Why don’t low ground deer stalkers use telescopes?

Telescopes allow Highland stalkers to study deer in detail at very long distances.

By George Wallace

Thursday, 12 August 2010

Deer stalking: Why don’t low ground stalkers use telescopes to spot deer? Are they only of any use for some reason on the high uplands?

Deer stalking
GEORGE WALLACE
If you have ever tried to handle a telescope unobtrusively in woodland, when deer may be only a few yards away, you will already know the answer to this one!

The telescope is the tool of Scottish highland stalkers for two reasons. First, they are the traditional instrument - part of the uniform, if you like - whose use dates back to before decent binoculars were available.

Second, for a given magnification a telescope will be smaller and lighter than equivalent binoculars.

Just imagine the size and weight of binoculars which would be required to assess a Stag’s head at a distance of more than a mile; and the extra weight of the tripod necessary for a steady hold.

You see them advertised, sometimes, as Coast Guard binoculars.

An equivalent scope would be a quarter of the size and weight and is much easier to hold steady from a prone position.

Using a telescope does take practice but for fine work at long range under field conditions there’s really no substitute.

Binoculars, on the other hand, have a wider field of view and are far easier to use from a standing or sitting position around the fields and woods, where ranges are shorter.