Idk why people say “you don’t need that much magnification”, I’ve heard it on here.
I like to have the most magnification I can have shooting at a deer standing still.
I understand hunting in the woods or with a shotgun, but with a high powered rifle, I’m a better shot zoomed all the way in.
If he’s 100 yards or more which 99% of my shots are, I want to be able to see his shoulder the very best I can. I certainly can’t understand long range shooters who say “10 power is all you need”.
I don’t think I’ve killed a deer under 6 power in 15 years. My scope never goes below 8 most of the time. 6-24 would be my ideal scope if I had my rathers.

FFP sitting on 12 most of the time.

This is why I’m glad we have so many options!

I’m usually on the ground and Mine stays on 3.5-4.

I rarely crank it up unless I’m on powerlines l, but it’s nice to have the quick option.

Really depends the type of hunting. So much variety in topography, terrain and hunting styles.

Keep mine on 5/6 unless I’m on a greenfield but I agree with the OP, I want to see the ticks in their fur with my scope. May not always use it but it’s there if I need it

When I hunted a lot, I don't think I ever had a scope with a mag level over 9x. It always stayed on 9x, until it was getting really close to dark, then I'd turn it down to 6x to supposedly help with light transmission. I don't hunt much now. I do shoot quite a bit and most of that is .22 LR. I have 4-16 on one rifle and a ?x-24X on another. I shoot them on full magnification. The larger that the target appears, the more accurately I can shoot.

Careful now y'all gonna get 2Dogs fired up again lol. I prefer to have the extra magnification but quick follow up shots are more difficult at full zoom. Normally keep my scope at 3-4 unless I can see a long ways. I think 15-16 × is ideal.

If your deer come out and stay 150yds+, and you look at them through a 15x or 16x scope, lower magnifications just arent good enough any more.

I agree, you may not need it but I sure do prefer it

Even if I'm hunting a spot where I can shoot 300+ yards I keep my scope set at 6-8x. Use binos to spot and can zoom in once I've acquired the target with my rifle.

If I'm in the woods I keep my scope set at 2-3x.

Globe, I agree with you.

I keep mine on low power for everything under 200 yards. I don’t start cranking it up to 10 or more until he’s 300+

The higher power you go the more you can see the imperfections in your ability to hold still. I like to at least think I’m steady. There’s no need for high powers on anything less than 300, but then again, your preference may vary. If you like it on high power then use high power. I just don’t.

I tend to keep mine on the 5-6x range. There is many times I will zoom in, but most shots are made with this setting.

Up until this year, I don’t know if I ever shot a buck on anything less than 10x. It didn’t matter if it was 200 yards or 50. This year I started using a 6x scope on my 223 hunting rifle. After taking it out to 660 yards at the range, I realized that I don’t need the higher magnification in a hunting scope.

I didn't carry a rifle a single time this year but I normally use my 25.06 with a 8x56 fixed power Swaro for powerlines and fields and I use my 308 with a 2.5x10x50 for woods hunting. My 8x is fine for everything from 50 yards to 300 but FOV is pretty narrow.

Sounds like I'm not the only one who doesn't tote a Hubble when it's not needed.

BTW , I use a 2-7 VXR, it never goes above 5X. No need for it, longest shot possible for me is bout 125 yards across a plot.

For many years and many kills I toted a 1.5-5 Vari X III.

Until folks give it a test drive they’ll never believe it.

High magnification is a handicap to me unless I’m shooting from a bench or another rock steady rest. Like Matt pointed out, my “reticle float” with lower magnification is much more controlled than with high magnification. The more that reticle moves around the more likely target panic will kick in or the urge to jerk the trigger and could cause you to rush the shot.

My 2 cents

I keep mine mostly on 3 to 5 . Easier for me to shoot running deer . Course if he's standing still I'll turn the knob

6x is where mine stay. Used to stay maxed out.

I like a 3-18 scope but keep it on 6-8 power depending where I’m sitting. If 1 pops out 100+, I’ll give it a quick twist to 10-12 power. Have never shot one at 18 but like the additional magnification at the range.

Mine stays on 5x most of the time