Binoculars for Hunting

>> Skip the blurb, show me the best hunting binoculars

Hunting Binoculars
In almost all forms of hunting, a good pair of binoculars are a must and there are some that would even go as far as to say that your hunting binoculars are as important as the rifle. Binoculars for hunting are used to scout the surrounding terrain, help you to get a better view of potential targets to evaluate trophies and distinguish the sexes of animals.

Objective Lens Size

Most hunters go out in the early morning or late afternoon/early evening and therefore the light gathering ability and the brightness of the image produced is critical. In general the larger the size of the objective lens, the better the binocular will perform in low light. Other factors including the quality of the lenses, lens coatings as well as prisms will also play a vital roll in transferring the maximum amount of light to your eyes. The down size to large objective lenses is that they not only make the binoculars bigger and heavier, but more expensive as well. So as with most things, you have to strike a compromise to get the best binoculars for your particular needs.

Most full size binoculars will have an objective lens diameter of 42mm, compact binoculars tend to have 26mm or even 22mm diameters. A relatively new fad are binoculars with 32mm objective lenses, that for me make the ideal compromise between portability and light gathering qualities.

Magnification

Most people imagine that the higher the magnification, the better the binocular. Not true. Large magnifications make it really difficult to keep the image that you are look at through the optics still (any slight movement is magnified more and more by larger magnifications). Larger magnifications also generally reduce the field of view of a binocular. A small field of view will make it much more difficult to spot game, especially faster moving ones.

Having said this, the ideal magnification will also depend on your most commonly used terrain. Those who mostly hunt in the woods and forests will be best off choosing a binocular with low magnification (wide field of view) and plenty of light gathering ability, something like an 8x42 binocular or if you need a more compact binocular, an 8x30 or 8x32.

Those hunting in wide open areas and in the mountains will obviously need to observe game at greater distances and therefore need a larger magnification: 10x or even 12x.

Binocular Durability and Design

Waterproof & Fogproof
Spending time in any wilderness will mean encountering all sorts of weather conditions, it therefore makes sense to choose a pair of binoculars that are fully waterproof. Sealed binoculars not only prevent moisture from getting inside the optics, but dust and other debris as well. Also look out for fogproof binoculars are filled with argon or nitrogen gas to inhibit internal fogging caused by temperature extremes.

To protect you binoculars from accidental drops and knocks, look out for models that have tough rubber armour.

Although not essential, a camouflage exterior can also be helpful for keeping you out of sight. Many manufacturers produce models in different colour variations and include a camo version, that you should keep a look out for.

Special Lens Coatings

Steiner Binoculars have a range of binoculars known as Predator's that have been designed specifically for hunting and that feature high contrast optics that block the colors of haze and foliage and enhance the visibility of browns, reds and other wildlife colors helping you spot hidden game. Read my full review of the Steiner 10x26 Predator Pro Compact Binoculars.

Rangefinder Binoculars

Binoculars like the Zeiss Victory Range Finder Binoculars that have LED displays within the view that, with a press of a button display the precise distance to the object you are viewing along with their integrated BIS™ ballistic information system.

View Demo of how the Zeiss Range finder works

Eye Relief

This is very important if you use eye glasses. Take a look at Eye Relief in my glossary for a detailed explanation, but basically it is the distance behind the ocular lenses where the image is in focus. So if you wear glasses, you can't get your eyes as close to the lenses, you need a longer eye relief that basically projects the image beyond the ocular lens on the binoculars. So if you wear glasses, you should be looking for an eye relief of at least 15mm, to see the full image full image. The down side to long eye relief is that it usually reduces the field of view. Some people wonder if you need to wear glasses at all using binoculars, well If you are near-sighted or far-sighted, you can use your binoculars without wearing glasses and the binoculars focus will compensate, but if you have astigmatism, you will need to use your glasses.

Eye Cups

Eye-cups are related to the eye relief as they keep the distance from the oculars to our eyes, but also help keep stray light away from your eyes while using binoculars. Many eye-cups are made from rubber and can roll up or down another type are eye-cups that slide rather than roll, but these can be hard to keep in place. The third type are eye-cups that twist up and down and so they can be left at any position from all the way up to all the way down, some even have click stops at regular intervals with the eye relief distance for each stop marked on the cup so you can get the perfect eye relief for your vision.

Below are some binoculars that I recommend as good hunting binoculars.

View >> All Binoculars for Hunting