Vortex Viper HD 11-33x50 Spotting Scope Review: New Horizons

The Vortex Viper HD mini spotter offers a small footprint, clear optical resolution and a practical magnification range at a price that's hard to beat.

December 19, 2024 By Scott Ergas

Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.

When given the chance to test out the new Vortex’s Viper HD 11-33x50 spotting scope, I jumped at the opportunity. I had a full fall hunt schedule ahead of me in multiple states offering a wide variety of terrain to test the mini-spotter in and those parameters would allow me to observe its capabilities and strengths in many environments.

Full disclosure—I have been an on-again, off-again user of spotting scopes for the better part of a decade. As a hunter who likes to stay light, I’ve either found them to be too cumbersome or have an ROI equilibrium that doesn’t make sense to my application—in other words, the “juice not being worth the squeeze.”

With the modern capabilities of manufacturers to constantly push the performance envelope, I was eager to give this spotter a try. After all, it offered a lightweight package with minimal weight penalty from a company that is synonymous with having a stellar lifetime warranty—the Vortex VIP—a promise and commitment to a fully transferable unlimited lifetime warranty with no receipt necessary. Being that I am frugal by nature and like to use my equipment as tools like they were intended—this warranty speaks my language.

I set off for California with a full tank of gas, my gear packed and high expectations.

Endless Sage in the High Sierras

sage desert with spotter — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

I had roughly a week to hunt and one tag to fill. A long-time friend of mine who was looking to break the metaphoric “big game seal” had two tags (a deer tag and a resident bear tag).

On opening morning, we hiked in the dark to a high vantage point above a saddle that offered many views. Utilizing the Viper HD’s built-in Arca-Swiss adapter, I fastened it to my tripod’s panhead and with first light’s arrival, started to peruse with intention.

Within 10 minutes, I turned up two big-bodied deer feeding on a burned-out finger ridge. They were about a mile and a half away from our position and in the morning haze, I could make out headgear, but not in detail. Now, for a hunter like me (perhaps a glutton for punishment and an embracer of the suck), this doesn’t bother me as I know I would have to get closer to make a play and set up for a shot regardless. If you are the type that wants to sit there and critically pick apart the deer’s frame, tines and mass before you decide to expend energy and calories for that discovery, then you probably aren’t concerned with the weight and overall size of your optics kit in the first place—and therefor, this may not be your cup of chamomile.

I chose to load my pack and swiftly descend, dropping elevation and cutting the distance in half—but it wasn’t to be. The bucks had fed over that ridge and stayed out of sight. I decided to explore some new country and reposition my glassing efforts. Around 5 pm, I turned up a good black bear and watched its movements and direction in the spotter. It was no doubt a shooter and I was excited to tell Dustin of its existence when we reconnected at camp.

Three Awesome Firsts

hunter with his first bear — (Photo courtesy of Dustin Wiemeyer)

The following morning sit was slow (temperatures were abnormally high for late September/early October). We got back to camp, and I could tell my friend was bouncing with energy and optimism. He was going to head out for a quick afternoon investigation ruck to which I suggested a ridgetop that likely held a bedding area (where I saw the bear head into the night before).

About an hour later as I prepared lunch, I received a text that read “big bear down...” Happy and a little shocked, I trekked to his waypoint and found him working up a great bear—his first big game animal. We packed all the meat and the hide out of there and I quipped in jest, “bears are a lot of work, especially when it’s 87 degrees out in the middle of the day. Just something to consider next time.” We drove the meat to his house and spent the next day processing.

On our next rip to the hunting grounds (two mornings after the bear harvest), we split up. He went high towards where we perched opening morning, and I went lower to an area that had a lot of sign but no sightings. I’m not sure if I believe in “beginner’s luck”, but about 10 minutes before shooting light I received a text that stated, “I’m pretty confident I hear two deer feeding below me.” To which I responded, “If the wind is good, stay put and be ready.” No more than 15 more minutes went by before I heard the crack of Dustin’s .270 Tikka. Then, excruciating silence—for me at least.

It turns out that it was two bucks, a large one and a smaller one (a possibility of being the two I glassed up opening morning), and they circled and caught his wind, electing to quietly evade. Dustin, quick on his feet, cut them off in a little false bowl and took aim at the larger of the two, hitting his target and ultimately, filling his second big game tag ever on a rad 4x4 stag buck in the velvet within a 48-hour time frame.

The final first from this whirlwind of days spent afield is that I realized how vital a good spotting scope is for getting a pulse of what animals are around that may be out of reach for most binoculars. I’m confident the Vortex Viper HD had a crucial role in our success and that Dustin created his own luck with persistence and a positive attitude (he says my morning prayer helped, but he is very humble).

Steep and Deep in Central Idaho

spotter with backpack and rifle — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

The spotter and I survived the grueling California heat and I was impressed by the tiny spotter’s performance—specifically, its light-gathering capabilities. With a 50mm objective, I was skeptical of how well it would handle dawn and dusk twilights, but to my relief it wasn’t a hinderance and held its own admirably. In Idaho, the form factor would really come into play, as I was backcountry hunting with camp on my back. Weighing in at 27.8 oz. And sporting a length of 10.3 inches, it was a gear necessity and found a home in my pack lid.

glassing up great deer country — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

Forgive me for the punctuated summary, but Idaho was a quintessential bust. Many miles in very unforgiving terrain were logged overlooking exceptional deer country. The spotter cooperated, but the large bucks did not. In total, I glassed up over a dozen bucks (none of which were mature) and one large bear I'm still kicking myself for not taking (in Idaho you can hang your deer tag on a black bear if the opportunity arises during your season).

Another thing I noticed and liked about the Viper HD spotter was that regardless of if I was wearing gloves or merino mittens with the fingertips missing—the dual focus knobs were very responsive and not sloppily tactile, which helps tremendously when temperatures are low, and your hand/finger dexterity is compromised.

close up of focus knobs — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

On my homebound trek, I was content with my decision to pass on the younger bucks and remained eager for redemption during the late-season—a snowy wonderland filled with crazed, hormonal deer—and another chance to put this optic through its paces.

Frigid Ridges and Tracks in the Snow

spotter looking into the snow — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

I love the cold, always have. I joke and say, “You’ll never find me volunteering to live in Arizona or Vegas, as I’m likely to wither away from discomfort.” The other thing I love about the cold, and specifically, the snow, is hunting in it.

Animals stick out better against a white backdrop and are up on their feet—which translates to tracks they cannot hide. With this in mind, I set out to find some pockets of does and hopefully find a good buck cruising through to check them.

mule deer buck in the snow — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

After glassing up some pre-dawn movement on a regular travel corridor, I came to the determination that I was too high and needed to drop in elevation and check the warm side of the mountain as the snow was becoming crusted. This pivot worked in my favor, as there were more dappled patches of feed as the snow slowly retreated by mid-morning. I never did come upon a large pocket of does being courted by a monarch, but I did locate a solid buck bedded down. He was so close that I didn’t need a pair of binos or a spotter to determine he was a shooter—just a steady hand and some steel cajónes to execute an off-hand shot.

packing out a large mule deer buck — (Photo courtesy of Scott Ergas)

I had gone through the gauntlet of blistering temperatures, unpredictable winds and blanketed snow across 3 states, and so did the Vortex Viper HD 11-33x50 spotter. We both never quit when the going got tough and I’m happy to recommend it to any hunter that wants to save weight and money, without sacrificing performance. Sure, you could buy a pair of Swaros, but have no budget left to grab multiple tags, entertain logistics and hunt. Hunting is fun. I like hunting. I’ll keep hunting...and this spotter will be in my pack.