Hunters have a lot of opinions about binoculars. Some hunters swear that high-end optics are the only way to go, while other hunters find plenty of success with budget-friendly binos.
And aside from budget, there are many opinions on magnification, objective size, support systems, and more recently, electronics inside binoculars.
Header Photo: Steve glassing on an October Mule Deer hunt in Idaho
We have taken decades of experience using all kinds of binoculars in the mountains and distilled down what you should look for when selecting a binocular for your hunting needs.
In addition to watching the video (above, or on YouTube), Mark & Steve also recorded an in-depth podcast conversation on binocular selection for hunting…
Key Concepts
- Choose your optics based on where and how you hunt, and don’t blindly take advice from someone who hunts a different species, in a different place, with a different hunting strategy.
- The best binocular will perform terribly if it is not set up properly for your eyes.
- Look for a binocular with a locking diopter, and know how to set it.
- The importance of a good field of view is under-rated, and a smaller objective binocular usually offers a wider field of view
- Don’t assume that higher magnification is better, in fact, a binocular with less magnification can offer better resolution and stability
- Use your binoculars with external support whenever possible and look for a binocular that offers easy and quick tripod mounting
- Larger objectives (such as 50mm) don’t offer a practical benefit in most cases, especially with quality glass
- Range-finding binoculars with onboard ballistics offer incredible features for rifle hunters, but even the best RF binos have limitations in optical quality
- Image-stabilizing binoculars have amazing potential, especially when glassing on the move, but they cannot replace a standard binocular with Alpha glass for longer glassing sessions
- Large-magnification, large-objective binoculars are a fantastic tool for very specific use cases and need to be tripod-mounted
- Don’t overlook digiscoping with binoculars, especially with the optical zoom lenses on modern phones, you can get some amazing footage at distance
Have Questions?
We will be doing Q&A in future podcasts and videos, so let us know if you have a question that we should consider discussing.
If you are shopping for optics, S&S Archery offers binoculars at every budget, along with personal service and expert advice.
