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For me it depends on where I am hunting, I will take it if I am hunting clearcuts. I would definately buy one just for scouting purposes at least. You will find if you have one at your disposal you will use it more than you think. They are handy.
I would definitely get a good spotting scope. Save your money and go with zeiss, leica or swaro. We have all 3 and the new hd swaro is awesome. We use them all the time, one of our most important pieces of equipment our hunting. You can digi-scope animals and get great pics and be able to put them on your computer to help score them better during your scouting season. They also save you the trouble of having to hoof it a mile or two to see if an animal is worth it. There worth every penny, especially the good ones. Just my
Lot of eye strain on teh eye not using it. My boss wears a pair of glasses with the non glassing eye taped over so he can keep his eye open and not strain so much.