Magnify the Hunt with Phone Skope
Over the years, I can’t count the number of times I held my binos up to my phone in an attempt to photograph a distant image. Though it works to a degree, it’s downright cumbersome. Then digiscoping adapters started to hit the market. Today, there are several alternatives, but the original Phone Skope still reigns as the go-to tool for digiscoping in the outdoors. Hunting in a variety of areas, I simply can’t leave home without this adaptor kit.
When I was introduced to the Phone Skope, I was simply amazed by its utility in the field. Being a sucker for hunting gizmos, I had to have one. I still remember the first time I toyed with my kit at deer camp. My subsequent Phone Skope-aided photos and video taken from ranch house porches, hunting blinds, and ATV-driven scouting sessions were intriguing.
Digiscoping and Phone Skope Basics
Digiscoping is simply the process of taking magnified digital photos with the aid of common optics. Paired with an optic device, Phone Skope adapter kits can be used for a variety of photography and videography applications. Types of optics include spotting scopes, binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, and even GoPros. This means a great deal of functionality and applications, including hunting, outdoor photography, birding, and astronomy.
In the hunting world, there is obviously a lot of use for spotting scopes, binoculars, and rifle scopes. Magnifying wild game animals at a distance is a common need for hunters, and digiscoping takes it a step further by allowing the images to be magnified and recorded – in both photo and video form. In fact, by using the adaptor kit for video, you can verify shot placement on both game animals and targets – not to mention magnify and capture your outdoor moments.
In short, Phone Skope digitizing kits center smartphone cameras over your optic of choice. As such, they include two parts; a custom smartphone case and an adapter to fit your particular optic.
Phone Skope offers kits for all popular smartphone devices and almost any optic brand and model. They are durable, well-fitting custom systems that require no eye relief. There are many benefits of Phone Skope’s innovative offerings, including portability and ease of use. Hence, they are a great addition to any hunter’s arsenal, as they’re valuable for hunting, scouting, and shooting sessions.
First-Hand Experience
I often use my Phone Skope kit on hunting outings. However, they are invaluable when it comes to scouting. Currently, I pair my iPhone 7+ with Leupold BX-2 Acadia 10×42 binoculars and a Vortex Solo 8×25 monocular. On one recent scouting trip, I was rewarded with some great photos: ones that should pay real dividends for future hunts.
As always, Phone Skope didn’t disappoint. Tucked in a brushed-in ground blind at the crest of a small hill, I could see a distant draw and a series of game trails. This was a great section of the Texas Hill Country for obtaining whitetail intel. At sunrise, I was able to see movement and quickly attached my binoculars to my phone and adapter. I was immediately astounded at the quality photos I was able to take of several deer as the day came alive. I was able to take a quality photo of a particularly shy buck in the brush. At almost 200 yards, it’s still one of my favorite shots today.
How to Get One
You will find the custom phone cases priced around $60 with the overall kit coming in around $80-$100. If Phone Skope doesn’t list your particular optic, fear not. Provide them with the dimensions and they will create a custom one. Phone Skope also offers a universal adapter that works well across many optics. This component comes in at about $40.
Though you can find these kits in many outdoor stores such as Cabelas, the best way to obtain them is to build and order your kit at PhoneSkope.com. Their website offers a very seamless way to purchase kits and individual components. Their customer service is top-notch as well.
Conclusion
Phone Skope adapter kits are not only great hunting tools, but they expand your season. Consequently, I use them year-around for everything from off-season scouting to miscellaneous travel. Put simply, this tool is downright fun. It’s gratifying to capture quality distant photos, an impossible feat with a phone camera alone. Many sportsmen have had the disappointing experience of capturing images at 30 yards or more that resulted in tiny images of the main subject. No more.
The affordability of the kits means you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on cameras and lenses. On the contrary, you can use items you already own: your various optics and smartphone.
Phone Skope adapter kits provide high-level dependability and utility. Part of the Skoped Industries group, Phone Skope continues to seek and perfect new features and increase its product offerings. This largely explains their staying power in the outdoor industry. Thus, Phone Skope continues to grow and be a pioneer and leader in the digiscoping industry. I strongly encourage big game hunters and outdoor enthusiasts to make room in their pack for one. It will truly boost your hunting and scouting game.
Jeremy Mallette is co-founder of International Sportsman. An avid hunter and outdoorsman, he has spent more than a decade in the outdoor industry, from hiking and camping to silencers and hunting. His father taught him to shoot at age six, and he received his first firearm at age eight — a 1942 Colt Commando .38 special revolver. He enjoys yearly trips to Kansas for pheasant hunting, spending time with his children at the deer lease, and collecting unique firearms.
Based in Texas, Jerald Kopp is President of 1st Light Hunting Journal. His articles cover a variety of topics about hunting and the outdoor lifestyle. Jerald is an avid outdoorsman with deer hunting and whitetails being by far his greatest passion. He was introduced to hunting and fishing at an early age and has been enjoying it for 40+ years. In 2005, he established the Empowerment Outfitter Network (EON) – a faith-based non-profit organization that provides hunting opportunities for disabled and terminally-ill children and youth. When not hunting, he spends his time traveling and enjoying life with Amy, his wife of over 30 years. Jerald and Amy have two adult daughters and a son-in-law.
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