16 steps to great glassing: every successful stalk begins with your eyes. Learn to make the most of them!

As a kid growing up in Arizona in the '70s, I was enthralled with hunting and spent my autumns trying to shoot deer with my grandpa's open-sighted 300 Savage. Deer were plentiful at that time. Binoculars were a luxury we couldn't afford. Grandpa hadn't needed them to be successful, and neither had my dad, so certainly I didn't either. That was all before Dad bought the family's first binoculars and brought them on our annual deer hunt. We saw a staggering number of deer that fall. The country seemed alive with them.

I felt a little guilty at first because it seemed unfair to the deer. But I soon got over that and bought my own binoculars shortly thereafter. I have been a collector of fine optics ever since.

Through the ensuing years I slowly learned the art of glassing. And I found out the hard way that simply using good optics does not necessarily make a person good at glassing for game. Being a great glasser requires a little study and a lot of discipline. Here's how it's done.

(1) Use GOOD Glass

Years ago my brother, Rusty, and I scrambled up through the catclaw and Spanish dagger with loaded packs. Just short of a ridgetop, we dropped our loads, and as Rusty pulled out his trusty old binoculars I made quite a show of slowly unsheathing my brand new 15x60 Zeiss binoculars. Rusty stared in apparent shock.

"I can't believe you spent $600 on binoculars," he said. "You've lost your mind!"

That trip we spotted 22 Coues deer bucks. Rusty spotted two of them, I the rest. That was incredible, given that Rusty usually glasses me into the dirt. Quality glass alone gave me the edge.

Rusty didn't say much that trip. But the very next time we glassed together, he sheepishly pulled Out his own Zeiss 15x60s. Apparently, in the 2 short weeks between trips, he too had lost his mind.

Unfortunately, quality of binoculars is directly related to price, and I advise you to buy the best you can afford. At the top of my list are Swarovski, Leica, and Zeiss. If these are out of your price range, look for second tier glass. (You'll know they're second tier by looking at their price tags.)

When shopping for new optics, compare them side by side on a tripod (quality optics shops will let you do that). I've spent many afternoons at the Outdoorsman's in Phoenix, packing two tripods and several binoculars around the parking lot, looking at the surrounding mountains.

Nearly all binoculars will be clear with the sun at your back, but you're testing for performance under adverse conditions. So test them with the sun in your face in the late afternoon or evening. Search the shadows with each glass to compare resolution.

And look for clarity at the outer edges of the field of view. Nearly all binoculars will be sharp in the center, but high-quality binoculars are sharp out to the very edges.

(2) Match the to the Job

In general, use binoculars with the largest objective (front) lenses for any given power (for example, for 10x42 binoculars, 42 is the size of the objective lenses in millimeters). The larger the objective lenses, the brighter the binoculars will be in low light.

Close-in work, say up to a half mile, calls for 8X to lox binoculars with a broad field of view and good brightness.

For hunting Coues and mule deer in wide-open country as in Arizona, I suggest 15x56 or 15x60 binoculars. You can effectively glass out to 2 miles with these binoculars.

If you're an expert glasser and plan to hunt in country with 3 to 4-mile visibility, some of the big binoculars of 20X up to 50X may be for you. These binoculars have a relatively small field of view, tend to be heavy, and are unstable on all but the sturdiest tripods. However, the added range may be well worth the disadvantages.

These days, I use Swarovski 8x42 or 10x42 EL binoculars for close range and Swarovski 15x56s for longer distances.

(3) Use a TRIPOD

To be most effective your binoculars must be completely stationary. Some hunting situations mandate hand-holding binoculars, but for serious glassing you must use a tripod, especially with binoculars higher than lOX. The tripod should have fully adjustable legs to adapt to all situations, and, above all, it must be stable.

I use two tripods -- a Bogen for non-backpack use and the Outdoorsman any time I'm hiking far from my vehicle. The Bogen is much heavier and is a little more stable in the wind. The Outdoorsman is lighter and more versatile; it also has a very nice head. As a matter of fact, I use the Outdoorsman head on both tripods because it rotates smoothly, both vertically and horizontally, and it doesn't move when you let go of it.

(4) Get COMFORTABLE

The best glasser I know, Greg Krogh (Mogollon Rim Outfitters, (928/636-4807) taught me a valuable lesson. Greg carries a stool with him wherever he goes. When he glasses, he takes time to set up his stool and get comfortable. At first I thought he was lazy, until he explained, "It's simple mathematics: the longer you glass the more game you'll see, and the more comfortable you are, the longer you'll glass?' I now use a lightweight Walkman stool, which has collapsible legs for easy storage.

My brother, Rusty, attaches a thick foam pad to the back of his belt, which gives him an instant cushion every time he sits down. While sitting on a pad on the ground isn't quite as comfortable as a stool, it's excellent for glassing because the ground doesn't wobble, and because you can keep your optics low and stable.

Also, wear the right clothes. In January, Rusty carries a big down jacket, even in Arizona, to stay warm on long, chilly days of glassing. In hot weather, wear cool clothes and set up in the shade where you don't feel as if you're melting.

(5) Move Only Your EYES

Many hunters keep their binoculars in constant motion, but I prefer to move the binoculars two-thirds of a field of view and stop. I then move my eyes throughout the field from the center to all edges. I spot a lot of game by seeing movement, such as the twitch of an ear or tail. If the binoculars are moving, you'll overlook such motion.

Small, subtle details like antler tines or the tip of an ear also are difficult to discern when the binoculars are moving. Look throughout the field of view, and search each and every place a deer could hide. If there are 12 bushes in your field of view, look under and around each of them. Once you have visually eliminated each place where a deer might be hiding, re-set your binoculars to a new view, and repeat the process.

6 GLASS Productive Areas

Some hunters will pick a glassing point merely because they can see a lot of country from there. I prefer to choose glassing points based on the quality of the habitat, even if the view is restricted. In other words, I glass where I think the big deer will be.

Once on your glassing point, focus on the prime locations. During the middle of the day, concentrate on north and east-facing slopes (bedding areas), and pick apart the shady sides of trees for bedded deer. During evening and morning hours, glass feeding and travel corridors. Glass more quickly in early morning and late evening when animals are moving. During midday, when animals are bedded, glass very slowly to pick out details of stationary animals.

Deer, especially big bucks, don't like to be in the direct sunlight. Thus, glass eastward in the morning and westward in the evening. The sun in your face makes viewing more difficult, but you'll be looking into shaded areas where you're most likely to find trophy bucks.

On windy days deer tend to stay on leeward slopes. That means you must glass into the wind to spot them, which, again, makes glassing difficult. But you'll be rewarded for your efforts.

7 Remain HIDDEN

A few years ago my old high school buddy Henry wanted help killing his first deer, so I volunteered my services. Henry and I climbed in the dark to within 20 feet of the lip of a basin that held good bucks.

With some time to kill before first light, I decided to catch a few winks. Henry was inexperienced, so before dozing off I warned him to stay off the skyline. But, just at dawn, Henry had to relieve himself and absent-mindedly slipped over the crest of the hill to take care of business. That's when his excited voice woke me, "Randy, psst Randy, bring me my gun! There are deer running everywhere!"

Remember, if you can see them, they can see you, and then you'll see "deer running everywhere!" That's not conducive to bowhunting success.

The whole idea is to see animals before they see you. To do that, sneak into position, using darkness, vegetation, and terrain features to conceal your movements. Above all, stay off the skyline. Move slowly. Wear camouflage. Keep your voice low. And move around as little as possible.

8 GLASS in a Grid

First, glass the land near to you. The closest animals are the ones most likely to have detected your arrival, and they may be attempting to slip away.

If you see nothing there, mentally slice the country into several large parcels with distinct boundaries, and then grid each section individually with your binoculars. For example, if I'm looking across at a canyon side, a common scenario, I would start at the left end of the canyon and glass from the bottom to the top, moving my binoculars up two-thirds of a field of view at a time until I've reached the horizon. At the skyline I would move the binoculars over two-thirds of a field of view to the right and start down, and I would systematically repeat this up-and-down grid until I reached the right-hand boundary.

Most people prefer to glass in a horizontal grid, because they don't have to lift their heads up and down so many times. I prefer a vertical grid only because the grid lines generally are shorter and I'm less likely to stray off course.

Scan quickly through open country where deer would be easy to see or through marginal deer habitat. Then slow down and pick apart thick cover, prime feeding areas, bedding sites, or other country likely to hold deer.

(9) Look for Paris and Pieces

Nearly any hunter can spot an entire deer in direct sunlight The art of glassing is being able to find a small piece of a deer. Train your mind to notice the fork of an antler, the angle of a hock, the symmetry of an ear, the horizontal line of the back, the white of a throat patch. If your subconscious is trained to find any one of the parts of a deer, you'll pick up many deer you'd miss by looking for entire deer.

(10) Carry a Good Spoiling SCOPE

"I see a deer," my Dad whispered as he peered through his Bushnell 7x35 binoculars. That animal was a long way away, but Rusty and I headed off on the stalk. An hour later we peeked around the side of a hill, ready to shoot, when out walked a very gray, deer-looking domestic goat.

That was just one of many false stalks I've been involved in over the years. Many times I've spotted trophy bucks at a distance -- only to discover, after hours of stalking closer, very average bucks. It's frustrating to spot a buck a long way away and not be able to tell whether he's a shooter.

Nowadays, in big country I always carry a spotting scope. A good scope with a variable power from 15-45X or 20-60X will double or even triple your effective trophy-evaluation range. It adds weight to your pack, but it can save you miles of fruitless walking.

(11) Be PATIENT

Once you've glassed an area, look it over again. And again. In some country you may be able to see a deer only 10 percent of the time, even though he's up feeding. The remaining 90 percent of the time he may be obscured by vegetation or topography.

Just recently I spent 2 hours glassing a big mesquite flat for muleys. As I was preparing to move on, my buddy Greg spotted the buck we'd been looking for, 300 yards below us. The deer had been there the entire time but was obscured by brush. I ended up bagging that deer, the biggest desert buck I've ever taken. Thanks to Greg's patience.

Next time you are out glassing and spot a buck, check on him from time to time and note what percentage of the time he is visible from your position. You will quickly learn that just because you don't see a buck doesn't mean he isn't there. To really spot game, patiently go through your grid patterns several times from each glassing position.

GLASS Throughout the Day

I usually take a nap around 10 a.m. or so, wake up, and eat lunch. But I want to be wide-awake between noon and 2 p.m. Deer tend to stand up, feed a little, and then bed back down during these 2 hours. The deer tend to be relaxed because they've been undisturbed for several hours. They usually don't get hunted this time of the day and often spend some time feeding in the open. To capitalize on this behavior, you need to be looking.

(13) Remain CONFIDENT

You can spot game, and you will if you're patient and keep your eye to the glass. The best glassers I know always have a positive outlook. My buddy Jim has a remarkably optimistic view of the world. One day I was tired, so I suggested to Jim that we wrap it up and take a nap. He said, "Randy, I'd love to, but I'm fairly certain I'm going to spot the buck of a lifetime in the next few minutes?' That's the attitude of a great game spotter.

(14) Your Eves

Ideally, the only light entering your eyes should be coming through the lenses of your binoculars. To eliminate side-light, which reduces your visual acuity, wear a floppy hat and pull it down low over the binoculars, especially on the sunny side. Roll the eyecups on your binoculars all the way out to block light coming from the side. If possible, sit in the shade while glassing.

(15) Keep Your LENSES Clear

Clean your lenses regularly, but never wipe them with anything other than soft, clean cotton cloth or lens paper. Microscopic dust particles will scratch your lenses and render the image "fuzzy' I carry a lens pen to brush the dirt away before cleaning the lenses with lens paper.

(16) Get Your EYES Checked

If you can't see clearly without binoculars you probably won't see well with them. If your buddies always spot more game than you do, go to an optometrist and get your eyes examined. Then get contact lenses, glasses, or even LASIK surgery if necessary. The best optics in the world can't compensate for inherently poor vision.

The key to good glassing is practice -- spend time with talented game spotters, learn from them, and then practice what they preach. Some of my fondest hunting memories are the days I've spent sitting on a hill with a good companion, glassing for game. And most of my best trophies are the results of great glassing.

RELATED ARTICLE: The following optics serve as a great foundation for great game spotting:

* Ripen Check out Alpen's Apex Series Binoculars in 8x42, 10x42, 10x50, and 12x50. Also look for the new 20x50 Mini Spotting Scope (comes with tripod and carrying case) and the 15-45x65 Spotting Scope with 45-degree eyepiece (also comes with tripod, carrying case). Contact: Alpen Outdoor Corp., 1-877987-8370; www.alpenoutdoor.com

* Bausch & Lomb Elite Binoculars in either 8x42 or 10x42, and Discoverers in 7x42, 8x42, and 10x42 will perform for you, as will B&L spotting scopes, such as the Elite in 20-60x80, 15-45x60, and 20-60x70. Contact: Bushnell Corporation, 1-888-838-1449; www.bushnell.com

* Brunton See the Epoch X75 and X105 binoculars, as well as the Eterna and Lite-Tech line of binocs. Brunton also offers the Epoch X2 Fieldscope. When attached to Epoch binoculars, the X2 doubles magnification to create a spotting scope. Contact: Brunton, 1-800-4434871; www.brunton.com

* Bushnell Consider Trophy Series binoculars in 8x42 and 10x42, and Legend binocs in 10x50 and 12x50. Also look at the Trophy Spotting Scopes in 20-60x65 or 2550x50. Contact: Bushnell Corporation, 1-888-838-1449; www.bushnell.com

* Kahies Kahles quality optics include Roof Prism binoculars in 8x32, 8x42, and 10x42. Contact: Kahles Optik North America, 1-866-606-8779; www.kahlesoptikcom

* Leica Check out the new Duovid 10+15x50, Duovid 8+12x42, Trinovid 8x42 BN, and Trinovid 12x50 binoculars. Leica's quality spotting scopes include the Televid 77, APO-Televid 77, and the Televid 62. Contact: Leica Sport Optics, [phone]; www.leica-camera.com

* Nikon Look for Nikon's Venturer LX 8x32, 8x42, and 10x42 binoculars, as well as their Superior E 12x50 and Tundra ATB 10x50 binocs. Nikon also offers spotting scopes like the Fieldscope 82mm ED Body and the Spotter XL 16-47x60. Contact: Nikon, USA, 1-800-247-3464; www.nikon usa.com

* Steiner Try the 9x40 Big Horn, 15x56 Big Horn, 15x80 Senator, 7x50 Nighthunter, and the Predator 8x22, 10x30, and 10x42 binoculars. Contact: Steiner, Pioneer Research, [phone]; www.steiner-binoculars.com

* Swarovski Look for the EL 8.5x42 WB and 10x42 WB binocs, as well as the Habicht line available in 8x30, 7x42, and 10x40. Swarovski spotting scopes include the ATS 65, ATS 80, and STS 80 HD. Contact: Swarovski Optik N.A. Ltd., 1-800-426-3089; www.swarovskioptik.com

* Zeiss Newest in the Victory line of binoculars is the Victory 12x56 BT*. Also, check out their ClassiC and Diafun Series binocs available in various powers. Zeiss spotting scopes like the Diascope 65 T* FL and Diascope 85 T* FL are second to none. Contact: Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, 1-800-441-3005; www.zeiss.com