Straight or Angled Spotter? Why Cody Nelson Says Speed Wins

Cody Nelson says this might be one of the most asked questions of all time: do you go with an angled spotting scope or a straight one?

A straight spotting scope offers faster target acquisition when switching from binoculars on a tripod, because the eyepiece lines up with your eyes and you don’t have to change the center post height. An angled spotter is more comfortable for longer looks, works well for glassing uphill from a desert floor, and lets taller hunters run a shorter, stiffer tripod. Cody Nelson of Tricer uses a straight spotter because speed matters most when an animal is moving, and he points out that most hunters use the spotter only about 10 to 15 percent of the time, so comfort weighs less.

It’s a personal decision, and some people are dug in on one side or the other. Cody isn’t trying to settle the argument. He’s laying out the pointers on both so you can decide what matters for how you hunt. He also tells you where he lands, and why.

Target Acquisition Comes First

For Cody, the biggest factor is fast target acquisition when you switch from binoculars to the spotter.

Here’s how the move works. You’re glassing through your binos on the tripod and you find something. You take the binos off, put the spotter on, and lock it in so nothing is moving around. When you look in, the field of view you had in the binoculars should basically be covered by the field of view in the spotter.

He starts the spotter at low magnification for a wider field of view. Once he sees he’s on the target, he turns the magnification up and starts analyzing. The reason that matters, in his words, is that if you don’t have speed, the buck or bull could be moving. He doesn’t want to spend time refinding the animal, especially if it has moved a greater distance. Target acquisition is the first thing he wants to do.

If you haven’t set up your glassing system yet, the three pillars of glassing start with best glass and a stable tripod. The straight versus angled question sits right on top of that foundation.

Why Cody Runs a Straight

His main issue with the angled scope is the swap. With an angled, the eyepiece sits above you. When you move from binos to the spotter, you have to change the location of the center post. You drop it down, set the scope, and make sure you can get in and look through it.

That isn’t conducive to target acquisition for him. It isn’t fast, and there’s too much chance for things to move around.

There’s also a natural instinct to it. When your eyes are looking straight forward and the spotter points straight forward, the animal is just right there. With an angled, you have to look down into it, and you have to get good and coordinated with it.

Cody is clear he isn’t a purist who won’t listen to anything else. He forced himself to use an angled spotting scope for a year. He says he became used to it and got coordinated with it. But his tradecraft tells him he’d rather use a straight, because he feels it helps him glass better and be faster and more efficient at finding game.

Where the Angled Spotter Wins

Cody gives the angled scope a fair hearing, and the points are real.

• Comfort. He says he’ll never tell you an angled isn’t more comfortable. The fact is they are. If you’re already fixed on something for a longer look, maybe on a desert floor looking up, he thinks an angled is more comfortable.

• Shorter tripod. For tall hunters, a straight scope puts the eyepiece farther from the ground when you’re standing. An angled lets you keep the tripod at a shorter height, so you don’t need as tall a tripod. On the ground, you can keep the legs a little shorter and stiffer, which you could argue makes the setup a little more stable.

• Popularity. Typically more angled scopes are sold than straights.

If you’re tall, that tripod point ties into the tripod height and weight class breakdown, and you can compare options on the Tricer glassing tripods collection or the tripod comparison page.

Comfort Matters Less If You Barely Use the Spotter

Here’s a point worth chewing on. Cody and the guys he hunts with only use their spotting scopes about 10 to 15 percent of the time. They use them only when they need to.

Because of that, the comfort factor doesn’t weigh in for them. If your spotter is your main tool for long sessions, the math changes. If it’s a quick-look tool after the binos find something, speed beats comfort.

Compact Scopes Narrow the Gap

Cody also points out that compact spotters change the comfort conversation. When you glass from a tripod with a big, long scope like an 85, 95, or even a 115 millimeter, the scope tends to put you back, and you end up cranking your head to get in. More compact spotters bring you a little closer.

For that reason, he doesn’t think the straight’s comfort penalty is as big an argument as people make it. For more on big spotters, see the Big Eyes episode on binocular scopes like the BTX 115.

Looking Down From Above

If you’re hunting from up top and looking down on things, Cody thinks a straight is easier to use. Some guys twist the axis of an angled, get down on top of it, and look down that way. He doesn’t think that’s the easiest way for target acquisition, but he says it is a way to do it.

Packing and Storage

One more thing to consider, and Cody says it typically becomes an issue after the decision is made: he finds it easier to store a straight in a pack than an angled. It may or may not be a big deal for you. He knows guys who complain about angled scopes and how difficult they are to pack, and some will take the eyepiece off. It depends on your setup.

Put It Together

Straight or angled comes down to what matters most to you.

• Want the fastest move from binoculars to spotter, a natural line of sight, and easier packing? Cody says go straight.

• Want more comfort on longer looks, glassing uphill, or a shorter tripod for a tall frame? An angled makes a strong case.

• Use the spotter only 10 to 15 percent of the time? Speed likely outweighs comfort.

Whatever you choose, give it time. Cody’s point about coordination applies both ways: you have to spend enough time with either one to get good with it. And once it’s set, the same rule from slowing down and being methodical applies, because the best spotter in the world doesn’t help if you rush the look.