One binocular to rule the mountains

[RevJim]

I was given a Swarovski 8X 20 yrs ago that has been to So. Africa, British Columbia and all over Utah, Texas Hill country. The resolution is awesome. On horseback, one can still see through an 8x anything better than many from 10X up. So a lot depends on how you hunt/glass. Buy Quality once ( or better get 'gifted" ha) and then done! Have a ball though!

 

[azarcher10x]

I'm in love with my Zeiss 10x54 RF binos! Combo of high end binos and high end rangefinder with all the bells and whistles. I like the bigger objective on these. They are awesome in low light while still having decent power for western hunting. It's almost like seeing in the dark, short of going to night vision! I like the the Zeiss app that Bluetooths to the binos. You can set all your ballistics, settings, etc., and the sync to the binos. Even has a weather station built in to compensate the ballistic settings on the fly! Worth the money!

 

[Brozonelayer]

Swarovski 15x56 but I live in AZ and those coues deer blend in very well. I've had a spotter in the past but don't currently use one.
I carry 8x binos on my chest for quick looks and the 15x56 stay in my pack and I break them out with the tripod.

 

[SEGARE]

12X Vortex Razor HD and save a bunch of money.

 

[AC300RUM]

Loved my Leica 10x42 HD-b's until I had to deal with Leica customer service. That cured me of ever owning anything they make again. I love my Swarovski 12x50's for the big country I hunt. Added a sig 2400 rangefinder to my kit, and it has performed perfectly.

 

[Lapuatom]

If I was looking at buying one magnification of binocular to cover most Western style hunting what type and magnification does everyone recommend? Thanks

Swarovski EL 10X42 Ranging

 

[twister]

Leica is your friend.

 

[vancewalker007]

One of the great and very effective trends in Western hunting is to use a bino on a tripod. With a tripod and a pair of 12x50 binos you can cover a lot of hunting. A good 12x50 can be hand held when stalking and are usually light enough for most people to carry on their chest. As far as brand that depends on your budget. If you have the money the Swaro ELs are out of this world. If your more in the 1K range the Vortex Razor HD and now the UHDs are a great choice because of weight and their great warranty. The classic 10x42s are great especially if you go with a very high end one but in the west you can miss things once you start getting over 500-600 yards. I know I've done it Coues hunting.

 

[judgebill]

Go to the binocular store and try 8 power and 10 power. You're likely to find anything above 8 power is hard to hold steady. Also, a large pair of binocs is heavy on your chest and can get in the way. Generally you will use binocs to spot the game and then, if you have one, a spotting scope to check size and points.

 

[Deviant]

If I was looking at buying one magnification of binocular to cover most Western style hunting what type and magnification does everyone recommend? Thanks

I personally don't mind a little extra weight so I went with the Swarovski el 12x50 and have been happy with them.

 

[redchinviking]

Ya 12x50's in the razor are a pretty good bang for your buck. A little shaky from standing but sit down and elbow/tripod/walking stick them up and it makes no difference. Leica and swaro are definitely a step up but you'll need to get out your stimulus check

 

[27 Gap]

Interesting that a lot of people prefer the specificity of the 10x versus the broadness of the 8x, especially considering the number of spotting scopes. Seems like you'd want to go from scoping broadly with the 8x to scoping specifically with the spotter.

 

[JMW67]

Interesting that a lot of people prefer the specificity of the 10x versus the broadness of the 8x, especially considering the number of spotting scopes. Seems like you'd want to go from scoping broadly with the 8x to scoping specifically with the spotter.

I have quit using the spotting scope so much with the quality high magnification scopes a lot of us are using there days if I am hunting with someone we may carry it but I don't when I am alone

 

[TheFishBox]

You need to be realistic with yourself about what power you can hold steady. I hate to be this guy but I call bs on the guys that say they can hold a pair of 12's steady ( by steady I mean like on a tripod) this ain't happening. So if you aren't going to glass from a tripod there is no way I would go with higher than 10's and I personally would go with 8's. Since we are talking elk you aren't generally picking out the tip of a tine way off in the distance so you don't need huge magnification. If conserving weight and you only want one optic I would get a pair of 15's assuming fairly open country and mount them to a tripod

Zeiss ht binoculars to my eyes is far and away the best glass in binoculars, they make my non HD leicas look like a pair of bushnells. You need to go to a place that will let you take the binoculars outside and compare them side by side after adjusting them to your eyes and then let your eyes tell you what they like best.

My current setup is zeiss 10x42 ht's mounted to a tripod and for in my bino harness along with my 85 mm zeiss spotting scope for looking close at stuff way out there. With tripod mounted Binos the spotter gets used very rarely but I still lug it with me everywhere I go. Sorry for the long winded post but this is my two cents.