# Hunting > Hunting >  Glassing tips

## lucas

Hi there just would like to ask any hints or tips on glassing! 
Whenever im glassing open country, untill i see an animal im never sure what size thing im looking for! As silly as it sounds what are your guys tips on using other objects for scale? This is especially for longer distances. 
Cheers Lucas

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## 199p

I have the same problem.

I have found glassing from right to left works better then left to right, seem to go slower and see more detail.

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## oneshot

I look for color not shape or size, deer stand out like dogs balls with their red coat, especially if the sun is shining off them, its the first thing that always catches my attention.

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## veitnamcam

Always glass the skyline first and keep flicking back to it for a look,animals,people stick out like dogs balls on the skyline.
Once something is seen there you often notice others around it but not on the skyline that you didn't see before.
Hot look in shade,cold look in sun,windy look in shelter.
Look everywhere but concentrate on those bits in those conditions.
morning and evening is best,middel of day you are mostly looking for something bedded down which depending on the terrain can be hard to impossible.

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## J.T

> I look for color not shape or size, deer stand out like dogs balls with their red coat, especially if the sun is shining off them, its the first thing that always catches my attention.


So what do you look for when there sitting down in the shade? what if hes looking for Fallow,
Think of these things when glassing as they might help Shape size shine Silloette Sign movement and like 199p said look in the opposite direction you read as it is less familier for your eyes so you will see things in a different way.

Jase

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## oneshot

it always amazes me how they can appear like ghosts,  an animal can be in the spot you just glassed seconds earlier.

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## oneshot

> So what do you look for when there sitting down in the shade? what if hes looking for Fallow,
> Think of these things when glassing as they might help Shape size shine Silloette Sign movement and like 199p said look in the opposite direction you read as it is less familier for your eyes so you will see things in a different way.
> 
> Jase


I still look for color, seen hundreds if not thousands of fallow over the years, in the shade the red or tan, white, grey, whatever the case may be, it still stands out to me in an obvious way, its just what I have always trained my eyes to notice I guess.

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## lucas

Thanks everyone, this has been a great help already!

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## J.T

Good luck fulla,once you start seeing animals it will all make sense to you.one other tip that could help mate is when you do spot one keep scanning around were it is looking for other animals especially if there are other clearing's close by as if ones out there kin will be out too, look at the grass or bushes for wind sign to help  you shoot or stalk it aswell.

Jase

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## R93

You have to ask yourself why things are seen.
Think about size, shape, surface, spacing, shadow (both cast and contained)

Break your ground up into likely areas where your quarry will be.
Scan right to left if you want to slow down as it is opposite to the way we read.



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## Toby

@7mmsaum has a bloody good set of eyes!

I noticed he stopped often to look around. About 99% more then I did and he was the one who found the deers so I've learnt I need to stop 99% more than I currently do haha

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## username

> Hi there just would like to ask any hints or tips on glassing! 
> Whenever im glassing open country, untill i see an animal im never sure what size thing im looking for! As silly as it sounds what are your guys tips on using other objects for scale? This is especially for longer distances. 
> Cheers Lucas


Good question

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## scoped

Trying my luck on sika at the end if tge month anyone have any tips fir glassing them in comparison to reds/fallow?

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## Tahr

> Trying my luck on sika at the end if tge month anyone have any tips fir glassing them in comparison to reds/fallow?


Look anywhere there is Tute. Like, here:



You can see their summer coat colour at the bottom of the shingle (a deaded one)

And there’s one by the tree here. Evening, glass around these sorts of fringes:

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## Gibo

> @7mmsaum has a bloody good set of eyes!
> 
> I noticed he stopped often to look around. About 99% more then I did and he was the one who found the deers so I've learnt I need to stop 99% more than I currently do haha


+1 on that!! Took me a while to see them even when I was looking at them  :Sad:

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## oneshot

Nice photos, thats what I mean about color, their coats make them stand out like becons compared to everything else.

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## JoshC

> +1 on that!! Took me a while to see them even when I was looking at them


It's all practice, and obviously the more animals you see the easier it is. The more you use your binos the more animals you will see too. I am constantly looking for animals day to day, it's a habit, and I find that I'll pick them up pretty easily and much quicker than most other people I hunt with. I'm not sure exactly why, the only thing I can think of is the amount of animals I see while out and about provides good practice. But I am constantly looking.  

Learn to identify the key spots the target animals like to be, clearings, bush edges, bluff systems, creek heads etc., and check them out more intensively rather than just quickly run the binos over them. Looks for parts of animals too, not "whole" animals, as sometimes they'll be hiding behind a bush, tree or rock. When hunting in the tops, always check the ridges and skylines first, and regularly after that. Often animals may be bedded down just off the top if a ridge only to stand up after you've looked it over. You'll spot animals on a ridge from literally miles away...vice versa for you too...when hunting keep off the ridge lines! It's amazing how many hunters don't think of that. 

Movement is a big thing to, especially hunting chamois and tahr. Often in an alpine environment, especially during the changes of the seasons they can be almost invisible until they move. This is why glassing with good binos is so important, you need plenty of time behind the binos to allow the animals to make their move, or just become visible. But remember the same applies to you, find a good vantage spot at peak times of the day and glass lots. If you're not moving about the animals are less likely to see you and are more likely to move about into the open.

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## Gibo

> It's all practice, and obviously the more animals you see the easier it is. The more you use your binos the more animals you will see too. I am constantly looking for animals day to day, it's a habit, and I find that I'll pick them up pretty easily and much quicker than most other people I hunt with. I'm not sure exactly why, the only thing I can think of is the amount of animals I see while out and about provides good practice. But I am constantly looking.  
> 
> Learn to identify the key spots the target animals like to be, clearings, bush edges, bluff systems, creek heads etc., and check them out more intensively rather than just quickly run the binos over them. Looks for parts of animals too, not "whole" animals, as sometimes they'll be hiding behind a bush, tree or rock. When hunting in the tops, always check the ridges and skylines first, and regularly after that. Often animals may be bedded down just off the top if a ridge only to stand up after you've looked it over. You'll spot animals on a ridge from literally miles away...vice versa for you too...when hunting keep off the ridge lines! It's amazing how many hunters don't think of that. 
> 
> Movement is a big thing to, especially hunting chamois and tahr. Often in an alpine environment, especially during the changes of the seasons they can be almost invisible until they move. This is why glassing with good binos is so important, you need plenty of time behind the binos to allow the animals to make their move, or just become visible. But remember the same applies to you, find a good vantage spot at peak times of the day and glass lots. If you're not moving about the animals are less likely to see you and are more likely to move about into the open.


Cheers Josh. 
Will need to take to the Kaimais and Pap hills with a saw so I can use my bino's more  :Wink:   :Grin:

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## Tahr

> Cheers Josh. 
> Will need to take to the Kaimais and Pap hills with a saw so I can use my bino's more


Plenty of hunter cut little look outs. I'm always coming across them. Don't like them much myself. There's enough hacking away of the bush going on as it is. But I'm fine about using other people's spots.  :Have A Nice Day: 

To have a good glass around you often need to get off the main ridge and slip down to a little benck or side spur. Lay back on your pack or in the tussock and get yourself comfortable. Control your breathing, too. Concentrate. 

If you are on a side spur you can pop from side to side and double your chances of seeing something. Keep your profile down while you do this. Not only be strategic about where you look, but aslo about where you look from.

Once you know what you are looking for through your binos, and get good at it, you will find that you start seeing more and more with just the naked eye.

When I sit down for a glass I often take some ranges to the most likely spots, and will sometimes actually set my rifle up for a shot.

Don't get too excited about upgarding to Swarvos. Good average binos will do the job until you get good at it.

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## Gibo

> Plenty of hunter cut little look outs. I'm always coming across them. Don't like them much myself. There's enough hacking away of the bush going on as it is. But I'm fine about using other people's spots. 
> 
> To have a good glass around you often need to get off the main ridge and slip down to a little benck or side spur. Lay back on your pack or in the tussock and get yourself comfortable. Control your breathing, too. Concentrate. 
> 
> If you are on a side spur you can pop from side to side and double your chances of seeing something. Keep your profile down while you do this. Not only be strategic about where you look, but aslo about where you look from.
> 
> Once you know what you are looking for through your binos, and get good at it, you will find that you start seeing more and more with just the naked eye.
> 
> When I sit down for a glass I often take some ranges to the most likely spots, and will sometimes actually set my rifle up for a shot.
> ...


Cheers Thar. I was joking about the saw. I have a few good spots where I can see past 10m  :Grin:  My biggest problem is after hunting bush so much I find it hard to sit still  :Wink:  Whats over there is the common question to myself. I have some Leupold Mojave's which are a good mid range bino.

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## oneshot

I shot a good sized Fallow buck down south that was smashing its antlers in some bushes, from where I was the antlers like Toitoi flowers waving around in the wind because of the antler color, what gave it away was there was no Toitoi anywhere else,  bino inspection showed a large set of Buck antlers poking up, thats all I could see of him.  Sometimes its the little things that make you think "something aint right with that picture"

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## Gibo

> Cheers Tahr. I was joking about the saw. I have a few good spots where I can see past 10m  My biggest problem is after hunting bush so much I find it hard to sit still  Whats over there is the common question to myself. I have some Leupold Mojave's which are a good mid range bino.


Spelt that wrong

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## 7mmsf

When glassing I tend to check out spots close first then work my way out then when I have covered all ground then I start a bit of a pattern so I cover all areas regularly looking for coulor, movement, and out of place solid shapes and things

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## Rushy

> Cheers Josh. 
> Will need to take to the Kaimais and Pap hills with a saw so I can use my bino's more


Don't bother glassing Gibo.  Drink it from the bottle.  Go the mighty king of beers WAIKATO.  Damn I can slip a reference to WAIKATO into any thread.  What a resilient and flexible beer it is.  Ha ha ha ha

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## R93

> Damn I can slip a reference to WAIKATO into any thread.  What a GAY and FEMININE  beer it is.  Ha ha ha ha


Fixed😆

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## Gibo

> Fixed
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


I would hold your tongue if I was you, Rushy and I have already discussed when we are paying you a visit!! You WILL be converted all be it for an evening  :Psmiley:

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## HNTMAD

The one thing i have learnt (thanks Craigc and more so Tahr) is you gott sit on ya arse for a bit, glass and glass and glass. My method is to check all obvoius spots first and when nothing presents i start looking under the bushes, even trying to find little holes in the bush they may be tucked up in to get sun, sometime they are right there but tucked up. On the weekend for instance, we got to a look out at say 4, glassed for 30mins and nothing, i got bored and went for a quick wonder, can back 20 mins later, still nothing, nek minute a spiker out. I mentioned to my hunting buddy there will be more, none seen, nek minute a hind pops out. Watched them for an hour on this slip then decided to fill the freezer, as oneshot says they are like ghosts. they may even be sitting behind a bush or whatever in the middle of the slip the whole time, also little knobs on the spurs can have an animal standing there surveying the area or getting last of sun etc 

Still learning though

Hamish

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## Tahr

Yes Hamish. That's the thing. You are looking for everything. Asnd as you see less, you gotta look for more.
I remember many years ago, Cooch said to me "I can see one". "Where", I sad. "In the leatherwood up that gutter, I saw an ear flick".
That's all he saw.. It was maybe 500 yards away.

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## Rushy

> Fixed
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


Ha ha ha ha smart arse.  Well played

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## Dynastar27

is this turning in to another thread about Shitty Waikato  :Cool:

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## gadgetman

I've found, through my limited experience, that every few minutes you need to put the binos down and look over your shoulder. If there is nothing behind you pick up the binos and continue to glass. This gives your eyes a bit of a break from the binos but more importantly when you are glassing the neighbours dear you can see if your Mrs is sneaking up behind you!

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## R93

> I would hold your tongue if I was you, Rushy and I have already discussed when we are paying you a visit!! You WILL be converted all be it for an evening


I would rather have a rusty chainsaw shoved up my posterior than drink that long drop water.
But you are both always welcome to visit as long as all your paperwork is in order😆

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## Gibo

> I would rather have a rusty chainsaw shoved up my posterior than drink that long drop water.
> But you are both always welcome to visit as long as all your paperwork is in order
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


You talk brave on here as others have  :Wink:  and fell  :Grin:

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## R93

> You talk brave on here as others have  and fell


No. I admit to being very scared of drinking Gaykato.
It is common knowledge it's like crack.
but after 1 hit you don't get addicted and broke you turn gay!

It's on the Internet so must be true😆

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## Rushy

> is this turning in to another thread about Shitty Waikato


Mate I am going to make it my mission in life to convert you

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## Rushy

> No. I admit to being very scared of drinking Gaykato.
> It is common knowledge it's like crack.
> but after 1 hit you don't get addicted and broke you turn gay!
> 
> It's on the Internet so must be true
> 
> Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


I have never been called gay before.   Just as well I am not Happy or I would be confused

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## R93

> Mate I am going to make it my mission in life to convert you


Aunty Huia......Over.


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## Sniper

Has anyone tried the Bushnell Trophy XLT 8x32 Binoculars? Was looking at getting some. Most reviews are quite good. Your thoughts?
Thanks

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## Boulderman

Or the Bushnell Legend, 10x42's, opinions....?

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## PerazziSC3

Movement is a key thing especially when looking for tahr and chamois. Deer stand out like dogs balls. They have a much more obvious silhouette and the colour is very obvious usually. Tahr and chamois blend in extremely well, first time you go tahr hunting you will probably see 100 Rock tahr. I was looking at one on the weekend at about 500m he was sitting down, didn't move a muscle for about 20mins then all of a sudden the rock stood up.... Usually if you are 2nd guessing whether it is an animal or rock it's probably a rock...

Good binos certainly help, not necessarily with spotting more animals but you can look for a hell of a lot longer as they don't strain the eyes. Good binos might be the difference between seeing 20 tahr instead of 15 so if you are in a shitty spot that holds fark all animals you might see none with crap binos but pick up one or two with high end binos which equals a feed!

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