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Binos - Do you use? Why/How?

I carry them early season and scouting. Once I have an idea what's in the area they usually stay in the truck. Peak rut is the exception.
 
DB4x4 said:
Specifically, such as...???
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Spotting movement in that thick brush you can't quite see through, getting license plate numbers of poachers, watching other animals when things are slow, spotting rubs on far off trees, finding sheds, making sure that stick that looks like a buck is in fact a stick and not a buck, picking which turkey has the longest beard before they get too close, scoping out trees that are in prime locations closer to the buck you were sure was gonna walk by this tree tonight, etc....... If you need more just pm me!
 
Bought some 10x42 diamondbacks on Black Friday, really wish I had bought some years ago. Bought the Rick Young harness a few weeks later. Thumbs up on both pieces of gear
 
I feel lost when I forget mine. I use them constantly to look at any little flicker I might catch through the brush etc. I look at each deer very closely, I'll look at a deer that's 10-20 yards away through the binos.
 
Recurveaholic said:
Spotting movement in that thick brush you can't quite see through, getting license plate numbers of poachers, watching other animals when things are slow, spotting rubs on far off trees, finding sheds, making sure that stick that looks like a buck is in fact a stick and not a buck, picking which turkey has the longest beard before they get too close, scoping out trees that are in prime locations closer to the buck you were sure was gonna walk by this tree tonight, etc....... If you need more just pm me!
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This guy gets it.^^^

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
One morning last season, I kept seeing a moving flicker of what I assumed was the sun reflecting off a blowing tangle of beech leaves in the thick brush 80 yards away. Thats exactly what it LOOKED like with the naked eye.
Binocs revealed that it was a very nice set of antlers I was seeing.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
Watching deer with binocs versus watching deer without binocs is the difference between observing and learning deer behavior as opposed to just watching them.
There are a lot of subtle, seemingly insignificant body languages deer exhibit that we should pay close attention to. Ear position, tail flaring or cupping, hair standing on end, stiff leg walking are all indicators of a deer interacting with another animal. Tarsal staining or unique body markings are other valuable characteristics to observe. And, watching them from 100 yards in brush, those body language indicators are pretty much impossible to scrutinize without binoculars.
 
I wouldn't hunt without carrying my compact Vortex binos for all the reasons mentioned above.
 
Anyone using a monocular? Not trying to debate the advantages / disadvantages, for what I do and need looking at the Vortex 8/10 x 25/35.
 
DaveT1963 said:
I wouldn't hunt without carrying my compact Vortex binos for all the reasons mentioned above.
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DaveT1963 said:
I wouldn't hunt without carrying my compact Vortex binos for all the reasons mentioned above.
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Which Vortex do you use. Trying to decide between 8 x 42 or 8 x 32. Carrying Leupold 10 x 50s which have excellent glass but too big.
 
I'll be the contrarian. I bird watch a lot, so I have and appreciate good glass. But I don't take them deer hunting anymore.

I hate tunnel vision in the woods. I hunt with my rifle scope on 3x magnification 90% of the time. I hear 90% of my deer before I see them it's so thick, and usually I catch movement just out of the corner of my eye when I first see them. For me, it's very easy to get so focused on whatever I'm looking at in binoculars, that I get busted raising and lowering them by the doe that crept up 15ft behind me.

But that's my individual circumstance. If I didn't feel like I had blinders on everytime I raised glass to my eyes, I may use them and reap the benefits everybody else talks about.
 
KYHunter said:
It helps me see and identify if a buck is a shooter before it gets in shooting range. If it’s not, then my focus is to not get detected and just watch it. If it is a shooter then I get my bow and mind ready to shoot. I think identifying a buck as early as possible helps to have a few extra moments to get ready to take the shot
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What @KYHunter said first and also i get a better look at other animals (nature watching), identifying people, and also looking for/at the blood after a shot or the dead deer etc....etc....
 
One thing you should NEVER do is think that since you have a scope on your rifle that you don't need binoculars. Ever catch some movement, look through your binoculars to help figure out what you are seeing, and it turns out it is another hunter looking at you through his rifle scope? Not cool at all.
 
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