You’ve waited for this moment since the season ended last year.
You get to your stand a little bit earlier then you anticipated and your mind starts to wander.
You hear a leaf being gently crushed underfoot, you look down 25 yards. In front of you is the buck that you’ve been waiting on. The one you’ve been getting on your trail cam for 3 years.
You slowly raise your rifle, you can hear your heartbeat in your ears. You gently ease off the safety and look through the scope.
To your horror all you can see is brown. No trace of the crosshair and no way to tell what part of the deer you were even aiming at.
You watch helplessly as the buck you've been dreaming of melts slowly back into the timber… Welcome to my nightmare!
This exact story happens not hundreds but thousands of times every single deer season by hunters using a precision or target scope, when what they really needed was a dedicated Hunting Scope.
Let’s jump right in with the features that’ll help you pick a winner.
Rifle Scope Types
LPVO:
These are the Low Power Variable Optics like you normally see on an AR15. The front of the scope is normally a straight tube to lower the profile of the scope and minimize weight. Most are illuminated.
BENCHREST:
These are either fixed power, or variable powered scopes with VERY HIGH magnification and tiny reticles.
PRECISION:
These are the “hot“ scopes at the moment. First Focal Plane scopes used to quickly acquire targets and scale the target regardless of magnification setting.
While all these scopes can be used in hunting scenarios, none are ideal except for true Hunting Scopes.
Let’s take a closer look at what makes a true hunting scope. One dedicated to making your season a success.
Factors That Make A Hunting Scope
MAGNIFICATION:
Most scopes that are being made today are variable power scopes. There are still a few fixed power scopes out there, but 95% of what you’ll see on the market now are variable power scopes.
There is a very good reason for this. Variable power scopes are simply more versatile. On the low end, you have the setting that will give you a wider field of view and normally will appear a little brighter to your eye. On the high end of the magnification range, is where you’ll get the most magnification but it will also narrow your field of view drastically.
Now while some hunters don’t want to hear this or accept this fact, most deer taken every year are killed inside of 60 yards.
A target at 60 yards with four power scope will appear four times larger than it is to the naked eye.
While I’ve never met a hunter during my lifetime that lost a deer inside of 60 yards because the scope magnification was too low…. almost every hunter I know had to learn the hard way (like me) and lost deer because the magnification was way too high on the scope that they were using.
Or that scope would not allow me to get the magnification low enough that I could actually see what was in front of me other than a big brown hairy blob to make what should’ve been a chip shot.
There is a reason the 3 to 9 variable power scopes easily outsell any other power range scope every year.
At 3X you have an incredibly large field of view that will appear very crisp and bright to your eye. And 9X is more than enough magnification to make a very, very precise shot on a deer size target well beyond 250 yards.
Before I started writing this, I took a look at the optics on my own hunting rifles.
I have one 2.5-10 power scope. Two 4X power scopes. Three 3-9X power scopes. And one fixed 6X scope.
I have access to a large variety of rifle scopes and this is what I personally use. For hunting in heavy timber and the occasional pipeline right of way… these are all I’ll ever need.
While it’s incredibly tempting to buy a scope with as much magnification as you can get in your price range, that is easily the largest mistake scope buyers make every single year.
I know for a fact because I did it five or six times myself before it finally got through to my hard headed ass.
You’re much better off with a quality, low powered scope, than a worthless amazon scope that goes to 32X. Magnification is a lot like Reggae music… less is more.
Features to Look For in a Hunting Scope
TUBE DIAMETER:
While it’s super tempting for some shooters to get the scope with the largest diameter because they have a false belief that the larger diameter tube will allow more light to come through the scope, that simply isn’t true.
A larger diameter scope tube does one thing and one thing only. It allows for more travel on the internal adjustment assembly.
The smaller the diameter of the scope the less the scope is going to weigh, everything else being equal.
When it comes to a hunting rifle scope, weight needs to be one of the considerations that you really give a hard look at. 1 inch and 30mm scope tubes are much easier to find rings for. My wife has told me for years girth is overrated. That goes for scopes also. God, I love that woman…
OBJECTIVE SIZE:
The front lens or objective lens on the scope is measured in millimeters across.
The larger the objective lens diameter, the larger the exit pupil will be on the scope, everything else being equal.
The larger the exit pupil, the easier it is to keep your eyes centered in the sky.
The downside to an oversized objective lens is you have to get high rings or extra high rings depending on the size of the objective.
And it also can make it hard to get a cheek weld and make consistent shots. The larger objective also leads to a more narrow depth of field.
If you've ever used a camera and adjusted the aperture ring to where the aperture is wide open, it narrows the depth of field of you compared to one that’s constricted a little more.
A good quality scope with a 40mm objective is going to be a lot more versatile, will be a lot easier to mount, less weight and less cumbersome than a gigantic scope with a 56mm objective.
This is really important to think about if there’s a possibility that someone smaller or someone that’s younger will be using the rifle.
With the huge objective and the extra tall rings, it’s really really awkward for a smaller person to be able to aim the rifle. Picture a midget trying to look through a peephole...
THE TURRETS:
When you’re looking for a new scope you’re going to find two basic turret types.
There’s the covered and the uncovered turrets.
The uncovered turrets, as the name would imply, are exposed. They’ll either push, pull, lock, or there’s no locking mechanism of any kind.
You can grab the turret and turn them easily. There’s nothing externally keeping you from bumping the turret or someone’s son, or a nephew picking up your scope at a hunting camp and clicking on the turrets a little… been there and done that.
Now while there are a ton of shooters out there that don’t have a problem hunting with an exposed turret, I personally feel extra, extra, extra good knowing that the turrets are capped.
I don’t have to worry about somebody bumping into it. I don’t have to worry if I banged it on the truck handle as we headed out. It is a security blanket that I’m more than willing to shop for to get that little extra piece of mind in the hunting camp.
Having your turrets covered is a lot like having your nipples covered, it just makes good sense.
SFP or FFP RETICLE:
In a nutshell, with a second focal plane scope, the reticle stays a constant size regardless of how high or how low the magnification is turned.
On the first focal plane scope, the radical grows and shrinks with the magnification. The downside to a first focal plane scope under hunting conditions is if you turn the magnification down, it can be extremely, extremely hard to find the smaller reticle, especially in low light.
On hunting scopes, I think anything other than a second focal plane is a mistake.
I realize there are hunting situations where a first focal plane might come in handy.
Maybe out west under extreme long range conditions with a spotter while prairie dog hunting?
But under normal big game hunting situations the second focal plane is by far the better choice for most.
RETICLE TYPES:
Every year new reticle designs pop up like weeds in a garden but true hunting scopes go with what has been tried and true usually for decades.
In 1492 (don’t quote me on that) Leupold designed the Duplex Reticle, like most great inventions. As soon as hunters saw it for the first time, they thought why didn’t someone come up with that sooner?
The simple design of a larger outer post drawing your eye to the center cross that is smaller, is genius.
Every single scope that I hunt with has some variation of a duplex design whether it’s a true duplex, a duplex with an illuminated dot in the middle, or a #4 German reticle.
The single most successful hunter I’ve ever known told me something that has always stuck with me: “The minute you have to hold high or hold over the animal, the greater chance you will miss. Or worse yet, hit it poorly." - H.W. Rhea.
One single easy to pick out reference point in the center of the scope will handle any normal hunting situation you ever need.
ILLUMINATION: 
Depending on your personal point of view on illuminated reticles in a scope, is one of two things. It is either the most overhyped feature in Optics or it is an absolute must have.
The truth lies probably somewhere in between.
Two things to think about when it comes to buying a scope with a reticle that’s illuminated.
A simple dot in the center of the reticle is by far the easiest to use when you’re hunting.
It will help you by drawing your focus to the center of the scope.
Illumination is especially useful in really dark hunting conditions, or when you’re shooting at a dark animal like a hog or a bear.
The second thing to consider when picking out a scope that’s illuminated, is to make sure that you’re able to pick up the reticle without the illumination.
Every hunter has at one time left his illumination turned on and the small hearing aid batteries will drain it down in about 24 hours. If you can’t see the reticle without it, don’t bother.
BUYING OPTIONS:
Where you buy your scope is probably more important than what brand you buy.
Reputable certified scope retailers such as Optics Force are not going to carry a brand of scope that there’s a lot of problems with, such as a scope line with a lot of returns, or where the manufacturer won’t stand behind the product line.
Buy from someone reputable with a good track record.
Do not buy a scope off of eBay or Amazon or Alibaba or anywhere else like that especially if it’s a brand you’ve never heard of or from a dealer you have no idea about.
On paper you may get an incredible deal with all kinds of goodies and options included in the price. But when there’s a problem and if you buy one of these sources THERE WILL BE.
You are gonna be shit outta luck.
I hope these tips and illustrations will help you guys pick out the scope that’ll help you get through the hunting season with the best chance of success.
And I wanted to give a huge shout out to Optics Force for standing behind their customers, fast shipping, and overall excellent customer service.