I’ve moved to a new area, much better quality of deer but way different terrain. Wide open, canyons, 1.5+ mile wide river bottom with wheat fields, tall grass flanked by very high cliff banks. Long story longer, I can see a LONG way so I bought a very nice Kowa spotting scope. I’ve leaned to save for what I really want in the first place I save money and aggravation. The alternative is to buy it twice or three times, eventually ending up with it anyway but with a closet of stuff I don’t use anymore. Added bonus is I don’t have to wonder if I had bought what I wanted if I’d be able to see whatever I’m looking at better.

My question is carrying this and a rifle and binos presents a problem- I like to shoot from a tripod and to use the spotting scope I need a tripod. From a practical perspective, I’d very much like to be able to quickly remove the spotting scope and replace with the rifle to shoot- maybe a quick disconnect. Is there such a thing?

Right now I’m carrying my tripod and either the scope is there or the rifle rest is there, I missed getting a shot fooling with swapping the two.

What’s the best solution? Is there such a thing as a tripod with a solid pan/tilt and a quick disconnect for a matching saddle/rest or whatever? I live in the middle of nowhere so can’t physically look at alternatives so I need help.

Any advice is appreciated.

-Kevin

Most photographer tripods have a QD with a ‘shoe’ that fits in the QD, and the shoe screws to the spotter as it would the bottom of a camera. I would bet you can find a shoe with a yoke to swap out for shooting. I believe there is also one that has a side rest so you leave the spotting scope on the tripod and shoot alongside it.

Yoke option. https://www.vanguardworld.com/products/u-yoke?yoReviewsPage=2

Possible tripod option
https://www.cabelas.com/product/Cab...Z__D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#tabsCollection

Bog Pod Tripod of your choice + Bog SSA = exactly what you want. You get a window mount as a bonus. I LOVE this setup!

I do exactly this with my nightstalker tripod and kopfjager

Sure glad you shared that, wouldn’t have found or known about them. Very nice, wish I could lay hands on these things. It’s a lot to pack- others manage to do it, I just need to figure out how.

Thanks much!

That’s something I can find at Academy or something, will look. Thx

I use this system below. It works very well.

https://triclawps.com/

There is also another system that mounts a base plate to the bottom of a rifle or spotting scope, or whatever you mount it to, and it connects to the tripod. This system locks in the mount, so it's very solid. But you would have to undo the connection, which is what I don't like and slows you down for a shot. The Triclawps system works well for many things. You can also change up the size and tension of whatever you are clamping in. I'd look that route.

Fundamentally I don't see issue with removing the spotter and then attaching your tripod rest before moving in for the kill.

If you are close enough for a rifle shot then your spotting scope should have been removed well beforehand . Of if you are shooting from so far away that you need to have your spotter up then you shouldn't be in a hurry at all and probably should be shooting from the prone.

That being said-- I run a Slik 634cf tripod with an Outdoorsmans micropan-- (https://outdoorsmans.com/collections/tripod-accessories/products/outdoorsmans-micro-pan-head )

I can run my 12x Swaros or a small 50-60mm OBJ spotter-- the quick release allows me to remove my binos or spotter and put on a shooting 'V' (https://outdoorsmans.com/collections/shooting-platforms/products/outdoorsmans-shooting-v )

I have also run this Field Optics Gun Pod on that tripod with great results, super smooth- (https://fieldopticsresearch.rainadm...unts/p/GunPOD-FM400B-Black-x32556480.htm )

Lots of great options out there-- I would get most sturdy tripod you can for running that big spotter and shooting off of, especially if you use a clamp type device.

Good luck!

X2 on all of this. I don’t see how using a spotter can possibly cause an issue with switching out to a tripod rest from any perspective. Or even binoculars for that matter. Tripods are for stabilizing optics for long-range spotting. Should be plenty of time to switch out to rifle rest attachment like the shooting “V” when it’s time for a stalk.

I use a Manfrotto tripod and head. My STX spotter, SLCs, and Outdoorsman's Shooting V all have their own base plates. Very fast to swap out depending on use. Also, practice shooting off your binoculars/spotting scope. Have had to do that more than once myself.

Some times you have all of the time in the world. Others you only have a couple of seconds. Prepare accordingly.

I use my spotter at shooting ranges all the time - especially when rattling or stalking a bedded buck. Our hunters often care about inches - "Do you think he's over 155?" The spotter allows for a detailed look at each tine. Ideally, we will have a set of dedicated shooting sticks/tripod, but if not, I can quickly pull the scope and snap in the shooting rest.

Arca rails are the answer you're looking for. Most folks doing what you're trying to do have converted to this system, it works the best from a practical standpoint. Basically, you get a head of some sort for your tripod with a clamp. Then you just put the plates on every piece of equipment you want to use. I have tried all the cheaper alternatives, and found that you're way better off investing in Really Right Stuff equipment up front. It's rock solid performance and reliability.

Basically, you need either a ball head or a leveling base. Ball heads have more range of motion, but you have to spend a lot more money to get the stability you need. Leveling bases only have a 15 degree range of motion, but from a practical standpoint it's all you really need. You get more stability for less $. The key element here is that the head has a lever release QD type clamp on it. This is how you will lock your equipment onto the tripod. You can switch between spotting scope and rifle in a matter of seconds. I could talk all day about the different types of heads, but here's an example of a pretty universal leveling base from Really Right Stuff: RRS Leveling Base

From there, you just put arca dovetail plates on everything you own and it's a piece of cake. Go here: RRS SOAR In the picture below, you see an example of what I'm talking about. I've got a full length dovetail plate on the bottom of my rifle. I can clamp it in the RRS leveling base on top of the tripod. Also, you'll see that my bipod is mounted on the arca plate on the bottom. This is nice because I can slide it back and forth if I need to.

We use a bipod on the rifles and carry a tripod for spotting when needed. The bipod is always at the ready and the spotter never has to leave the tripod til we pack up.
A good bipod can be very stable for prone as well as sitting shots.

Dam you need some phone books

I have gone to using the Kopfjager Industries Direct Mount Reaper Grip with a acra-swiss ball head or running a arca-swiss plate on the rifle itself depending on the rifle I have with me, and a arcaswiss plates on my spotting scope and bino adapter. All of this goes onto a carbon fiber tripod to save some weight there.

For the money this system is hard to beat, only down fall is in the big spotters it’s not as stable. I really like their bino base


If money is of no option I’d go 2vets tripod, right stuff leveling base and buy lots of plates. If the right stuff base is not as fluid as you like, get a outdoors man micro or full(depending on your spotter size)


I get your dilemma hauling two tripods is a pain.