your glasses you might want to get out spend some more money on a good tri-pod with a locking swivel adapter. This will help you get more focused on a specific area and look for details with out all that shaking. One key point to remember is the higher the magnification the harder it will be to hold the glasses steady. I highly recommend a tripod when using optics higher than 10X to 12X. If you can’t afford it or can’t or just don’t want to carry a tripod around you can use your knees and the brim of your ball cap. Keep your elbows just beyond your kneecaps and pinch your hat brim down on your glasses. This will help you keep your glasses steady. I guess the main thing is to get into a place where you can hold the glasses as steady as possible. To me though you just can’t beat a good tripod. You can also use the tripod as a rest for your rifle if you need to take a shot.

  Well this could go on forever and ever. I promise that if you spent a little more time behind the glass you will find more game and fill more tags. I hope this information helps out. If you would like to talk or ask any specific questions in regards to optics drop me line at HUNTING@AZOD.COM I would be glad to answer any questions or here any advice you all might have about this subject.

Good Luck and Best Wishes

Louis Urquides

Hunting Editor for AZOD