10 Best Nikon Hunting Scope
Updated on: December 2023
Best Nikon Hunting Scope in 2023
Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9x40 BDC

- Extremely bright sight picture
- Fully multicoated lenses
- Patented BDC reticle
- Generous, consistent eye relief
- Waterproof, fog proof, shockproof
Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9x50mm, BDC Reticle, Rifle Scope

- Fully Multicoated Optical System
- Precise Hand-Turn 1/4-inch @ 100 Yards Click Adjustments
- Spot On Ballistic Match Technology
- Generous Eye Relief
- Generous, Consistent Eye Relief
Nikon P-Tactical Rimfire 2-7X32 Matte BDC150

- The BDC 150 reticle offers shooter unique open circle aiming points from 50 to 150 yards
- One inch body tube
- Spring loaded instant zero resets turrets
- Elevated windage and elevation turrets
- Generous consistant Eye relief
Nikon ProStaff 3-9 x 50 Black Matte Riflescope (BDC)

- Compact riflescope with 3 to 9x magnification and 50mm objective lens
- Fully multicoated optical system transmits up to 98 percent of available light
- Zero-reset turret with spring-loaded adjustment knob; 3.6 inches of eye relief
- Nitrogen-filled, O-ring-sealed housing for waterproof, fogproof performance
- BDC reticle; quick-focus eyepiece; measures 12.5 inches
Nikon Buckmasters II 3-9x40 Riflescope BDC Matte

- Multiple layers of anti-reflective compounds on every glass surface provide bright, vivid pictures and optimum light transmission from dawn to dusk.
- Positive-click reticle adjustments get you zeroed in quicker and maintain your setting, even with heavy recoil.
- Spot On allows you to discover all of the exact aiming points on your scope’s reticle at various yardages for your specific ammunition and load.
Nikon P-Tactical .308 4-12X40 Matte BDC800

- The BDC 800 reticle offers Shooters unique open circles, dots and hash marks aiming from 100 to 800 yards
- One inch body tube
- Spring loaded instant zero resets turrets
- Elevated windage and elevation turrets
- Generous consistant Eye relief
PROSTAFF P5 4-16x42SF Matte BDC

- Spring-Loaded Instant Zero-Reset Turrets and Aluminum Turret Caps
- one-inch main tube
- 4x zoom ratio
- Waterproof, Shockproof and Nitrogen Purged
Vortex Optics CF2-31015 Vortex Crossfire 2 4-12x44 Riflescope Deadhold BDC MOA

- The 4-12x44 Crossfire II riflescope is one of many configurations in the Crossfire II line. The Dead-Hold BDC reticle is good for hunting/shooting at varying ranges where estimating holdover is a concern.
- With long eye relief and an ultra-forgiving eye box, you'll be able to quickly get a sight picture and acquire your target. The fast focus eyepiece allows quick and easy reticle focusing.
- Anti-reflective, fully multi-coated lenses provide bright and clear views for the user.
- Capped reset turrets are finger adjustable with MOA clicks that can be reset to zero after sighting in.
- A single piece tube constructed from aircraft grade aluminum ensures strength and shockproof performance. O-ring sealed and nitrogen purged, the Crossfire II delivers waterproof and fogproof performance.
Nikon M-Tactical .308 4-16X42SF Matte BDC800

- Engineered for the .308 Winchester/7.62 NATO round with 168-grain Hollow Point Boat Tail Match Bullet At 2680 FPS
- 30mm main body tube
- Spring-loaded instant zero-reset turrets with coarse knurling
- Elevated windage & elevation turrets: exposed turrets engraved for maximum readability while offering smooth, repeatable adjustments
- Generous Eye relief
- Side-Focus Parallax adjustment: turret-mounted knob allows adjustment without changing Shooting position
- BDC800 Reticle offers shooters unique open circles, dots and hash marks aiming from 100 to 800 yards
Nikon ProStaff 3-9 x 40 Black Matte Riflescope (Nikoplex)

- Compact riflescope with 3 to 9x magnification and 40mm objective lens
- Fully multicoated optical system transmits up to 98 percent of available light
- Zero-reset turret with spring-loaded adjustment knob; 3.6 inches of eye relief
- Nitrogen-filled, O-ring-sealed housing for waterproof, fogproof performance
- Nikoplex reticle; quick-focus eyepiece; measures 12.4 inches
Antler Restrictions
History of Deer conservation leading to today's current hunting and antler restrictions. Current success rates of Pennsylvania and Texas antler restrictions.
In the mid 1900s we shifted our focus to a more thought out management program that produced a healthy herd number as well as quality animals for harvest. This is the time frame that most states introduced wildlife conservation areas and local management plans. These management plans continued to develop through trial and error until the formation of Private hunting organizations, researchers, and university studies that pointed them in the direction of today's plans. Today the leaders in white-tail management are private organizations such as White-Tails Unlimited and the Quality Deer Management Association. These groups forming their roots in the late 70s and early 80s have paved the way in educating the public and researching methods that create high quality healthy deer herds. QDMA is the leader in research and education, and is responsible for most of our scientific knowledge of deer and their life cycle. The majority of the information we have today about deer have come from deer hunters belonging to these organizations and not anti-hunters or even traditional scientist. It is even these hunters whose hunting licenses' pay for state operated wildlife areas and research. As former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said, "It's NOT the people who hug the trees, it's the people who hide behind the trees and wait for something to come out who are the real conservationists."
With a brief history of past management problems and knowledge on how we now receive our research, I would conclude we are headed in the correct direction. With our plan to produce a quality deer herd and maintain our lands carrying capacity, we need to decide what deer to harvest every year. This is where the implementation of antler restriction comes into play. "Antler restriction" meaning whether or not we want to put a certain criteria on the antler size of the bucks we can legally harvest each year. The ultimate desired outcome for this is to increase harvest of mature bucks in most cases meaning 4.5 years old and over. Typically the older the deer the larger the antlers, thus creating a minimum antler size would decrease the number of yearling and immature bucks harvested each year. A better spread of age groups increases your herds health and overall harvest potential as well as breeds healthier genetics into your herd longer. With the lingering stigma that harvesting does is a bad thing hunting pressure is still primarily placed on bucks of all age groups. This pressure lands primarily on the shoulders of the young 1.5 to 2.5 year old bucks and created a out of balance number of buck that reach maturity. All of these factors lead to the need for guidelines to once again protect our herds.
Antler restriction have taken form all across the country in one form or another. In Texas they have had great success by using both the number of points on one side too an inside spread measurement, inside spread meaning greatest distance across measured from the inside of the antlers. According to Texas parks and Wildlife web page these regulations have changed their percentages from 52% of bucks harvested in 2001 1.5 years old or younger to 21% in 2020. The percentage of mature bucks being taken each year has done the opposite and increased from 4% to 41% of all bucks taken in the same years. These counties restricted their hunters to a 13 inch inside spread or greater. The down fall of some restrictions is what is called "high grading" this is when you eliminate all the young bucks of superior genetics. A brief explanation of this would be when your deer have very good genes and are growing this size antler at a younger age. If you harvest them you do not allow the genes to be passed down and effectively drain your quality genetics. Texas parks and wildlife solved this problem and had enough success with their programs to add an additional buck tag. With this additional tag one of your two bucks must have at least one unbranched antler. This second tag levels out the possibility of genetic losses and increases harvest potential.
Pennsylvania has also made drastic changes in their harvesting of antlered deer regulations. Their regulations have been place to accomplish another goal of antler restrictions, the need for increased doe harvest. Counties in PA implemented a point restriction per side of 3 and in some counties 4. Their mature bucks harvested numbers have increased nearly as much as TX. Research done my Jason Miles states they have also accomplished their goal of doe harvest increase by 65%. He also states that the yearling buck survivability has increased from 87% percent of all bucks being harvested each year to 57% allowing them more time to mature. A side piece of information is the fact that their buck to doe ration went from 1-14 to 1-2 which increases potential to spread genetic dominance.
Antler restrictions are our next logical move to continue the pursuit of healthy mature deer herds. We need these regulation put into place in order to prevent the past from repeating itself, and our herds getting either to low in numbers or increasing past the local carrying capacity of our lands. The best tools in getting these goals accomplished are educating our hunters and future hunters in our past mistakes and contribute to continued research for our future. There are pros and cons to antler restriction I agree, however I have successfully harvested a mature buck due to these regulations and can clearly see the results.
Bibliography
1. Miles, Jason. (2004). Are Antler Restrictions Working in PA. (2004, October)
2. Texas Department of Wildlife (2020). Antler Restriction Regulation (2020, January 26).