Part 3 of the Montana Bear Hunt Series:
This is the part where the Omnis Digital Spotting Scope saved our hunters a lot of time and heartache.
RECAP
If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, click on the links and go have a look. In our previous two installments Brandon and Cav drove to Montana from Accufire HQ in Texas, stopped at some great stores, and picked up some first class gear. After arriving at Helena National Forest, the guys realized they should have hiked a little more to prep for the hunt, Cav had his first rodeo on the side of the mountain, and they learned that Ian Fisher is a beast. As we rejoin the adventure, the crew has begun their first full day in hunt camp and is ready to see what the day brings…
We’re Going On a Bear Hunt
The merry band of hunters got up early and headed up the mountain to find a good spot to glass. If you have never hunted in the mountains you may not know that usually a hunter will find an elevated spot and use a spotting scope to “glass” the surrounding area looking for animals. This is typically done with binoculars for broad scanning, then transitions to a higher powered spotting scope on a tripod to get a closer look and determine if the animal is suitable for harvest.
The glassing spot was “just up the hill” according to Ian, which translated to nearly a mile of constant elevation gain to reach the top of the ridgeline. By the time the crew reached the spot they were ready for a Peak Refuel meal and a few minutes with their boots off.
The Omnis Digital Spotting Scope is the King of the Mountain
The Omnis Digital Spotting Scope is possibly the greatest advancement in glassing since the ultra lite tripod or the puffy jacket. The Digital Spotting Scope has a 30x-120x zoom range, giving the user an unprecedented look at details in their surroundings. This ability to achieve greater detail while glassing is significant because of the time and energy it can save a hunter.
If you are able to locate an animal, determine the species, sex, and size or legality of that animal from your glassing spot then you don’t have to spend half a day or more hiking to get in position to get a better look. If it’s the right animal you can make your move, it not then you can sit and keep looking.
The Omnis Digital Spotting Scope has a 2.95 inch OLED screen, making it much easier to look at for extended periods than a traditional spotting scope. Traditional spotting scopes require the user to line up their eye in the correct relief behind the optic and focus within the viewing window which can cause eye fatigue, or to use some kind of adapter to attach your phone to the eye piece. Eye fatigue is a real problem for many hunters, so eliminating that issue is a huge win. Brandon and Cav took turns scanning with binoculars and resting, then using the Digital Spotting Scope to get a closer look when they needed positive identification.
They were able to record a herd of elk on the next mountain and saved themselves many unnecessary miles by zooming in to 120x and determining that the bear shaped rock they saw did not require further attention. There were just enough moving shadows from clouds and trees, and grass blowing in the wind to make it nearly impossible to tell if the “bear” was moving or not through the binoculars.
Had it not been for the insane digital zoom and focus of the Digital Spotting Scope, the guys would have burned lots of time and calories getting close enough to realize the mistake. Omnis Digital Spotting Scope for the win.
For the next two days the rhythm was much the same. Wake up early, eat breakfast in camp, hike up the mountain to glass, take turns scanning and resting, call it a day and head back to camp with enough day light left to cook and clean. On the second afternoon the team wandered into a late season snowpack and made mountain snow cones. The view from the ridgeline was stunning.
The vegetation across the landscape was so wildly different from one side of the mountain to the other, depending on how recently it had burned. One side was green, full of trees and smaller vegetation, and simply looked alive. A few yards away over the crest of the ridge the short mountain grasses were starting to reappear, but the charred skeletons of once mighty trees were littered across the slope like something out of a movie. The sheer power of mother nature’s fury was on full display.
Empty Freezer, Full Hearts
Ultimately Team Accufire came home without a bear, but certainly not empty handed. This trip was an opportunity for our team to experience a part of the country that they don’t get to see very often and appreciate the awesome beauty of our country.
Mountain hunting is a special thing. It is not for the weak or fainthearted, and anyone who dares to put on a pack and walk into the wild will either hate it or become hopelessly addicted. If you have a few spare hours go find a sheep or goat hunter and get them started talking about their passion. You will either think they are insane or their intense love of the sport will infect you too.
Our Commitment to You
At Accufire our goal is to design and build optics that hunters of every skill level and pursuit can enjoy. If you want to strap survival essentials to your back and stalk elusive critters in the most hellacious terrain on earth, we have you covered. Or, if you want to hunt whitetail deer from a stand, we have what you need for that too. Our full line of traditional rifle optics, digital spotting scopes, thermal clip-on optics, red dot sights, and night vision scopes provides every shooter the options that they need to be successful.
Our customer service team can answer any questions and ensure that you take home the right set up. We have more awesome hunts lined up in the near future, stay tuned and see what else the team gets in to.
Accufire, Advancing Accuracy.
