hunting binoculars

Grumpy

Grumpy

The Grumpy Grease Monkey mechanical engineer.
Staff member
if your going to be hunting elk out west in the canyon country, having a decent set of 8x-10x compact binoculars is almost mandatory,
simply,
because you'll need to look over far more area than anyone could possibly cover walking on foot.
the normal procedure is too look over the topo maps and game department game population and kill statistics, for the areas you might choose to hunt in and look over the potential road access, licences etc, maybe talk to the local game warden and biologist.
once you physically get into the area,
you'll want to scout through too locate the areas access, camp sites, game trails and sign of game, looking for the game, and finding several higher areas with a good view of surrounding terrain helps you get a good feel for choke points,
road access,your and the games access too water and feed and bedding areas.
many guys buy cheap and low quality binoculars,
this is a huge mistake, as you'll spend hours a day glassing simply because you gain far more info doing that,carefully glassing the area section by section,and be aware that even in heavy timber they help a great deal too allow you to clearly make out parts of an elk through the timber.
while slowly moving through any area than you can without them.
with a careful stop look and listen, glass all surrounding areas, for 360 degrees several times , then move carefully to the next vantage point procedure, you can cover a good deal of terrain over a days time, with binoculars that you could not cover nearly as well without them.
Elk are not stupid, they don,t stand out in the open during day light in fields during hunting season like the pictures youve seen taken in parks like yellowstone
Don,t get heavy / bulky binoculars you'll very quickly find you'll leave them in the truck or camp, and you certainly will want to get decent high quality optics so you can see clearly. 8x-10x with 40mm-50mm lenses, is about ideal.
Ive used a set of Steiner 10x50 mm for decades, they work great but they are too bulky and heavy to be ideal, and yes they cost too much, they were purchased for over $500 in the mid 1970s, obviously not the latest model but similar too these more modern versions
if your familiar with hunting elk in canyon country you'll be familiar with the steep terrain and heavy timber and oak brush, conifer and aspen, that covers much of the areas, move slowly, glass carefully and have an accurate dependable rifle that can reach out to at least 250 yards and effectively drop an elk and youll be well equiped

https://www.steiner-optics.com/binoculars/shadowquest-10x56

THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE TYPE OF AREA I HUNT FREQUENTLY FOR ELK
elkcoun1.png


deepcreek.JPG

btw a decent hat with a wide brim like an aussie hat and a padded neck strap for use with the binos is almost mandatory in my opinion

https://cdn6.bigcommerce.com/s-zy5u.../BC2035-ACN__97346.1474579862.500.659.jpg?c=2

http://www.biggamehunt.net/articles/choosing-using-binoculars



http://www.cabelas.com/product/Niko...VFrXACh1cXw1oEAQYAiABEgIM0vD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

http://www.opticsden.com/best-binoc...MI76jdhZXG2AIVi7bACh2LLQLGEAAYASAAEgKGTPD_BwE

https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-binocul...MI76jdhZXG2AIVi7bACh2LLQLGEAAYAyAAEgIfgvD_BwE

https://www.outsidepursuits.com/best-compact-binoculars-hiking/

http://www.advancedhunter.com/best-binoculars-for-hunting/

rifles
http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...hat-are-you-looking-for-in-an-elk-rifle.2368/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-practice-shooting-from-field-positions.9380/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...-a-good-all-around-elk-mule-deer-rifle.12948/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/whats-a-good-light-weight-elk-rifle.3738/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ange-calibers-for-elk-are-not-mandatory.1275/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...ou-so-dependent-on-your-weatherby-rifle.2403/
 
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thank you, always glad to see related info,

http://www.opticsden.com/best-binoc...MIpuP4icPp2gIVjobACh0foQ-kEAAYAiAAEgL9MfD_BwE

https://www.opticsden.com/reviews-of-the-best-binoculars/#Best_Binoculars_for_Hunting

Ive always been rather amazed at the number of hunters I see that don,t carry ,
a decent quality binocular
yeah,Ive had and used a 38 year old mill surplus 10x 50mm STEINER binocular,
on hunts for almost 4 decades now, old tech, heavy,a P.I.T.A. to pack around compared to whats currently available,
but at dusk/dawn ,theres an amazing difference in the ability to make out objects with those field glasses,
vs the typical $70-200 sporting goods or big box store binoculars most guys carry,
quality always costs more, I pissed away a years tax refund , paid about $550 back then (1979 )
more than a weeks pay. but amortized over the last 38 years thats roughly $15 a year ,
so it was not a bad deal considering the thousands of hours they were used.
my first set was a stiener 10x50 similar to these, they worked great but were bulky, heavy and a P.I.T.A. to carry.
your lucky, technology has vastly improved and value per dollar has improved and cost for value,
has been reduced, today you get far better quality for the price paid.
1498502174000_1346187.jpg


https://www.overstock.com/Sports-To...CIUB54KP7CBPCTBY7TI4U&recalg=966,962&recidx=3

nikon_7577_10x42_monarch_5_1366924280000_910864.jpg

I swapped a few years back to a set of nikons and thats been a minor improvement, the optics are not quite as precise but adequate and far above average
, that are high quality enough that you can pick out small detail clearly at a hundred yards yet small and light enough that they are not left in camp as a P.I.T.A. and extra weight,
and don,t wear a hat without a brim that shades their eyes.
aussie.jpg

both pieces of equipment noticeably increase your ability to spot game.
 
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glad I could help many guys fail to fully appreciate that locating game and getting well into a very comfortable for you and your selected rifles shooting distance is far more difficult than killing game, you can kill any deer or elk with nearly anything from a 257 roberts up to a 458 lott, a single well placed shot with the proper projectile design will be lethal in experienced hands,but locating game and getting into easy shot range and being able to consistently place an accurate shot from field positions, rapidly acquired, and perhaps on walking game, is where the vast majority fail
 
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I am one who never used them but I've carried a pair for years that I rarely looked through.
a couple years ago I got a better pair but not a good pair ,
and I have used them well this season we were looking at some deer way up the hill on a right of way clearing far away and my buddy handed me his binoculars to look and see if it had horns and as soon as I looked through them I could see him sighted in and clear as a bell so I tried my other buddys pair and they were the same so this year before next season I'm buying a good pair of binoculars.
I'm thinking I should be able to get a decent pair for the 200 dollar range or maybe not I haven't looked at them at all yet so that was a wild guess,
so I'm looking for the best bang for the buck maybe I'll get lucky on some X Mas sales so if you see a good deal let me know
 
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