IT SAVED A TELEVISION PRODUCTION
OCT 30 2023
FIRST, SCOTT’S ACCUPOINT® FELL OFF A TRUCK IN MEXICO. THEN IT FELL OUT OF AN ATV IN IDAHO.
BOTH TIMES, HE HAD NO BACKUP SCOPE.
“I thought it was history. The dings and scratches were fine, but the dents on the tube concerned me. We thought we’d have to shut down production until a new scope arrived.”
Scott Haugen has appeared on more than 450 TV shows, written over 4,500 magazine articles, and published more than 13,000 hunting photos.
So he knows when a scope is in trouble. Especially in the middle of nowhere.
THE BUMP IN THE ROAD
TV production on the new season of Trijicon’s “The Hunt” had just started in Mexico. The crew was traveling down the road when disaster struck.
Scott explains, “We hit a bump in the road at high speed. The rifle and AccuPoint® 5-20x50 scope got knocked out of the high rack of the truck—probably 12 feet high—and we watched it crash on the rocky road, right on the scope, and then flip down an embankment. We thought the hunt was over before it started.”
THE GROUPING
Scott didn’t have a backup scope. His first thought was to get a new scope shipped down ASAP, but he wondered if the brand-new—but battered—AccuPoint® was still accurate. So he grabbed the rifle (300 WIN platform) and focused on finding zero.
“I wasn’t sure how the tube dents affected lighting or accuracy,” Scott says, “so we set up a rock at 50 yards. I drilled it first shot. Then we set up a paper target at 100, and the rifle and scope just ran perfect. I shot a group of three, and they all touched. It blew me away. The hunt was back on and was very successful.”
ON TO IDAHO
Later on that year, Scott and his production team traveled to Idaho to shoot a combo elk and mule deer hunt.
The back door of one of their ATVs was not properly secure, and when they rounded the corner of a trail, the same AccuPoint® and rifle fell out (along with other gear).
“Not again,” Scott said. “Same scope, same rifle. It slid right out of the soft case and rolled down the trail—nothing but shale rock. This time, we had very tight network deadlines looming over our heads, and what are the chances this scope and rifle run flawlessly after another beating?”
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Once again, the scope took the brunt of the fall. And once again, it zeroed instantly.
“It’s really a testament to Trijicon’s durability and performance,” Scott explains. “I’ve taken this particular AccuPoint on more than 20 successful hunts. I don’t even bring backups. That’s how much I trust Trijicon products.”
Scott has since retired this particular AccuPoint® 5-20x50, but he replaced it with a new one.
“I’ve made my living for the past 23 years as a TV host and outdoor writer,” Scott says, “and Trijicon scopes—lots of them—have been an integral part of my business and hunting success.”