THOUGHTS - BINOS - THOUGHTS

Okay, enough yelling in the subject line.

I bow hunt, rifle hunt and muzzle loader hunt and hunt for most anything that's legal. As many of you do as well...

With that being said, we come up against deer at 35 yards in the thick woods in low light conditions with a bow. We also come up against deer at 150 in low light conditions while glassing an open field.

We may come up against and antelope or elk at 400 yards on an open valley...

You get my drift..

I have a good set of Vortex 10 x 42 as of now.

I'm thinking about upgrading quality to either the 10 x 50 (much heavier) or going to the 8 x 42 (much lighter)

There are a million variables that come into play here such as gathering light both long and far etc...

What do you all carry with similar circumstances and why?

By the way, I dont do any spot and stalk on elk up and down mountains if that makes a difference with the weight of the 10 x 50's.

I might one day but I am mainly a whitetail hunter in a tree stand or ground blind so that is my main focus when buying optics.

thanks for the input.

I will take 10x42's with good glass over not so good glass 10x50's.

This ^^^

Ok, am I missing something?

I'm upgrading so the glass would be better in the 8 x 42 or the 10 x 50 vs the 10 x 42 Vortex I have now.

I actually went from an 8x42 to an 8x32 because of the weight difference and the fact that the bigger objective gave maybe two-three minutes of extra viewing time. I used a pair of 7x35 binoculars for many years including Antelope and Elk hunting. Never felt an overwhelming need for higher magnification. Your needs may be different, but a good quality 8 should serve you well.

If it were me I would go look through all 3 pair of binos in those power. I did not like holding 10x50 power due to weight and keeping the steady. 10x42 are my choice over 8x42 due to the fact I could see much more detail and still hold them steady. I hunt Mule Deer in West Texas and the extra 2x is a huge difference. I have a friend who uses 8x in West Texas and I loaned him a pair of 10x42 Leupolds and he was really impressed with how much better he could find/judge deer when just sitting and glassing.

I have always been a sucker for 10x42. The added objective size adds a lot of light gathering in my opinion and a nice wide field of view.

Cabelas Euro 10x42 would be a big upgrade over the Vortex and still not break the bank on cost. I've compared them to the Swarovski and the Zeiss that my friends hunt with and I can't tell the difference.

Leica 10X50 BN or Leica 8X42 BN

You didn't say what your price range is. If you want the very best, then the European's still have an edge. I have Swarovski and I don't think there is anything better. Zeis and Leica are also very good and probably just as good. You really get into splitting hairs when you get up to this level of quality. Before shooting light is where you really notice and appreciate quality glass. I can see things in the dark with mine that I can't see with the naked eye. They gather more light and I've actually used them to find my truck at night when it was too dark to see it and my flashlight wasn't in range.

The camera brands like Nikon are probably the best deals out there for the money. Good quality at a more affordable price. My wife has them and until we feel comfortable spending the money on a pair of Swarvoski's for her, they will work just fine.

I like 10x50 because it's not just about finding the animal, it's also about deciding if he is what you are looking for. Do you shoot him? or spend hours getting closer? On a recent hunt to South Africa, we did a lot of glassing and with the smaller animals, half an inch of horn makes a huge difference. My PH had 8x56 Swarvoski's and he could see in the dark better then I could, but he would use mine to double check his estimate of horn length.

I have thought about 12x binoculars for that very reason. I would never want anything less then 10x, even when carrying my spotting scope around.

Eddie

Swarovski is what I'm looking at buying

I wouldn't up grade binos just for stand bow hunting.

I might upgrade my rangefinder finder to better glass like swaro or Lecia though

I wouldn't own a 12x Bino unless I carried a tripod with quick discount.

Great post Eddie, thanks

I have swaro 10x50 SLCHD I believe. It is incredible glass. Short distance or long distance.

Depends on the which vorex, the top end vortex are good glass. Last year in montana I used a pair of 10x42 I think they were and I was very impressed. My 10x50 are just too much to carry for long.

For those who are saying that the weight of their binoculars is a factor, do you use a shoulder system to carry them or just a strap around your neck? I like to be as light as possible when out hunting, but some things I just can't cut down on. Rifle and binoculars are two of those things.

Eddie

10x42

In the stand bigger is better JMHO, I have been very Happy w the Nikons...But I use a Spotting Scope 90% of the time once a Deer of Quality or potential is in contact of the pens..Good Glass is everything but to each his own, I very seldom even carry a set Bow Hunting and if I do I have a small set of Vortex.

I have the butler creek shoulder harness thing but on about day seven after 5-7 miles a day you'll be ready to throw them off the mountain if they are heavy.

10x42. I like Swaros.

You guys toting 50-56mm objective binocs around your necks must not be toting them very far....and 12x cannot be held steady enough to be practical. They need support of some kind.

I use FHF gear

I like my 10x42 Steiners. I use the shoulder system rather than the neck strap. But I'm not clambering up and down mountains, miles upon miles everyday either. The Swaro's would definitely be an excellent choice.

I too agree that 12x are too much without some sort of support. 50mm adds too much weight. I think if you need more magnification it might be best to get a good spotting scope and lightweight tripod that you could put in a backpack.

With the shoulder straps it's a breeze. I agree with you if you only have them hanging from your neck.

The Swarovski brand is hands down the best glass in the business; however, if you don't plan on dropping a couple of grand, don't even bother looking thru them as you will be disappointed in any other glass you come across in comparison. I like a 12X bino; however, I hunt big country where I glass long distances. I believe a good 8x or 10x50 is adequate for most situations. I like the larger objective to pull in more light in the early and later hours when it's darker.

The light gathering is always nice to see those early morning critters.

I use CH bino-system. Very few use just the neck straps anymore if they are going very far.