Last Updated on April 18, 2025 by Jason Tome
Over the last 8 years of hunting big woods bucks in snow in Maine, I’ve tested most of the sights and scopes to figure out what would be the best option in different tracking scenarios. In this article, I give a few of the options I’ve tried, their pros and cons, and what I’ve currently landed on as my top choice.
I’ve used peep sights, red dots, and rifle scopes to track bucks on snow. In this article, I share my experiences with these different sights and scopes, their pros and cons, and what I think is best for different situations.
The best sights and scopes for tracking big woods bucks on snow will be able to handle cold, wet, icy, and snowy weather so that when the opportunity finally presents itself, they are up to the challenge. It is also important for scopes and sights to have fast target acquisition because you often only get a split second to shoot when tracking.
This article contains no affiliate links. I do not earn any affiliate income, nor am I partnered with any of these brands, ensuring a non-biased article.
Table of Contents
William’s Peep Sights
Pros
Peep sights are one of the best sights for tracking big woods bucks on snow. They can handle snowy conditions, especially in thick brush. Although you can get good with any sight, other open sights seem to have more room for error. Peep sights are also great because there is no magnification, so you can keep both eyes open for quick shooting. When the peephole gets filled with snow, you can blow it out or use a stick to scrape it out. This is faster and easier than trying to keep a scope clean, but honestly, not by much.
Cons
Although William’s peep sights will get the job done and are a great option, they do have some downsides. The biggest is that they are difficult to sight in because they move around a lot when you tighten the sight on the ramp, the harder you tighten the sight down it will want to move up on the ramp, so you have to plan for that forward movement. The screw that holds the sight in place also digs into and scars the ramp. Once you get it sighted in, it is helpful to mark the ramp so you can always reset the sight if it gets bumped. Although plenty of hunters like these sights for tracking, I do not recommend this sight anymore.
Skinner Peep Sights
Skinner sights are newer to the market than William’s peep sights, and I have not had an opportunity yet to try these out, but it seems like the consensus among the tracking community that these sights are more durable, reliable, and built more functionally than the William’s peep sights, with adjustability that won’t make it hard to sight in and ruin the metal on the sight.
Trijicon TR24 AccuPoint 1-4×24
The Trijicon TR24 is one of the best scopes for tracking bucks on snow. It has been around for a long time and is a popular Low-Power Variable Optic (LPVO) scope. It’s been out for over 10 years and is still going strong, and has been a favorite among trackers. I haven’t personally used this one, but I figured I’d mention it here for you to take into consideration. I’ve researched this scope a good bit, and here are some of the key points below:
True 1x Magnification
Cheaper 1x scopes don’t have a true 1x magnification, and others have a fish-eye effect at the edges of the scope, making it difficult to shoot with both eyes open. The Trijicon is a very true 1x power scope made to shoot with both eyes open, making it one of the best fast-acquisition scopes for tracking deer in the snow.
AccuPoint Fiber Optic True Daylight Bright Illumination
One of the most unique features of this rifle scope is that it uses AccuPoint fiber optics to illuminate the reticle, this means it does not need batteries to function. This is a great feature for trackers because technology does not always work the best in wet, snowy, cold conditions when tracking deer.
During the daytime, it’s illuminated very brightly by fiber optics, during low-light conditions tritium illuminates the reticle. The reflection from the snow also helps to keep this fiber optic reticle bright under the canopy.
The large triangle post-reticle has been a favorite among trackers for fast close-quarter shooting, but other reticles are available.
Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6X24
I have tested the Vortex Viper PST Gen II 1-6×24 for tracking on snow and it is no doubt a great scope. This scope is so good it is often said to undermine Vortex’s Razor Series 1-6×24 LPVO scope (which are +/- 2000$). The Vortex Viper is much better than the Vortex Strike Eagle, so if you can save your money or buy this scope used, it is worth it.
I liked this scope very much when I used it, except for one aspect: the weight. It is a heavy scope, and by putting a scope on your tracking rifle it makes it slightly more awkward to carry in the woods. So the awkwardness and weight combination left more to be desired for me.
Holosun AEMS Reflex Sight
After trying both the William’s Peep Sight and the Vortex Viper PST Gen II, I’ve currently landed on the Holosun AEMS. I’ve used it for one hunting season now and like it a lot. The benefit of the red dot is that you don’t need to align the front and rear sight. As soon as the dot is on the target pull the trigger, no matter where it is in the housing, that’s where the bullet will go. This fast-aquision is a big selling point for me.
Additionally, the AEMS has flat glass that covers the optics so that snow easily can be cleaned off the optic vs scopes and peep sights which can be a pain to keep clean. I also like that the AEMS sits kind of awkwardly high on the gun. It looks a little goofy and the check weld isn’t the best, but you’ll get used to it. The benefit of having it higher is that when snow falls on your gun, it doesn’t immediately fill up the optic, like it does when you’re using a peep sight. The AEMS also uses a closed emitter, so the light that emits the red dot is protected from the elements. The red dot can last for 5 years on one battery! You can read my in-depth Holosun AMES review here.
The new Holosun AEMS X2’s also just came out, which are the same footprint basically as the original AEMS with beneficial improvements, especially to the glass (basically it’s their 2nd iteration with AEMS to improve upon the original.)
Scope Considerations For Tracking Bucks on Snow
Magnification & Short-Range LPVOs
If you’re hunting in dense cover, a magnified scope is not a good idea when tracking, as you will not be able to pick up the deer as fast. If you’re tracking in open ridges, you can get away with a 3-9×40, but even then, you’re never going to use a magnification over 6x, so a 1-6×24 LPVO is a better and lighter choice.
Snow In The Scope
Snow will fall into scopes which can make them more annoying than a peep sights for this reason. Be aware of this and bring materials and/or scope covers with you to keep your scope clean if you choose the scope route.
Scope Electronics
Cold, wet, icy, and snowy weather are the worst conditions for electronics. Be careful when buying any scope with electronics, and make sure it can still be used even if the battery dies.
Brands To Avoid When Buying Hunting Rifle Scopes
- Nikon (they stopped producing rifle scopes)
- Cheap off-brand Amazon scopes (not worth the money)
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