When you invest in a hunting trip, especially the most important one of your entire life, two things are important. Foremost is being able to spot and judge animals to be sure of what you are stalking, and secondly being able to put your bullet where you want to when the moment of truth comes.

Author: Frank Ross

Bagging a big bull takes patience and excellent optics.

On a recent trip to Canada's Northwest Territories, for a caribou hunt, I was concerned about both of these important challenges. My eyes aren't what they used to be, and I knew that I'd be hunting bulls from great distances, so I visited with Cabela's optics expert, Tom Gallagher before making my selection. Field-testing is a major part of Cabela's product development program, so I dutifully asked to see what Tom might want to have me put through the paces.

I've been a believer in Cabela's Alaskan Guide rifle scopes for a long time. With a 4.5-14 x 50 anchored to my .243 Winchester, I can drive tacks at 200 yards –from a bench anyway. I've hunted with it for three years under all types of conditions and considerable abuse and it has always come through, even taking an antelope at a hair over 400 yards. For this trip I was taking a different rifle, Howa's Lightning .243, that was currently naked of optics. What to hang on it was the issue that had been troubling me for several weeks prior to my scheduled flight.

The challenges I was facing were great distances in open tundra, moisture from both rain and traveling in an open boat and a grueling flight that involved two commercial planes and a final leg by floatplane. With that much baggage abuse I wanted to be sure I didn't arrive with optics problems. After visiting with Tom for a few minutes, I was sold on Cabela's new Outfitter Series, and in particular the 4-12x40 AO model. "We've always had a quality line of optics, and have strived to provide uncompromising quality, performance and value, but our new Outfitter series is a cut above. I think you'll be impressed. Naturally, you'll want a pair of Alaskan Guide 12x50's. The roof prism design will give you greater magnification, less weight, and their phase coating and multi-coated prisms that correct for the shift in light waves which reduces glare and eye fatique. You'll also want to take along the Alaskan Guide spotting scope. Trust me on that one," he said.

I eyed its considerable size and pondered his advice. This was my first caribou hunt and he'd never led me astray before, so I added it to my growing pile of gear.

I was anxious to see how the Outfitter rifle scope compared to my own scope. After a mount and bore sighting, I hit the bench for what I'd hoped would be a quick fine-tuning. Such was not the case, but it had nothing to do with the optics. After a box of premium loads I'd scattered lead all over the target and spent considerable time shooting groups and tweaking the windage and elevation to no avail. It soon became apparent that the problem was the load. Regardless of the brand, you can't buy good groups. From previous experience I knew that matching loads was more important than the label on the box. Subsequently I went through two more premium loads with the same results. Just when I was contemplating taking my Winchester I looked in the bottom of my shooting bag and noticed a box of ammo that I'd shot extensively with great success.

Just for the sake of being able to say that I'd tried every option, I slid three rounds of South African PMP high grades into the magazine. My first round was 2 inches high and slightly left. After six rounds and the resulting adjustments I was dead on with a three shot group the size of a nickel and two overlapping. I waited for the barrel to cool and repeated the results. It's one thing to know that matching ammo to a given barrel can vary dramatically between brands, but it's quite another to have it driven home in such a dramatic fashion. In a matter of minutes I went from being ready to pull my hair out, to being totally confident in my rifle/scope/ammo combination.

During my scope adjustment session I used the Alaskan Guide spotting scope to check my results. Considering that I shot close to three boxes of shells during my ammo trials, it saved a lot of steps to be certain. While the optics were sharp as a tack, and the magnification was most impressive, I wondered whether or not I would actually carry a spotting scope that was this big when it came time to go afield. I even contemplated leaving it at home, reasoning that between my scope and the 12x50 Alaskan Guide binoculars I wouldn't need it. Little did I know how wrong I was and when I put it in my bag it was probably the smartest thing I packed.

Upon my arrival at the lodge everyone set about checking their scopes and I was first up at the bench, or more correctly in this case –the rock. I cranked up the Outfitter scope to its maximum 12 power, held the crosshairs on the quarter-sized circle and squeezed after a brief silent prayer. When I looked at the target to check the results I was relieved to see my first round was dead on. Bring on the caribou!

We loaded our gear, including the spotting scope and headed out in 16-foot Lunds. An occasional mist slapped at us over the gunnels and I was grateful that all of the optics I had brought were waterproof and nitrogen purged. Two of the four days we hunted were very windy and my optics withstood a pounding in three-foot swells that rattled my teeth. During the four days that I stalked and passed on dozens of nice bulls, searching for a 340+, one thing became crystal clear. For a hunt of this type, a spotting scope is mandatory unless you want to waste lots of time walking and stalking long distances.

It's pretty easy to tell an average bull from those that have true potential, but when it comes to taking a visual inventory in any detail there is no substitution for the higher magnifications that the AG scope provides.

Greg Rebane scans the far shoreline for caribou.

This area has as much water as land, and our method of cruising caribou was to run the shoreline until we spotted animals then beach the boat on the backside of a hill and sneak to within glassing distance. On several occasions we climbed to the top of a tall promontory and glassed areas as far as two miles or more. From the boat it's difficult to hold a powerful pair of binoculars steady enough to accurately access a rack and I didn't feel totally confident in making the decision alone. I depended heavily on my guide, but he was using a pair of low end 8x40 binoculars that were fine for finding animals, but worthless when it came to detail. He spent as much time looking through my 12x50s as I did.

After a couple of days it came down to three phases of optics with the Outfitter scope holding the anchor position. First we'd spot some animals then we'd both assess them with the 12x50s. If further evaluation was warranted we'd immediately go to land and pull out the spotting scope. After that first day, I was never without the big glass. Many times what looked like an impressive bull turned out to be a disappointment when glassed with the more powerful 20-60 spotting scope cranked all the way up. The amount of walking that it saved would be measured in numerous miles, since we saw many nice bulls at over two miles away. Once we put the big glass on them they didn't measure up and we moved on.

On the fourth day, with weather taking a turn for the worst, we came upon a large group of seven bulls and four cows moving rapidly down a ridgeline. We sprinted ahead, with heavy waves pounding our gear and got into position. Once we hit the rock-strewn shoreline it all happened in a matter of minutes. One thing that impressed me quickly was the ease of adjustments on the Outfitter scope. I had the adjustable objective lens focused at 200 yards and suddenly the bulls that we'd been stalking were stalking us. They popped up right in our laps to see where we were, as they attempted to exit the area. I threw my rifle to my shoulder and everything was a blur. Quickly I grabbed the rubber-coated power adjustment collar and eased it back to 6 power, then I twisted the knurled AO adjustment ring and brought it down to the right distance.

When all was said and done it was Cabela's quality optics that made the difference.

As I peered through the scope, I was momentarily distracted from my intended task as I marveled at the sharpness and clarity of the optics. I could see remarkable detail in the hair of the bull's coat, even at 6 power. The only thing this scope won't do is think for you, but it can help you make up your mind. This wasn't the 340 I'd hoped for, but it was one nice bull and I could read every detail of its massive rack. As any successful hunter knows, the fun is over when the gun goes boom. With a slight squeeze of the Howa's trigger my hunt was over and I was one happy hunter, but now we had to fielddress it and pack it out before the weather got worse.

Looking back over the entire experience I can honestly say that this hunt is about quality optics and the longer and sharper the better. I spent the first 13 years of my professional life as a photojournalist looking through Nikon lenses and I've also used top of the line binoculars costing twice as much as the Alaskan Guide Series. I know something about good glass and I can say without reservation that Cabela's optics are exceptional. They're fully multi-coated which produces bright, crisp images even under poor lighting conditions and the quality of design and construction is solid. My guide even tested the waterproof quality of the Alaskan Guide spotting scope by inadvertently leaving it in the boat after we returned that night. In the excitement I didn't notice that it wasn't in my backpack. As luck would have it, that night it rained in torrents.

The next morning we found the scope in it's protective sleeve, dripping wet. My guide was in a panic. Unconcerned, I pulled off the caps and handed it to him. He squinted through the eyepiece, exhaled a sigh of relief and handed it to me with a big grin. "Good scope, no fog. It's dry as a bone inside," he said. "What did you expect?" I asked. "It's got Cabela's name on it!"

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A Great Area for Caribou, Lake Trout and Grayling.