Choosing the Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting

Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting Buying Guide

Deer hunting scopes come in all manner of sizes, features, and capabilities. It becomes very difficult for inexperienced deer hunters to pick the best scope for deer hunting.

If you are just starting out, I would recommend you take time to read this post so that you understand what to look for in the best rifle scope for deer hunting.

I want to highlight some important considerations when you are buying deer hunting scopes and also pick the best deer hunting scopes as rated by the majority of hunters.

Personally, when I started hunting buying a scope was somewhat confusing, I knew little about guns. With time, I have grown my experience and I would regard myself as an authority in picking the best scope for deer hunting.

To help you get started quickly, I will highlight the important terms you will come across when shopping for deer hunting scopes and help you understand this rifle optics jargon. I will also list a number of specific requirements you need when picking the best scope for deer hunting.

Choosing the Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting

When choosing the best rifle scope for deer hunting the considerations can be divided into two; personal and scope related. The personal category includes your budget and the type of rifle you want to use. The scope factors include; features and functionality.

#1) Your Budget for the Scope

The first step is to know how much money you are willing to spend on a rifle scope. This helps you choose the best scope of your budget. There are scopes for all budgets and the price can be categorized as follows

Best scopes under $100
Best scopes under $ 200
Best scopes under $300
Best scopes under $ 500
Best scopes under $1000
High-end Scopes – Best Scopes for the Money > above 1000

Depending on the budget you can choose a scope that best fits the cost and correlates to the features of the best rifle scope for deer hunting.

Certainly, you will not get the best magnification or advanced features for a budget of below $100 but you will get a scope that you can comfortably use for deer hunting.

#2) Your Deer Hunting Rifle

One rule of buying the best rifle scope for deer hunting is to understand your rifle and what scope will work well on your rifle and which will not. There are dozens of rifles and majority of scopes will work well on several rifles but some will not.

Take SKS rifles as an example, they will require an SKS scope mount for the rifle scope and this can greatly determine the type of rifle scope you should buy.

Ideally, for SKS rifles, you should pick one of the best sks riflescopes and match it with the best sks scope mount. If you are using another rifle please consider doing a research on the compatibility of the rifle with the best deer hunting scope of your choice.

#3) Durability of the Scope

The toughness of a scope is one of the most important considerations when picking the best rifle scope for deer hunting.

Ideally, a good scope for deer hunting should be waterproof, fog proof and should function properly in humid conditions. The scope should have a finish that enables it to withstand extreme weather conditions. Consider you want to use the scope for years; this should guide you when buying a deer hunting scope.

#4) Deer Hunting Scopes Brands

Like any other product, deer hunting scopes have brands that have been known for years to be the best. They continue to improve their scopes features with each new release to make them more effective for deer hunting.

I am a proponent of the phrase ‘don’t reinvent the wheel’ I believe that you can save yourself serious frustrations and money by picking a deer hunting scope among the leading brands – Nikon, Leupold, Bushnell, Simmons, Burris, and Vortex.

#5) High Cost Does not guarantee Great Deer Hunting Experience

Deer hunting success revolves around several factors and picking the best rifle scope for deer hunting is just one factor. The higher you spend on a deer hunting scope does not mean you will always be successful. I have seen in the past that a deer hunting scope with a price range of $200-$300 does the same thing as a high-end scope.

If you are going to spend the top dollar on a deer hunting scope you should do your homework well. If you have a bigger budget you can buy one or two of the best deer hunting scopes.

I also tend to stay away from very expensive scopes because in a hunting environment if anything goes wrong and the scope is damaged the loss is significant. Consider that even a scope of below x10 can get the job done!

#6) Brightness of Scope vs. Game Hunting Rules

This is one of the most hyped qualities of deer hunting scopes. Having a bright scope is a great thing but there are also rules on when to shoot.

If you are looking for a very bright scope, you should check the game hunting rules and the recommendations for the scope brightness. This has to do with the legal first light to legal last light shooting rules.

#7) Magnifications of the Scope & Holding Zero

The magnification is an important consideration; range from 4-12X can be a good scope for deer hunting. Basically, any scope with a range of 3-9X magnification can get the job done.

On other adjustments, the ability of a hunting scope to hold zero is one of the most important qualities the best rifle scope for deer hunting should possess.

#8) Clarity of the Scope

The best deer hunting scope should have good clarity, especially in high magnification. You should not lose your scope’s clarity as the magnification is increased.

Considering you will be hunting in conditions where you want to pick brown-gray deer against a camouflaged background, clarity of a scope should be good at high magnification.

#9) Weight of Scope

When you are buying a deer hunting scope, you should consider picking a scope with low weight. If the scope will add more weight to your hunting gear it’s not worth for deer hunting.

The bulky scopes are not for deer hunting since you will be shooting targets that are 100 yards away and there are several lightweight scopes for that range. Consider this list of the best 200 yard scopes some are good for hunting too.

#10) No Shiny Scopes

You should always go for matte-finished scopes since they are the best for deer hunting. Always remember that a flash of light will scare your target away and it will be more difficult to hunt.

Conclusion – Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting Recommendation

In summary, I would recommend the best deer hunting scope as a matte-finished scope that has 3-9X magnification, good clarity in high magnification, mild brightness and affordable price – the best price range for the best deer hunting scope should be $200 -300.

Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting Buying Guide

Choosing the Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting

#1) Your Budget for the Scope

#2) Your Deer Hunting Rifle

#3) Durability of the Scope

#4) Deer Hunting Scopes Brands

#5) High Cost Does not guarantee Great Deer Hunting Experience

#6) Brightness of Scope vs. Game Hunting Rules

#7) Magnifications of the Scope & Holding Zero

#8) Clarity of the Scope

#9) Weight of Scope

#10) No Shiny Scopes

Conclusion – Best Rifle Scope for Deer Hunting Recommendation

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