RE: Binoculars for elk hunting?
Rumor has it that the Brunton Epoch binoculars are the best darned glass out there in that price range. Clairity wise they compare with some high end euro glass, but they are not waterproof, but that should not be an issue out West too much. I can't speak from personnal experience about them, just what I have heard from some field type biologist and ornithologists I know. Birders are pretty picky about their glass. There is a head to head version somewhere on the net and I know the Brunton did extremely well, and was considered a huge bargain for the quality.