I don't use bino's but will use my range finder(4x) on occasion to glass the alpine on the other side of the drainage. Mobility is the key to elk hunting. Even my bow feels like it is 50 lbs by the end of the day. Last year was a little better as I used a bow sling. Most of the elk we take, we can hear them long before we see them. The only time I would probably say that bino's help is the late season to spot a migrating herd and ready yourself into position. But I wouldn't put them high on the priority list for early season. I would much rather pack the extra weight in junk food.