Our Top Tips for Glassing Terrain

Our Top Tips for Glassing Terrain. Knowing how to effectively glass while hunting can lead to more punched tags.

My first elk hunt was over a decade ago. Growing up east of the Mississippi River I never truly understood the expanse of the western landscape until the first morning when my guide and I sat on a high knoll and watched the rising sun illuminate the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico. He began glassing the adjacent mountain side composed of dark timber where elk slipped out then back in with the burgeoning light. 

The first bull he spotted was safely back into the trees long before I could get eyes on him. So was the second. Then the third. I’d rarely used binos up until that point. Having only to pick up movement in close quarters in the eastern hardwoods. My guide must have given me some tips on glassing terrain while hunting though I’ve long since forgotten them. Not until a few years later, when I came to work with this company did I truly understand the importance of knowing how to set up and use binoculars or a spotting scope to my advantage. 

Glassing Terrain While Hunting

Hunting, scouting, birding, whatever it is you’re doing that requires the addition of optics to your adventure, the following rules and/or suggestions all apply to becoming more effective while glassing terrain. Whether it’s an 8x binocular or a 55x spotting scope, you can’t put a price on patience and persistence. As well as a few other items we think will help you in your quest for successfully seeing more animals. 

Patience & Persistence

Here’s the funny thing about trying to find bull elk, many of which can have massive antlers and weigh around 700 pounds: they are hard to spot. I incorrectly assumed all those years ago that creatures of such stature and mass would easily be seen from miles away. The Creator obviously had different ideas.

Big game animals like elk and mule deer are adept at disappearing into seemingly barren landscapes. Given that they live in the land of lions, bears, and hunters, camouflage is one of their foremost forms of protection. Don’t look for the whole animal. Try to find a leg laying out in the sun or the slight turn of a big rack.

The eyes of someone who spends a weekend or two a year behind the glass can’t compare with those who do it consistently. So if you’re the former, don’t get discouraged if you’re having a hard time spotting animals. Patience and persistence, like so many other facets of life, really do pay off. 

Guide Cole Kraetsch offers a few tips for glassing the big country of the west.

Get Comfortable

Create a comfortable setup. There is absolutely no shame in bringing a pad or finding yourself a back rest. I was in my 20s on that first elk hunt and could sleep on the ground and walk all day without an inkling of soreness. These days not so much. My neck hurts from looking down at my laptop for long periods of time. A comfortable sitting position will allow you to glass for longer periods of time without the need for a break.

Blend In

Conceal yourself. Glassing is still hunting and the sharp eyes that most animals possess will pick you out long before you see them. Create your comfortable setup among some scrub oak or back against a big ponderosa pine to break up your silhouette. You should also consider glassing into the wind, just as you would when stalking. Lastly, try to keep the sun at your back so that no part of your setup shines and you’re not dealing with glare.  

Use a Tripod

Using a tripod with binoculars is an effective way to sit longer and see more animals. A tripod will save your neck and shoulder muscles untold hours of use. You may find yourself glass for six hours or better before spotting an animal and making a stalk. 

A tripod will also allow you to take a break then pick back up where you left off. Or, if you’re hunting with a partner, you can stay on an animal when you spot it and easily tell your buddy where to look. Otherwise you may have to relocate the animal and it could be gone by the time you do.

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Attaching your Binocular to a Tripod makes all the Difference in Glassing Terrain Out West

The Anchor System Glassing Terrain

If you don’t have a tripod or just don’t want to carry one into the backcountry, the anchor system is the next best thing. Find your comfortable spot. Make sure your butt and feet create a solid foundation for the rest of the body. Place the tips of your elbows onto the tips of your knees - bone on bone - and raise your binoculars to your eyes. Drop your shoulders to put some tension on the elbow-knee connection and therefore solidify the anchor. This will help reduce shake and fatigue when glassing for long periods of time. 

The Grid System

Using the grid system is most effective and easier with a tripod though it will work on the anchor system as well. Like we mentioned, you’re not necessarily looking for the whole body of an elk or mule deer. It’s mostly likely going to be a body part or a subtle movement that gives away their location. 

The grid system is a way to pick apart the area you’re glassing with less of a chance that you’ll miss something. Start at the top left portion of the area and slowly scan to the right, almost like reading a book. Except that when you reach the right-most side, drop down a bit and scan back left. This way you’re covering the area efficiently rather than looking at random places. 

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Picking apart a hillside with binoculars or a spotting scope can be both fun and rewarding. You may be elk hunting but spot your first black bear. While the kill is a great reward, the immersion in nature is hard to beat. And you’re that much closer to the action when employing a systematic glassing strategy. 

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