It's a tough hunt, Dean says, and that's what he likes about it. The physical nature of elk hunting is something that Dean is drawn to and he talks about the amount of effort that goes into a successful elk hunt. He'll discuss scouting and explain how more time spent scouting before and during the season, than actual boots on the ground hunting, can really pay off for hunters. He'll also talk about getting as close to an animal as possible and the role good optics play in helping hunters close the distance, the work involved in packing an elk out of the back country and why he looks more for age and maturity than score when selecting a shooter bull.
Moving into optics, Swarovski has some really intriguing new offerings available this fall like their NL Pure Binoculars and their game changing Swarovski Optik 115mm Module Spotting Scope. Hitting on the binoculars first, Dean says that Swarovski's EL binocular line has been a staple of the industry for 20 some years. When you begin to tinker with an already great product it can be hard to imagine how you can make it any better. Dean says in the product development phase of the new NL Pure line, the team at Swarovski listened to consumer feedback and then brought in a wide team of experts from different fields in order to improve the overall fit, feel and performance of the binocular. Available in 8x42, 10x42 and 12x42 - Dean says they provide the largest ever field of view. As an elk hunter that likes to use a 12x42, he also notes how well they fit in the hand and how small and comfortable they feel. One of the features of this NL Pure that is getting a lot of attention is the FRP forehead rest, an innovative accessory that mounts on the binoculars and allows your forehead to rest against it. This forehead rest eliminates the need for a tripod to stabilize high power binoculars by creating a third point of contact on the forehead that steadies. The use of this accessory provides more stability while glassing one handed than you can get glassing two handed without it. It's awesome, Dean says, and the only problem they are having is that the demand is so high it's hard to keep up!
Addressing the big news, Dean switches gears to talk about the brand new 115mm Module Spotting Scope which is the largest objective lens on the market today. This scope is being added to the modular line that has been out for several years that includes the 65mm, 85mm and 95mm objectives. The 95mm has been a big seller in recent years, but now the 115mm has arrived and this particular piece of glass can outperform the 95mm by 20-30% in light gathering, detail and more. It's an unbelievable spotting scope, he says. As a part of the ATX/STX/BTX line, users can choose an angled eyepiece, straight eyepiece or binocular style eyepiece to use with the objective size of their choosing. Dean says the BTX binocular style eyepiece paired with the new 115mm objective is going to be an amazing experience for users.
Be sure to listen in as Dean Capuano of Swarovski stops by to talk elk hunting and new optics. Watch Swarovski Optik Quests" on Outdoor Channel, Sundays 11:30 a.m. ET or anytime with the MyOutdoorTV app.
Trav