Like many hunters, I enjoy much more than harvesting animals. As trite as it’s sounds, I like viewing sunrises, sunsets, and everything in between. Especially wildlife. That means many hours without even pulling a trigger or releasing an arrow. While the whitetail offseason means an abrupt end to sitting in a blind or stand, I still find excuses to get outside, hunt, and even just watch nature and wildlife. And when I do, I rarely hit the fields and woodlots without my Phone Skope adaptor kit. After all, it allows me to capture these moments by simply combining the kit with my smartphone and optics of choice. It brings the subjects in close, yielding photos and videos I once could only capture with fancy camera equipment.
Phone Skope’s offerings have increased dramatically over the years, allowing you to pair your smartphone with a wide array of optic brands and models. They also offer a universal adapter that works with almost any spotting scope or binoculars. The kits are lightweight, easy to use, and durable.
Phone Skope digitizing kits allow you to view wildlife
at a distance without spooking them
Being a dyed-in-the-wool whitetail hunter means summer scouting on the properties I hunt. While this sometimes entails traversing ridges, draws, and field edges, it mainly involves a lot of sitting – much like the average hunting session. I will set up at or near a popular hunting area and just watch. These sits show me the patterns of deer at various times of the day. And digiscoping allows me to do so at a distance. Weighing in at ounces rather than pounds, my Phone Skope adaptor it is a lightweight and seamless piece of gear.
Summertime is one of the best times to digiscope for whitetails. Late summer is even better. It’s during this time that bucks travel in more predictable patterns, assemble in bachelor groups, and have fully grown their antlers. Depending on how late, they may have even shed their velvet.
Late summer digiscope scouting is a huge part of my whitetail scouting regimen. Last August, I had such a session on a hot day in Texas and my Phone Skope adaptor kit was not only a helpful tool, but as always, a fun one. Being somewhat spur of the moment, all images were taken freehand.
Check out some of the photos I took on this beautiful day in the Texas hill country
Location: Edwards Plateau Region, Texas
Optics: Leupold Acadia 10X42 Binoculars
Phone Skope digiscoping kit
Device:iPhone 7S
Phone Skope kits are simple, lightweight, and offer a precision fit for your equipment
The Phone Skope digitizing kit captures a great
sunset to end a great day of scouting
This doe came in a mere 50-yards from one
of my setup
Phone Skope image of a buck taken from
175 yards out
A cardinal joins the scouting party at 75 yards out
We all know that current smartphones are equipped with outstanding internal cameras. While they’re no substitute for digital cameras with good zooming operability, these very phones really earn their keep when used along with your favorite optics. If you want to up your scouting game, utilize a Phone Skope adaptor kit, sit back, and record video and still images of the game you pursue – including hit-list bucks, bulls, or anything else you chase. I highly recommend including them on your next hunting or scouting session. The possibilities are limitless in capturing, recording, and sharing your adventures in the field.
And remember, this summer is a great time to take stock of the deer that are roaming your hunting grounds. What are you waiting for?
Disclosure: 1st Light Hunting Journal proudly partners with Phone Skope. We have regularly put their products to the test and strongly recommend them. We wouldn’t be partners with them otherwise. We hope you will add them to your hunting and scouting arsenal.