Gear Review - SWAROVSKI OPTIK ATX/STX Modular Spotting Scopes

Disclaimer: I am biased about this product because I work for SWAROVSKI OPTIK.

When I first saw the ATX/STX spotting scope system, I started thinking about all the times I could use the huge 95mm objective lens from the vehicle or when scouting, and then swap it for the 65mm lens while actually hunting. My opportunities came this fall while helping two friends on two separate hunts, and the combination worked amazingly!

Let's start with the basics of this system:

Image Quality
The image quality of this spotting scope is mind-blowing. It has superior color, clarity, and contrast thanks to the HD lenses and SWAROVISION. In addition, the field flattener lenses provide a huge field of view and amazing edge-to-edge clarity. When comparing it to our 80mm HD spotting scopes, which many people regarded as the best spotting scope on the market, the 65mm lens is quite comparable, the 85mm is brighter and clearer, and the 95mm simply blows it away!

The ATX/95mm (front) compared to the STS-80 HD.

Ergonomics
The magnification wheel has been moved down onto the "body" of the scope next to the focus wheel. This greatly improves the ease of use of the spotting scope because you no longer need to reach up under your hat and crank up the magnification while trying to hold the scope steady. A simple movement back from the focus wheel places your hand on the magnification wheel, which is easy to manipulate even with gloves on. In addition, since it is near the middle of the scope, it's much easier to keep your scope on target while zooming in.

Digiscoping
This is the first spotting scope that has been designed specifically with digiscoping in mind. Previously, spotting scopes were built as spotting scopes, and then we tried to add cool adapters for digiscoping. I don't know exactly what the engineers did, but they incorporated photography into their plans and design elements. What I do know is that digiscoping is far easier with the scope using either of two different adapters, and the quality is far better. There is an adapter for interchangeable lens cameras called the TLS-APO, and one for point-and-shoots called the DCB II. I have been digiscoping for more than eight years, and the first few photos with this scope were better than all of my other digiscoping photos...combined!

Great-tailed Grackle (ATX/85, DCB II, Canon 1400 IS)

Great-tailed Grackle (ATX/85, DCB II, Canon 1400 IS)

Great-tailed Grackle (ATX/85, DCB II, Canon 1400 IS)

Modularity
I left the modularity for last, because even if your couldn't interchange objective lenses, or you choose to just get one lens, this scope is still beyond compare. However, when you add in the fact that you can now get one eyepiece (angled is available now, straight will be available in 2013), and then pick-and-choose which objective lens you would like, it makes this scope far more useful. As I said at the beginning, the combination of a 65mm and 95mm, seems perfect for me, but the 85mm is such an amazing lens, that I don't see why someone couldn't use just that one. I have glassed and digiscoped with all three, using the 65/95 combo on two hunts this fall. I used the 95mm while scouting, and then the 65mm during the actual hunt. The size/weight savings were definitely worth it, especially on my friend Joel's mountain goat hunt!

Scouting for Mountain Goats (ATX/95mm, TLS APO, Canon EOS Rebel XTi)

Hunting for Mountain Goats (ATX/65mm, TLS APO, Canon EOS Rebel XTi)

Hunting for Mountain Goats (ATX/65mm, TLS APO, Canon EOS Rebel XTi)

Conclusion
There is simply no better spotting scope that I have looked through, and I have been lucky enough to use almost all the other competitors in the field. I have compared the SWAROVSKI OPTIK ATX directly to our 80mm HD and 65mm HD, and it clearly wins out due to the SWAROVISION attributes of better color, contrast, clarity, and field of view. Add to it the improved ergonomics, digiscoping quality, and modularity, and it simply can't be beat!

Colorado Mountain Goat

For some strange reason, I have been enthralled by mountain goats. When my brother started applying for bighorn sheep in Utah, I started applying for mountain goats...I'm now up to 11 points. I have read stories, watched TV shows, and listened with interest anytime the subject of mountain goats came up. In my home state of Colorado, I could not afford the upfront cash fee of $1600 for points so I have never applied. Now that I am back, I will start building my points!

Knowing I am so excited about goats, my friend Joel Harris called me as soon as he found out he had drawn a Colorado tag. I was jealous, but couldn't wait to help him on his hunt. All summer long, I would stop to spot goats along I-70 as I drove back and forth from Eagle to Denver. Even though they weren't in Joel's unit, I called him each time, just to rub it in that I was watching goats.

I also called a customer who I thought might be able to help us. John Legnard is with the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society and since all those mountain hunters stick together, I thought it would be worth a shot. I hit the jackpot! Not only had John hunted the same unit as Joel's, his brother and another friend had also. John offered to help as long as he could bring Jeff Mees, who happens to give the goat hunting seminar each year for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. My simple inquiry turned into the best help a guy could ask for!

Scouting with the SWAROVSKI OPTIK STS-80 HD (background)

and the new ATX/95mm Modular Spotting Scope.

We found this 8" billy high on a ridge the day before the season opened.

We know it's an 8" billy because we met Ben Munoz who hiked in solo and shot him.

(Digiscoping photo with the SWAROVSKI OPTIK ATX/95mm, TLS-APO, and Canon XTi.)

The rest of the crew spent multiple days scouting, but I was only able to get over with Joel and our long-time friend John Cochran the day before the season. We skirted the unit in the pickup and found somewhere around 25 goats, only one of which was a billy. We met Ben Munoz, who we nicknamed "Interchangeable Ben" because he was set up with all SWAROVKSI glass and Outdoorsmans tripods. Due to work commitments, it was his first day scouting and he was hunting solo. After the hunt, he sent me photos of the 8" billy we had found while scouting. Unbeknownst to us, he spent a long day on the mountain - over 17 hours all combined - to shoot his well-earned trophy!

Goats in Colorado live above timberline in the 11,500-14,000 foot range.

Goat hunting...SWAROVSKI style!!

Joel, John C., and I met up with John L. and Jeff early on opening morning and proceeded to the trailhead. As we hiked in, we stopped periodically to glass and John L. was the first to find goats. They were way up at the head of a large bowl, but Jeff quickly found goats much closer. When we sat down to glass and everyone unlimbered their SWAROVSKIs, we found about 25 goats scattered around the bowl, again, only one of which was a large billy.

We decided to split up: Joel, John C., and I headed straight up while John L. and Jeff stayed down low to glass and give us hand signals. The billy was on the move, and there was just no way we could go up as fast as he could go around. He ended up mixing in with a bunch of other goats that all went up and over the top. A quick look down to our spotters confirmed we should climb back down.

The climb down was nearly as treacherous as the climb up. Loose rocks, uneven footing, and the sheer steepness were tough on both Joel and John, but were even worse for me since I had screwed up my ankle on an elk hunt the month before. I don't know whether I had a bad sprain or an avulsion fracture (where a tendon or ligament pulls off the bone) but I do know it hurt!

We found this small band of goats near a couple steep rock chutes.

(Digiscoping photo with the SWAROVSKI OPTIK ATX/65mm, TLS-APO, and Canon XTi)

Even kids (baby goats) are super agile!

Climbing up to the goats through loose rock, scree fields, and snow can be treacherous.

The Black Mamba - Joel's McMillan Rifles .30-.378.

The luckiest find...a matched set of billy horns from a dead goat!

On our way down, we relocated four goats that had not joined up with the others. We knew it was two nannies, a kid, and a small billy. Jeff climbed up to meet us halfway so we could discuss our plan. After much deliberation, Joel decided to shoot the larger of the two nannies. He got setup at over 300 yards, well within the range of his custom McMillan Rifles .30-.378, but since the goats were undisturbed, we decided to get a little closer. At 260 yards, Joel laid down prone and took the shot.

The goat nearly went down, but gathered up her strength, and slowly walked down into a chute and disappeared. We snuck to the edge, only to find her standing and facing us. Joel calmly shot her again when she turned broadside. She reared up on her hind legs, and then stood still again. Joel ran another 180 grain Barnes-X into her chest, which caused her to turn downhill and stumble deeper into the chute. After three shots into her chest, each of which would have killed just about any other animal on the planet, she was finally down.

Joel set up for a shot on his goat from over 300 yards, before we decided we could get a little closer.

Goats are tough - this nanny took three shots in the chest from his .30-.378.

Joel's nanny measured 8" and was aged at 13 years old.

A great crew of friends makes each hunt more fun and more memorable.

With lots of blood on the nanny's white coat, we spent a bunch of time cleaning her up for photos as best we could. Luckily, she fell near a small spring so we had plenty of clean, fresh water. I made Joel pose for a ton of photos, and then he and Jeff went to work on a full-body skinning. They accomplished the task without too many hiccups, so we split up the meat and gear, and headed off the mountain. Of course, Joel got the privilege of carrying the head and hide, which made us all jealous, but proud to be able to help.

Joel's new Outdoorsmans pack made the hike out much easier.

Goat hunting was everything I thought it would be: challenging, majestic, exciting. The country they inhabit is second to none, and to see them easily jump around the rocks and cliffs makes you appreciate the toughness of these animals. They spend their entire lives at elevations where most people can't even breathe, yet they survey their domain as if they're sitting on the beach. Sharing a hunt like this with ethical, dedicated sportsmen made it even more fun. Never had I gotten together so many guys who hadn't hunted together (heck, hadn't even met one another) who got along so well and had so much fun.

It will be a while before I draw a Colorado goat tag, but I hope to weasel my way onto to as many hunts as possible. And you never know, I might just get lucky pretty soon with a Utah tag, too!

 

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep - Photo Slideshow

It seems like all I ever post about anymore is my brother's sheep hunt, huh?

Well, it has been quite the hectic first half of the year with the new job, the move to Colorado, still living in a month-to-month rental, and tons of travel. I hope to keep my posts a little more updated from here on out...

Click the play arrow below to check out a slideshow of the sheep hunt. If you just watch it on my blog, the quality is not as good...for the highest quality, click on HD (which will take you to the Vimeo website) or click here to watch it directly on Vimeo.

Hopefully you will see it posted on a bunch of different Facebook pages also such as SWAROVSKI OPTIK, Trophy Hunter, King's Camo, Outdoorsmans, Wilderness Athlete, Norris RV, Jay Scott Outdoors, etc. Also keep your eyes peeled for an issue of Trophy Hunter Magazine later this year where Erik's ram will be featured on the cover!

Special thanks to Tim McMorris and AudioJungle for the music Heroes of the West.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep - Scouting Part 4

Family Day! With my mom, step-dad, and nephews in camp, we decided to take them back to where Jay and I found sheep the day before. None of them had glassed any desert bighorns in the wild before, so we wanted to make sure they saw some.

We got to our glassing knob just after sunrise on an overcast day. After nearly an hour of intense glassing, the same group of seven sheep finally stood up from their beds under a couple palo verde trees. They hadn't moved more than about five yards from where Jay and I last saw them the day before. At more than three miles away, I was hard-pressed to see them in my Swarovski 15s, but once we put the spotting scopes on them, everyone could take a look.

There is nothing cooler than showing wildlife to your family! With high-end optics, you can sit back without worrying about spooking game and still give them a close-up view. While we were glassing the boys were throwing rocks, investigating a pack rat midden, and generally having a great time in the desert.

 Headin' to our glassing spot.

 Erik's youngest son Rafe checking out the sheep.

 My mom using my Outdoorsmans Dual Mount. It allows you to point your binoculars and spotting scope to the same spot, which means you don't have to replace your binoculars with your spotting scope every time you need a closer look. It only weighs 19 ounces and is one of the handiest pieces of gear I have.

 A couple who glasses together stays together!

 The Swarovski STM 80 with 20-60 eyepiece gives the best combination of quality and weight in a spotting scope.

 Three miles is a long way!

 Rafe having fun in the desert!

 Erik showing the sheep to Mom and Teague.

Digiscoping!

For more great photos and information about this hunt, check out Jay Scott Outdoors.

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep - Scouting Part 3

I started my second weekend of scouting for my brother's desert sheep hunt by joining up with Jay Scott. In addition to being a friend, Jay and I worked together at Western Hunter Magazine. He has committed to helping my brother for the first 10 days of the hunt and will be posting about it on his blog at Jay Scott Outdoors.

Jay has hunted and guided to some of the biggest deer and elk in AZ, CO, and Mexico. A few years ago he caught the sheep bug and he has put the same dedication and focus into sheep hunting as he has to hunting mule deer, coues deer, and elk.

In just one day with Jay, we (I use that term loosely) found 8 rams and 6 ewes. Actually, Jay found them all and had to point them out to me. He was using the Kowa High Lander 30x80 binoculars and all but one group were about three miles away. One of the close rams had a really long left horn, but wasn't terribly massive. None of the others fell in the "shooter" category. Nonetheless, we had an awesome day!

As you can tell from the photos, Jay uses Swarovski for all his other optics needs and wears KUIU clothing. He is very particular about his gear and knows that his success often is based on how well his gear performs.

 Jay checking out some close country with the Swarovski CL 8x30 binoculars.

 Jay taking a little longer look with his Swarovski EL 10x42 binoculars.

 Spines!

 Jay using the Kowas for some longrange glassing.

 Digiscoping a band of sheep three miles away.

 The desert is a beautiful place if you take the time to look for it!

 Saguaro spines!

 The Swarovski CL 8x30 binoculars are a perfect compliment to the 15x56s. I hook the CLs to a carabiner on the shoulder strap of my pack via the wrist strap for use while hiking, and then break out the 15s and a tripod for serious glassing.

One of Jay's only vices (besides hunting) - Red Vines!

AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep - Scouting Part 2

On the second day I joined my brother Erik to scout for his upcoming desert bighorn hunt, we rode our ATVs to the edge of the wilderness area, and then hiked in to a glassing point. We didn't find any sheep that day, but saw a ton of great country and learned how to access it. One of the main goals of scouting is just that - learn the country so you know how long it takes to get into different places, and what you'll see once you get there.

Swarovski 15s and a map - you won't find Erik without either until he kills his ram!

 Sheep beds on a high mesa.

 Cholla and black rocks make up much of the unit.

 Digiscoping is a great way to document any sheep you find, and works best with high-end spotting scopes like the Swarovski ATM 80mm HD.

 No sheep this day, but a good chance to practice digiscoping - both photos and video.

 Desert beauty in the form of barrel cactus, cholla, and saguaro, along with a palo verde tree.

 It's a crazy landscape where cactus grow out of rocks.

Does the mark in the saguaro look familiar? Maybe like the outline of a ram's horn?

Sometimes rams take out their aggression on saguaros instead of each other...

It's rough, big country!

For more great photos and information about this hunt, also check out Jay Scott Outdoors.