Golden Scope

For Long Distance, Leupold’s VX-3i 6.5-20x50mm CDS Target Scope Scores

- Steven Lieberman

Four years ago I was hunting in the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California. Let me give you a perspective on this.

The zone I was hunting has a statistical 6% success rate during our short deer season. There are some trees, but it’s mostly chaparral, and shots on target are expected to exceed 200 yards. It would be wrong to equate a Southern Cal hunt as a desert hunt. It is more of a semi-arid hill country hunt.

For this hunt, I had elected to take my Winchester Model 70 afield. I have a Leupold low power scope on that rifle that I have used for years. On a hunt like this, you take what is given to you.

When I spotted a deer at 700 meters, I knew that I had only moments to take my shot. I shouldered my rifle and looked through the scope. The point of intersection on my reticle was actually larger than the body of the deer. (In fairness, the deer that we have in So Cal are really nothing more than German Shepherds with small antlers).

I simply could not ethically take the shot because I had no real knowledge if my round would hit vitals. I watched helplessly as my deer scampered over the next ridge.

I was taught years ago that zooming in on a target was problematic. Finding the target through a zoomed-in scope would be next to impossible, and watching your reticle bounce around with each heartbeat would make shooting too difficult. As a result, I have typically kept my low powered scopes on the lowest power.