Quote:
Originally Posted by Closing The Gap
As with anything in life you get out what you put in. In this endeavor we only want the time together...
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Sometimes you don't get nearly what you put in in a tangible sense; sometimes you luck out and score waaaay before you'd expect. Either way it seems like you have the exact right attitude.
I'll add to Art's touch on binoculars, starting with a modified cliché:
Cheap, decent optics, light... Pick two. A lot of folks make the mistake of buying too much magnification. Ever hear of exit pupil? Exit pupil is basically the same thing as how big your pupil can open (how much light your eye can gather) but in optics. I believe that the average persons pupil can dilate to about 5mm. You will want an exit pupil in that range (4mm should be absolute minimum). Same goes for rifle and spotting scopes. If exit pupil isn't listed on the optics you are considering it's easy to calculate. Objective (big/front) lense diameter divided by magnification = exit pupil.
Therefore a 3-9 power scope with a 40mm objective (commonly referred to as 3-9x40) will have an exit pupil of 13.33 at 3 power and of 4.44 at 9 power. Although the 13.33 exit pupil at 3 power is likely more light than your eye can make use of it also has the advantage of a wide field of view.
Whew... I barely scratched the surface of optics. just buy the best optics you can afford and maintain a decent exit pupil. Bigger magnification = need for bigger objective = more weight = literal pain in the neck.
On animal care. The first time you down something bigger than a rabbit (and maybe even a rabbit) you'll say to yourself "what have I done". Reading and watching how to gut, skin, quarter, butcher videos is helpful but I really suggest finding an experienced hunter and mentoring with him/her. For this and many other reasons.
You are starting into a very rewarding journey. Not all rewards can be measured or weighed. Have fun!