binoculars
 

what type of eyes do you bring to the forest with you? I usually use tasco's palm size 12x25 which are a decent pair of binos but I recently picked up a pair of tasco's7x35 zip zoom they are very inexspensive a bit bigger than the palm size and don't have the zoom that the palm size had but I still love them. they have a rubber coating and when the light is low they are a lot better than the palms plus they are a heck of alot clearer than the palms annother advantage I find with these is are alot better for looking through the bush with while I am going to my blind/stand or still hunting and I wear them so when I am going to shoot they sit right behind my bow arm out of the way of my string. sorry for rambling on.:D

RE: binoculars
 

I have a pair of Pentax DCF-SP 8X43's on a Bino Buddy system that goes everywhere with me........LOVE those things. Bright , clear crisp and completely weatherproof.
I started taking binos a lot more seriously when PA went to their Antler Restrictions to look deer over closer, and I wish I had bought a good pair sooner.
I look at everything with them........from long range approaching deer , to scanning after a shot, to checking out a cool Owl 3 trees over. Won't leave home without em'

RE: binoculars
 

I have a pair of Leupold's Wind River Mesa Compact 8x23, they are great and very durable. They have been to hell and back in the past 5 years and still work perfect. Some of the best $100 I have spent.

RE: binoculars
 

I have a pair of B&L 10x42, fogproof, water proof, adjustable eyecups, and the biggest pieces of crap I have ever owned. They are 2 years old and seeing double, never actually been fog proof, and to top it all off I paid 299.00 for them and saw them in the paper a year later for 99.00. Also use a bino system and love that, my last trip outdoors I took my 7 years olds 19.00 Tasco's, ahhhhh. Next pair will be 10x Swarovski's.

RE: binoculars
 

Wind River 8X42 binos. I think im gunna get some more powerful ones for next year though so i can scout from farther away. Theyre great in the woods though.

RE: binoculars
 

I have a Simon 10x42 Pro hunters. They are great binos, there not to balky but still can see a pretty good distance with them. I also have a small tiny pari of bushnell 12x25 that I carry as my backups.

RE: binoculars
 

Brunton 10X50's


And I'd like to take the time to anyone who reads this post that doesn't use bino's to say that they are a very valuable part of archery equipment. Many people say if I can't see it I can't shoot it anyway but how many times do you think you miss deer that you don't see.....I know you are. I use my bino's to scan the woods that is just out of eye sight and many times I've picked up parts of deer that I wouldn't normally have seen...many times they are bucks that I then call into range for a good look, some I've shot and without bino's .....no deer.

Also, post shot...very valuable..See recovery thread pinned to top.....I've used bino's to see deer bed down after the shot...otherwise you might think of getting down and spook said animal...I've seen deer go down after the shot only with the help of bino's...I've used bino's to see the hole on the deer and know when or when not to track...again see "Recovery post pinned at top". I've used bino's to spot my arrow on the ground after the shot...I've used my bino's while tracking to see live bedded deer before pushing them from their bed and sat back to wait for the animal to expire.....

If your not taking bino's into the archery woods with you.....you'll never know what your missing...They are a very valuable tool.

RE: binoculars
 

I don't like using Bino for deer hunting from stands. But, I also don't hunt in areas where I can see more then about 50 yards.

RE: binoculars
 

Look at the review I posted a couple weeks ago in the Equipment Review area of this website.

I posted about my new Pentax 10 X 43 Binos- GREAT bino's, with a lifetime warranty...

RE: binoculars
 

I've got Wind River Mesa compact series. Very durable and a great buy.

RE: binoculars
 

Same here Matt.

Like most other hunters that I know I had a pair of cheap 8x21 or 10x25 Tasco/Bushnell compacts that I would stuff in my pack every year yet I cannot honestly remember one time that I pulled them out to use them. Once antler restrictions went into effect I realized just how important a piece of equipment they are.

Thus I began to start investing in more and better quality binoculars. After several years of trying to find a cheap way of getting a decent set of binocs I finally antied up and bought a more expensive, quality pair....

...but not before doing alot of research first. The reason many folks choose those compact models is because of their size and lightweight characteristics and yet it is those very characteristics which restrict their effectiveness at spotting game, especially in low light conditions.

Having said that I would generally recommend one of three sizes....8x30(or 32s), 8x40(or 42s) and, my personal choice, 10x42s. Many folks feel that a 10x magnfication is too much and does not allow the user to hold the image perfectly steady. This may be true but varies from individual to individual thus making it an issue that you really need to try to determine on your own. Personally I have found the higher magnification to be nothing but beneficial when trying to count 1 inch points on a bucks rack at 50 yards. :)

The next thing you want to look for is the type and amount of coating that is being used on the binoculars lenses. There are really three types listed.....fully coated optics, multi-coated optics and phase coated optics. The first two you will find more often than not on just about all optics but the very cheapest. The latter is not normally found on anything less than $250-$300.

At this point I think I should point out that I am referring to Roof Prism binoculars and not Porro Prism models. Roof prism binoculars use more lenses/mirror to get the image to your eye thus they require a special "phase coating" in order to get them to the same brightness level as a porro prism model. Porro prism models are bright but tend to be bigger and bulkier plus more difficult to make waterproof. The plus side for them though is that they are usually significantly less expensive than their roof prism counterparts when comparing brightness and clarity levels from the same or similar quality level companies/models.

It really all comes down to how much you want to spend. There are some decent $100 models out there but there is a noticeable difference in clarity, design and brightness between them and their $300 counterparts...

...just as there is between the $300 models and the $600...and so on and so forth.

Buy the best you can afford and that is practical for your hunting situation.

RE: binoculars
 

I've got a pair of Steiners. 8x23's. But I think I'm gonna get a stronger pair before too long.

RE: binoculars
 

I should have my new bino's in today i hope. ordered some burris landmarks 8x42 roof prizim model , hope there more clear then the simmons i had which i wansn't too impressed with (10x50 perma focus
model).

RE: binoculars
 

I think your power choice reflects the area you hunt. Here in Montana, anything under 10x is too small. It's not uncommon to spot elk 1000 yards away. I also have a spotting scope but rarely use it once season starts. Power, light collection and clarity are all equally important to me in my area.