Swarovski 8x32 SLC's with swarobrite. I am never without mine, and don't know how anyone can hunt seriously without bino's. Even in the "dark timber". 95% of the time I'm carrying a spotting scope in addition to the binoculars.
Who uses binoculars for hunting?
- Thread starter KDX
- Start date
I don't think scoping hillsides with your rifle is a good idea anywhere on this planet. Guilty as charged years before.
Today I checked out two deer with a scope not bothering with the binocs because I knew they were deer. Does yet again
Other than that type of thing I don't search with a rifle scope.
I haven't hunted without decent binoculars for a long time. And yes, I use them in the jungle too. These days I have Basch and Lomb 10x42 Discoverers which are awsome IMO but no longer made unfortunately. They were ~ 4 bills a few years ago.
A few folks asked about entry level and what to spend... I Just tryed some Buschnell 8 x Discoverers a friend had worth ~ $100. I were OK and well woth having. Unless on a real tight budget though I'd recommend stepping up a bit. Spend around 2 bills 3 of if you can, do some research and you have some good options. Pentax and Nikon type stuff... You'll be happy in the long run
Today I checked out two deer with a scope not bothering with the binocs because I knew they were deer. Does yet again
Other than that type of thing I don't search with a rifle scope.I haven't hunted without decent binoculars for a long time. And yes, I use them in the jungle too. These days I have Basch and Lomb 10x42 Discoverers which are awsome IMO but no longer made unfortunately. They were ~ 4 bills a few years ago.
A few folks asked about entry level and what to spend... I Just tryed some Buschnell 8 x Discoverers a friend had worth ~ $100. I were OK and well woth having. Unless on a real tight budget though I'd recommend stepping up a bit. Spend around 2 bills 3 of if you can, do some research and you have some good options. Pentax and Nikon type stuff... You'll be happy in the long run
Thats good, I am happy to hear it. No I am not alarmist one bit, I had a jack ass blow a rotten stump up about 1 foot in front of me once and that was enough for me. I won`t back down on this one either. How many burnt stumps have you `scoped`at 400yds thinking it was a black bear? How about bleached trunk and roots at 500yds thinking bull moose. Pretty sure of that target were you? I'd be a little suspicious if your answers are none. And loaded or not, I can't see how loaded you r gun is at 400yds watching you point a gun at me. 8x Burris Binos are cheap and they work. I understand your part of the woods is sparsely populated, but all it would take is you scoping the wrong guy once.......
You seem like a nice guy, but nice guys screw sh*t up too. Trust me, I am a nice guy (stop laughing, I'm talking), and I have.
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Northman999
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Yukon
All right that's freakin' IT! Now I'm gonna freakin'...buy some binoculars. Honestly. But in regards to your question, never in about 25 years of hunting have I checked out something I though was game (or whatever) and it ended up being human. Never. But...you guys convinced me. I tried out some real nice Nikon monarch 10x42's this summer and now goddammit, I'll actually get a pair.
Now if someone would buy some scopes off me that would help.
Did I mention my scopes double as binoculars?
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Now that is PRICELESS! Good choice on the Monarchs by the way.
Interesting, seems to be a trend forming. In Provinces were most hunters don't use binoculars, they're are required to wear blaze orange/ safety white.
If everyone identified their target with binoculars first, there would be less shooting deaths, and you wouldn't need blaze orange.
I noticed the same trend, except I have a differnt take then you. In places where you don't have to were blaze it seems more folks are worried about or have been scoped and think binos are absolutely required. I can only wonder how many times you have been scoped and never even knew.
Not to turn this into another blase orange thread but here in Ontario it is petty obvious if it is a hunter, the first hint is the blaze orange vest and hat. If someone is scoping you, it is not by accident
I carry binos on occasion, especially if I plan on sitting and waiting, but I will also use my scope similiar to Northman if I know it is a deer or moose. I hunt for meat so don't worry about points and such. If its legal and the shot is safe, I chamber a round and take the shot.
Not to turn this into another blase orange thread but here in Ontario it is petty obvious if it is a hunter, the first hint is the blaze orange vest and hat. If someone is scoping you, it is not by accident
It works the same in Alberta. I just look through my bino's and it's pretty obvious if it's a hunter
Northman, if I over-reacted, then this is the phrase that caused it. I may have been a little too blunt. I did look at your location and assumed that there are very few people/hunters per square mile, but still, this was disturbing.
A couple of weeks ago, during our gun season for deer, I spotted another hunter on the next property over, about 300 yards away. He was apparently aiming his scoped shotgun at something, pointing it about 90 degrees away from me. I spent some time trying to find (with my BINOCULARS) the deer I assumed he was about to smoke. When I couldn't find it, I turned the binocs back onto him. He was pointing his gun directly at me, as I stood in blaze hat and vest looking at him. He held that pose for a moment, then proceeded to slowly swing to his left, gun shouldered and eye glued to the scope the entire time. I can only assume that he was just swinging along the entire 360-degree landscape, enjoying the scenery through his scope. I took off across the field toward him at a dead run. As I went over the fence (my fence) he finally noticed me and took off back through the little wooded patch at his back. As I arrived where he had been, I heard a truck start and take off. There I was standing there loaded with about a gallon of adenaline and nothing to do with it.
I later found out from the owner that nobody was supposed to be on his land that day.This was the worst, but not the first, instance of unsafe gun-scoping I've been a target of. And please, before anyone pipes up with something about "geez, it's only a shotgun!"...just don't. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer not to have ANY kind of gun pointed at me!
If my initial response was a bit over-cooked, my apologies, but you can see where I'm coming from. I'm glad that I misinterpreted your original post.
John
- Location
- Near Coldwater, Ont
Thats not exactly the same. If the guy was wearing blaze orange, you would know it was a hunter before you picked up your bino's. For what its worth, I always carry bino's when hunting big game and waterfowl. The majority of the guys I hunt with do as well.
My inarticulate point was; you can always safely identify your target if you choose to.
When I took this pic last year I was watching 2 different herds of mulies an 3 hunters. All three guys were full mossy oak with blaze vests. Admittedly it's a crappy pic but it is exactly what I could see with the naked eye.
Swarovski 8x32 SLC's with swarobrite. I am never without mine, and don't know how anyone can hunt seriously without bino's. Even in the "dark timber". 95% of the time I'm carrying a spotting scope in addition to the binoculars.
Chuck, do you notice a real difference with the "swarobrite"?
AWESOME....good for you. This has to be the single most positive outcome that I have seen come out of a thread on CGN. I'm glad to have been part of it.
Turbo is the only one who mentioned using a video camera for spotting. I think their is a future for electronic binoculars, which can easily be adjusted for light conditions as well as for magnification. My video camera has 700 magnification, nightvision and stabilized picture control.
I am going out today, November 24th, for the last day of the rifle hunting and will remember to bring along the video camera along to check out its limitations during a winter hunt for white-tails.
I am going out today, November 24th, for the last day of the rifle hunting and will remember to bring along the video camera along to check out its limitations during a winter hunt for white-tails.
In all fairness I don't know. However, my brother uses Leica 8x32 Ultravids, and the other day we were watching a bunch of Mule Deer before legal shooting light passing these two binoculars back and forth. I couldn't tell the difference between the two. That made my swaro's look especially good as I paid $600 for mine on blowout when Swarovski changed the body style and colour on the SLC's.
Chuck
Thanks, I was looking at the EL 10x42 WB but i don't see them hitting $600 any time soon
- Location
- Rimbey, ab
I have a pair of NIKON 10X50 and love them.
I use a small, inexpensive pair of Tasco 8 x 20's and carry them all the time when hunting.
Small enough not to be too heavy or get in the way and powerful enough to provide the clarity I need.
I have 10 x 50's and 7 x 35's etc but I like these smaller ones with rubber eye cups on my eye glasses
Small enough not to be too heavy or get in the way and powerful enough to provide the clarity I need.
I have 10 x 50's and 7 x 35's etc but I like these smaller ones with rubber eye cups on my eye glasses
- Location
- AB foothills
I prefer the old style SLC's, they never should have changed.
