Hey folks,
What do you all think is a good size of binoculars to use for turkey and deer hunting? I am looking to buy a good pair but don't wont to break the bank either.
Field and stream last week had vortex talon HDs on sale from $550 down to $260 they are an excellent peice of glass at a great price down know if it's still going but I'd start looking there.
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I have some Nikon 8x32 that are always with me in the turkey woods. I don't deer hunt anymore, but they were great for that as well. Good optics and they are over 10 years old. I use them constantly, glassing openings before I step out. Have seen many birds I would have missed with the naked eye. Makes my hunt more enjoyable to look at things as well.
I just got a Vortex 10x42 for spotting ducks and geese in the fields. 90% of the time they are used from the vehicle or a short hike. Perfect and very powerful. They are not on par with my buddy's Zeiss, but are plenty good to see at the long distances we spot ducks. Definitely sharper and clearer than some that my son has, Simmons I think. They are way more than I would want for lugging around in the turkey woods.
Check out the Vortex Diamondback series for some cost effective high quality warrantied binocs.
We posted at the same time. Cabelas Canada had the Talons on sale when I was there, but they were out of them in the states. They are one grade better than the Diamondback and are excellent quality specs.
Thanks guys. I had been looking at some Nikons and Leupolds but Ill check out the Vortex brand too.
I love my Vortex Diamondbacks. Great glass for the price and can't beat their lifetime warrany
i have 2 pair of vortex one 10 x 28 and the other one 10 x 42 all diamondback...great glass for the money...best customer service also...i use the 10 x 28 for turkey hunting...
Vortex for me. I have a pair of 20X42 Diamondbacks. Good glass for the money. With optics, If you spend more you'll likely get more.
My turkey and deer binos are the Zeiss Terra 10x42s. I've been very happy with their clarity, low light performance and quality construction considering they're only $400.
My western binos are the Swarovski SLC 10x42s. There's no comparison to Swarovski but the price tag is steap.
You don't need 1k+ binos for turkey hunting purposes but it's worth it to spend 350-500 on a decent set of glasses. From pre-season scouting at a distance to to glassing fields before exposing yourself in them, a quality binocular will reveal more and be more comfortable to use.
I do have a brand new pair of Leupold Mojave BX-3 10x32s sitting in an unopened box here at the house. They're $369.99 at the store. I'll part ways with them for $275 if you want them.
I have never been much of a binocular guy. But a buddy of mine got a pair of Zeiss 10x42s a while back and I was amazed. It got me wanting some bad but I was set back by the price. Just recently another buddy got a set of the Bushnell bone collector 10x42s and I could not believe how good the quality was. I now have a pair and love them, I couldn't ask for clearer easier to focus set. I know some guy's are rolling their eyes right now, and I imagine you could try them side by side with the big names and see differences but going by memory, I definitely can't see the Zeiss being worth the 2x price difference for the average guy. Just my :z-twocents:
I also have a pair of Bushnell Binoculars. When I bought mine I did a fair amount of research and that's what I ended up purchasing.
I don't own any vortex FG's but do have a scope I like enough that I'll probably get another to go on the next build. Aside from that, I've got 2 pairs of Nikon FG's. an 8x40-42 and a 10x32. Love them both.
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I no longer carry binoculars as my 6x rangefinder serves the same purpose. I can see beards on birds that are four hundred yards away with this and the size is so compact. Plus being able to range a bird at times is a big plus. I can't take the credit for this as my hunting buddy is the one that started this habit. I don't leave home without it any longer.
Swarovski CL Pocket 8x25 B I like compact when I am turkey hunting and I can't tell you how many guys that have been hunting with me went and purchased a pair of these same binoculars after looking through them a few times as they are better than most full size binos.
Mine are an older model that I purchased new over 20 years ago. I have sent them in for cleaning and tightening but no problems with them at all. Customer service is second to none with a lifetime warranty and all I have ever been out is the shipping to the repair center.
I know guys that buy 2-3 decent pair of glasses over the years and eventually are never satisfied with what they have.
Do yourself the favor and look through them all when it's low light or a cloudy day and that is when the really good glass will easily put the decision over the top.
If you don't like the price of the Swarovski's then my second choice would Zeiss.
It is true with most anything you get what you pay for and in my opinion they are worth saving up a little longer for if that is what it takes.
When yall hear of someone robbing a bank near Nashville just know it was me trying to get more funds to provide for my hunting crap. Anyone need any money while I'm out? lol
X2 on the Rangefinder option. Very small/compact and does all I need including ranging the bird.
I just picked up a pair of Vortex Diamondback 8x32s specifically for turkey and bowhunting. Wanted something lightweight and with good glass. I think they weight in at 15 ounces. Hard to beat for the money.
Everyone keeps talking highly about those vortex and they are more around my price range. I keep going back and forth if I want to buy some binos or a smoker. Im sure my wife would rather me get a smoker.
I just picked up a pair of Steiner 8x30 military marine binos before deer season. Each eye adjusts independently and are very easy to use and bright too, especially for the money. Been through many center focus models before finding these. Search over.
Quote from: 1iagobblergetter on December 27, 2016, 07:32:04 AM
I also have a pair of Bushnell Binoculars. When I bought mine I did a fair amount of research and that's what I ended up purchasing.
Me too. The higher end legends in10X are awesome. The color pops out incredibly and they are sharp. My 8x32 Legends are great for turkey.
Quote from: Jwall on December 27, 2016, 05:12:08 PM
Everyone keeps talking highly about those vortex and they are more around my price range. I keep going back and forth if I want to buy some binos or a smoker. Im sure my wife would rather me get a smoker.
Order them at the same time and tell her it was more expensive than u thought it'd be.
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Quote from: wvmntnhick on December 28, 2016, 09:57:47 PM
Quote from: Jwall on December 27, 2016, 05:12:08 PM
Everyone keeps talking highly about those vortex and they are more around my price range. I keep going back and forth if I want to buy some binos or a smoker. Im sure my wife would rather me get a smoker.
Order them at the same time and tell her it was more expensive than u thought it'd be.
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Haha, Id like to be able to wake up and deer hunt in the morning. I'm afraid that wouldn't happen if I got them both.
I have a pair of Bushnell legends 10x26 I turkey hunted with for years. If you want them $60 (I paid$125) and then go get the smoker.
Leupold BX-2 in Mossy Oak, 10x42. I added a harness. Haven't had these long, but decent quality glass for the price. Very pleased with them, first decent binoculars I've owned. Found the more that I use them, the more that I use them.
Quote from: Gooserbat on December 28, 2016, 11:47:35 PM
I have a pair of Bushnell legends 10x26 I turkey hunted with for years. If you want them $60 (I paid$125) and then go get the smoker.
:z-winnersmiley:
Simply put, buy binoculars based on what you plan on using them for, how often you are using them, and under what conditions.
A guy that is going to use his bino's half a dozen times a year to look at turkeys or deer that are 500 yards away or less would be silly to spend a couple thousand dollars on high-end binoculars. On the other hand, a guy that is going to be judging trophy animals at a mile or more, and doing so often and/or under inclement conditions is foolish not to spend a few hundred dollars on a tool that will make all the difference in the world in the long run.
Whether you should spend $100 or $1,000 on your binoculars has a lot more to do with what you plan on doing with them than on the bino's themselves.
...And another thing,...a cheap pair of binoculars in the hands of someone who knows how to use them are ten times as valuable as an expensive pair in the hands of someone that doesn't....
Quote from: Gooserbat on December 28, 2016, 11:47:35 PM
I have a pair of Bushnell legends 10x26 I turkey hunted with for years. If you want them $60 (I paid$125) and then go get the smoker.
This is a good deal, they have a lifetime warranty.
But I already own some... :icon_thumright:
So this will seem long, but just scratches the surface on optics and I have been in the bino game for a lot of years and I am able to look at the best of what's out there any day of work. I'll give you a few of my thoughts on this.
First thing to say is glass is the biggest difference in any optics.
Second you have to compare an apple to an apple... just because it says 8x42 it's not the same as another 8x42.
So here we go, in most instances an 8x42 binocular is going to be you best choice and in the same class of binocular.
I'll go into this later.
You really need to decide your budget, ultimately to really see a difference in optics you are going to double your spend to see that difference, here's what that looks like
Anything in the 50-75 range
next is 100-150
then 300-600
1000-1500
then up to $3,000
So just in my judgement that first class of glass I just stay away from... If I am buying optics I intend to use and rely on it's the $300 game and up. If you wanted my first suggestion in this class is the Nikon Monarch 5's in 8x42 I have sold literally thousands of these binoculars and can't say enough about them as a starter pair of optics.
From here things just get better, I can always go into specifics and if you have those questions let me know, personally I have a number of optics for different uses. I'll keep to turkey and deer though, my turkey binos are a set of Swarovski SLC 10x30's and yes I found a great deal on them, my previous set is now my truck set that I use when I'm scouting and they are Alaskan Guide 8x42's. I really went to the swaro's because of the compact size and what I carry in my turkey pack. The swaro's have also become my bow hunting binos as well.
So why do I say 8x42 when a 10x42 is better right?? not really for the little you gain in power the amount of "light" you lose makes the difference. So this comes down to a little math and that you are comparing the same glass, same company and same grade of glass. So when we talk glass we talk power, brightness and clarity and there is always a trade off. First deal is that a 8x pair is steadier in the hand, allows more light back to your eye and also a wide field of view. In the math part of this it brings your subject matter 8 times closer than it appears. So let's do some math then.
8X at 80 yards = 10 yards
10x at 80 yards = 8 yards
so the difference is 2 yards.. yup 6 feet at 80 yards
Now you can figure that out at different ranges and just add a "0" to each of those ranges and even out at 800yards...
So now we will talk about light, what your eye needs to see, and yes as we get older our eyes get worse and do not use this as well. But to get good low light dusk/dawn viewing we need the number "5" daylight viewing is not the issue here.
If you look at a lot of the old binoculars out there they followed the "5" rule, 5mm's of light i.e. 7x35, 8x40, 10x50 easy to figure out, take your objective lens and divide by power. 50mm divided 10x = 5mm
Nowadays you are seeing the 10x42 and 8x42 out there more than anything, yup time to do the math.
8x42=5.25mm
10x42=4.2mm
so part of what I see this is because once you have a binocular body designed is it easier to redesign them to give you the best of that or use the same body, cut production cost and use the same body. Hate to say but some of this is just business $ costs.
ultimately to get the same mm's of light back to your eye your 10x now need to be 10x52's a larger body, heavier and just doesn't sell. Remember apple to apple...
Now you read all this and say so why do you have those 10x30's... they fit a different need and yes I still got them at a great deal, one day I will sell when I find that deal on the 8x32's. My other pair that are the "hunt" pair I own are Swarovski 8.5x42's and are AWESOME glass. I can get into those detail if you ask.
I won't bad mouth anyone's product as always, but I will give you an honest opinion if you ask.
I know this has been long but hopefully a good read and helps with your decision.
MK M GOBL
Bushnell legends are sold
I would buy the best 10X glass I could reasonably afford that would fit in the front pocket of my shirt.
I have used a bunch over the years and 2nd what has already been said. Identify your use first. A big heavy pair is good for a stand or the truck but.... I too am seeing more use in my hunting from magnified rangefinder for turkey hunting. I hav to 2nd the votes on the vortex brand. Great binos (and scopes) you for the $$. Have diamondbacks and love them. Find them on sale frequently too. All said in the end buy the best you can reasonably afford. Won't go wrong with that approach.