Enjoy the outdoors with Gary Finch
"The Better To See You With" Hunting Optics
By Steve Layton, Vice President, Finch Enterprises
The month of January will have many hunters changing their tactics. In the final weeks of the season, they will abandon their deep woods or thick cover stands to survey open terrain. Experience tells us this is where deer will socialize during the peak rut. The open areas, consisting of clear cuts, food plots and even mature oak flats will start to come alive with deer activity. Bucks will literally throw caution to the wind as they are spotted openly trailing does during daylight hours. Hunting these large expanses of land calls for attention to movement, being alert, and having good optics. Bucks moving during this period are not always going to present a stationary or close target. Most will be on the move in a head-down steady trot.
Under these conditions the hunter has to remain alert and use his eyes to constantly check for movement. Sound may not be beneficial in telegraphing deer movement. Large open fields don’t offer much in the way of sound transmission. Even under a canopy of oaks, moving deer may be too far away to hear, or wind blowing through leaves will overpower the sound of a snapping twig.
This is where modern hunting optics, have come to play major role in the sport. The invention of the
modern rifle scope is a relatively new invention and quite a marvel of light-bending physical science and technology. While the concept of a functioning telescope has been around since the days of Galileo, the success of attaching a telescope to the barrel of a firing gun did not find its place until the American Civil War. One of the first American made riflescopes was used by the Union Army, between the 1850 and the late 1860’s, was the Colt Revolving Rifle-Scope by Allen & Thurber. These scopes, crude by today’s standards, were primarily long, thin tubes with cross hairs and a dial for image focusing. The magnification was slight and their light gathering capability was non-existent. The optics were fitted to large-bore bench rifles as an offensive counter to the accuracy of long distance sharp shooters of the Confederacy. These first scopes were very expensive, even by military standards, and extremely fragile for combat use.
Today, hunters consider the riflescope as much a part of the firearm as the rifle itself. In many instances, the purchase price of the scope may exceed that of the gun. Even the most economical scopes are light years ahead of what was developed only a hundred years ago. Just look at what hunters demand from this highly modified astronomer’s telescope. It has to be precision designed and fitted, using optically ground and coated glass. It has to withstand the repeated brutal shock of rifle recoil, as well as being occasionally bumped during use. It must be waterproof and clear from fogging due to moisture or cold. In some instances, we want variable power and we always want it without the sacrifice of light gathering capability. The final and most crucial item is to have our cross hairs and gun matched to deliver precision shots at a minimum of 100 yards. 4852801
The human sense of sight is recognized as the primary tool used for hunting, so it was only natural for us to seek inventions that would enhance our ability to see. During the same period in history, while the riflescope was being developed, binoculars were also making their way to the field. Through the experimentation of using a matched set of tubes containing glass, prisms, and mirrors, binoculars are now found around just about every hunter’s neck. The idea of magnifying both of our eyes’ ability to assess an image gives us depth of field, contrast, detail, and judging of size. There is also the advantage of gaining a wider field of view, in contrast to the more focused image required of a riflescope. Each optics system serves a separate need. Binoculars extend our normal range of field vision while rifle scopes provide accurate long distance shot placement.
At one time binoculars and rifle scopes were considered tools reserved for the open range “big game” hunters and deemed simply too expensive for the average “iron-sight” hunter. Now, even small game hunters think nothing of placing the highest quality optics on their small caliber .22’s for squirrel, rabbit, and varmint hunting. There are also optics specifically designed for pistols, shotguns, air guns, crossbows and compound bows. As the hunting population continues to age, our use of “hunting optics” is allowing us to truly “find” success in the field. All that remains is to stay alert and put all this science to work.
Enjoy Gary Finch Outdoors on WTVY Channel 4 in Dothan Ala., each Sunday at 6 a.m, sponsored by Your Touchstone Energy® Cooperative. Visit Gary's Web site at www.garyfinchoutdoors.com
By Steve Layton, Vice President, Finch Enterprises
The month of January will have many hunters changing their tactics. In the final weeks of the season, they will abandon their deep woods or thick cover stands to survey open terrain. Experience tells us this is where deer will socialize during the peak rut. The open areas, consisting of clear cuts, food plots and even mature oak flats will start to come alive with deer activity. Bucks will literally throw caution to the wind as they are spotted openly trailing does during daylight hours. Hunting these large expanses of land calls for attention to movement, being alert, and having good optics. Bucks moving during this period are not always going to present a stationary or close target. Most will be on the move in a head-down steady trot.
Under these conditions the hunter has to remain alert and use his eyes to constantly check for movement. Sound may not be beneficial in telegraphing deer movement. Large open fields don’t offer much in the way of sound transmission. Even under a canopy of oaks, moving deer may be too far away to hear, or wind blowing through leaves will overpower the sound of a snapping twig.
This is where modern hunting optics, have come to play major role in the sport. The invention of the modern rifle scope is a relatively new invention and quite a marvel of light-bending physical science and technology. While the concept of a functioning telescope has been around since the days of Galileo, the success of attaching a telescope to the barrel of a firing gun did not find its place until the American Civil War. One of the first American made riflescopes was used by the Union Army, between the 1850 and the late 1860’s, was the Colt Revolving Rifle-Scope by Allen & Thurber. These scopes, crude by today’s standards, were primarily long, thin tubes with cross hairs and a dial for image focusing. The magnification was slight and their light gathering capability was non-existent. The optics were fitted to large-bore bench rifles as an offensive counter to the accuracy of long distance sharp shooters of the Confederacy. These first scopes were very expensive, even by military standards, and extremely fragile for combat use.
Today, hunters consider the riflescope as much a part of the firearm as the rifle itself. In many instances, the purchase price of the scope may exceed that of the gun. Even the most economical scopes are light years ahead of what was developed only a hundred years ago. Just look at what hunters demand from this highly modified astronomer’s telescope. It has to be precision designed and fitted, using optically ground and coated glass. It has to withstand the repeated brutal shock of rifle recoil, as well as being occasionally bumped during use. It must be waterproof and clear from fogging due to moisture or cold. In some instances, we want variable power and we always want it without the sacrifice of light gathering capability. The final and most crucial item is to have our cross hairs and gun matched to deliver precision shots at a minimum of 100 yards. 4852801
The human sense of sight is recognized as the primary tool used for hunting, so it was only natural for us to seek inventions that would enhance our ability to see. During the same period in history, while the riflescope was being developed, binoculars were also making their way to the field. Through the experimentation of using a matched set of tubes containing glass, prisms, and mirrors, binoculars are now found around just about every hunter’s neck. The idea of magnifying both of our eyes’ ability to assess an image gives us depth of field, contrast, detail, and judging of size. There is also the advantage of gaining a wider field of view, in contrast to the more focused image required of a riflescope. Each optics system serves a separate need. Binoculars extend our normal range of field vision while rifle scopes provide accurate long distance shot placement.
At one time binoculars and rifle scopes were considered tools reserved for the open range “big game” hunters and deemed simply too expensive for the average “iron-sight” hunter. Now, even small game hunters think nothing of placing the highest quality optics on their small caliber .22’s for squirrel, rabbit, and varmint hunting. There are also optics specifically designed for pistols, shotguns, air guns, crossbows and compound bows. As the hunting population continues to age, our use of “hunting optics” is allowing us to truly “find” success in the field. All that remains is to stay alert and put all this science to work.
Enjoy Gary Finch Outdoors on WTVY Channel 4 in Dothan Ala., each Sunday at 6 a.m, sponsored by Your Touchstone Energy® Cooperative. Visit Gary's Web site at www.garyfinchoutdoors.com
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