The 3.6-18x44 Mk5 is quite bright, and I had no problems shooting 45 min before or after sunrise/set with the one I had. It was pretty comparable to my 4.5-27x56 Gen 2 Razors that I had at the time.
As another option, the 4-16x42 ATACR is also bright enough for legal daytime hunting, and can be found for sub $2k in the PX.
As a curve ball, I’ve seen some ZP5s (both 3-15 & 5-25) in the PX for $2k or less. They are at the upper weight limit for me, but worth considering.