Binoculars
 

I went Elk hunting with a 10x50 set of binoculars. They were too heavy, and too powerful. I could see Elk over 1 mile away. It was ridiculous.

I need something lighter, and less powerful. 1000 yards is more than sufficient. What do you guys recommend ??

have you been smoking crack?? the heavy part I can understand, the to powerful part especially talking about 10power I don't understand!!!! You can never have to powerful binoculars, power of magnification comes in real handy when trying to judge trophy or in my case looking for that elusive third point on a mule deer or making sure that spike bull reall is a spike!!!!! and that my friend is where the power comes in handy!!!
Get a pair of 12X22s or something but you will be disappointing!!! POWER and light gathering ability is what you look for!!! As long as you can hold them steady they ain't to powerful!!!!!!!

Where you using a harness or the factory strap?

i would have to say i disagree with this comment.
while its great to be able to see each individual strand of hair on a deer it isn't practical for anything other than a person sitting in place all day. the higher the magnification the harder it's going to be to stabilize the object being magnified. if you want long range magnification your further ahead to use a spotting scope. binoculars to me are a device to be used up to 500 yards.

I use 3 different optics for elk hunting. I have a spotting scope I use with a window mount on the truck for glassing distant ridges. I don't carry it on a stalk. It stays in the truck. For general hunting I use a pair of Leica 10x42's which I consider about perfect. if I'm hunting light or in heavy thick cover I use a pair of Nikon 10x25 ultra-lights. For me 10x is good I adapt which 10x I use to the individual situation.

10x42
or
8x42

I would agree with slukipv1. The quality of glass has much influence too. 8x42 Swarovskis are far superior to 10x50 many other brands. There are other brands as well that make high end glass that will give you better performance (near or far) with a lower magnification than lower end models.

Evidently most here have not hunted elk in the sagebrush or flat open areas in eastern Washington...we like to see the elk that are a mile away....ever saw an elk run?? it doesn't take them long to cover that mile between you.... here the object is to see the elk a LONG ways away, figure out where they are going and get there before them, and shoot them when they come to you!!! I use Nikon 10X42s they are the best glass I can afford and work well.......here we are shooting at 500yds if need be, we have already glassed them and pick out the shooters.........we hunt differently than you do up in the mountains.....here the elk are down low and close in, where the country is basically flat and very open with little or no cover.....................

If I can't see the elk with my eyes. I'm too far away.

That should rattle some cages. :p

You can see elk at a mile with your eyes and no binocs..............again i will state it only takes about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes for them to cover that distance a bit longer if they are just in their ground gobbling trot!!!! Here again every old codger can make statements about this and that ...but if ya ain't stepped up to the plate and hit the other guys pitch don't make assumptions about his game........again, here the elk ain't at 10,00 ft, they ain't in the timber all the time... we have miles of open sage and grass lands that they cover..we have elk all the time below 2000 ft.......elk don't act the same way everywhere!!!!! I seem to remember reading here ...go out find the elk get close to the elk shoot the elk!!!! and that's what I do and with a pretty good success ratio