Binos and tripods

[N2TRKYS]

I'm kicking around the idea of not getting a spotter and just using binos with a tripod for spotting. I'll be upgrading to Swaros to do this. What magnification and model do y'all recommend(bino and tripod)? Since I treestand hunt whitetails 99% of the time, it would be nice if the binos can be used for that as well. Is what I'm wanting to do possible? Thanks.

 

[Phillip Hathaway]

Are you looking to go out west? I for whitetails use 10x42 but you probably could do with 8x depending on the cover and a few other things. 10x will give you better visibility out west anything above that for whitetails would be overkill in my opinion you start running into shakes and what not if you plan to use them in a treestand.

 

[N2TRKYS]

Are you looking to go out west? I for whitetails use 10x42 but you probably could do with 8x depending on the cover and a few other things. 10x will give you better visibility out west anything above that for whitetails would be overkill in my opinion you start running into shakes and what not if you plan to use them in a treestand.

Sorry, yes they will be used out West once a year. I'm currently using Leuopld Cascade 10x42 for deer and turkey hunting here in Alabama. I love the 10x42 around here and while turkey hunting in Nebraska.

 

[JO.]

I have a pair of 10x42 I use from the truck and most of the time when I whitetail hunt. The 12x50's are nice in the mountains for mule deer and elk, but they mostly live on the tripod or my knees. You can hold 12s plenty still if your sitting or against a tree. However, if I was going to get just one pair it would be the 10x42's. The 10s are really versatile and a tripod takes any bino to another level.

 

[dotman]

12x50's would be too much for what you do 99% of the time. I would get the 8.5x42 EL's that midway USA has on sale currently and a Minox MD50 spotter. The EL's will give you plenty of amazing quality glassing while the md50 will let you reach out a tad further.

Then I would upgrade the spotter down the road. I also would get the EL's right now and see if you can get Outdoorsmans to install a bino mount stumped and get them back in time before your hunt as season is only a few weeks away.

Just an FYI...I use my Binos 90% of the time and I have a swaro spotter.

 

[Steve O]

Spotters and binoculars are totally different tools. They do not do each other's job at all well.

 

[dotman]

Spotters and binoculars are totally different tools. They do not do each other's job at all well.

But shouldn't you invest in the tool you'll use 90% of the time first?

 

[Steve O]

But shouldn't you invest in the tool you'll use 90% of the time first?

Agree 100%

 

[mcseal2]

I have Leica Geovid HD-B binos that I really like. They combine my rangefinder and binos into one unit. The glass is as good to my eyes as my friend's Ultravid binos or the Swaros I've looked through. Even a 10x bino benefits greatly from a tripod. I have a mount with a strap that goes over the top I use with my tripod to glass with the Leicas. I also have and use 15x Swaro SLC binos when the situation justifies packing them, and a Swaro STM 65 spotter I use quite a bit.

If it was me I'd get your binos and a good tripod now. I like the Promaster 525 and the Outdoorsmans tripods. I use Outdoorsmans heads and adapters on both tripods. When funds allow the spotter can be added.

 

[N2TRKYS]

12x50's would be too much for what you do 99% of the time. I would get the 8.5x42 EL's that midway USA has on sale currently and a Minox MD50 spotter. The EL's will give you plenty of amazing quality glassing while the md50 will let you reach out a tad further.

Then I would upgrade the spotter down the road. I also would get the EL's right now and see if you can get Outdoorsmans to install a bino mount stumped and get them back in time before your hunt as season is only a few weeks away.

Just an FYI...I use my Binos 90% of the time and I have a swaro spotter.

Why are you recommending going down to an 8.5 magnification from a 10 power?

 

[Trial153]

Just me, if I was just going to have one set of glass and I primarily was whitetail hunting it would be the best 8x I could afford.

 

[chippewawarrior]

For whitetails in WI, I use the 8x32 EL's & out west I use the 8.5x42 EL's. I tried the 10's, but preferred the 8's for my eyes.

 

[jeffpg]

As a kind of older guy who has hunted all my life, I have used and do use a ton of different binos for many different applications. I run everything from Bushnell Dusk to Dawn 5x binos for turkey hunting and bowhunting deer from trestands to Vortex Kaibab 20x56 for using on a tripod out west for elk and mule deer, etc. Swaro 10x42 and 8x32's and several other makes & models fill in the gaps in the middle.

As you can tell from the posts here, bino choice will vary a bit from one guys taste to the other. Since you seem to have your preference for the hunting you do around home figured out, I believe you should consider either just using those on a tripod, or going up in magnification for hunting out west. I tend to grab more compact binos from my collection, such as the Swaro 8x32 EL, when a lot of magnification isn't needed. These carry so well that you hardly know they are there until you need them, but the slightly larger and more powerful 10x42 EL gives better performance in the poor light early and late but they are noticeably heavier and bulkier. Way heavier and bulkier are my 20x Vortex Kaibabs, but when mounted on a bipod they are unbelievably good at both spotting and judging game at distance.

It'd be great if you could spend some time behind various 10x and up binos on a decent tripod to make a decision. Even your current bino is a whole different animal when used on a good bipod, of which there are also many to choose from.

 

[N2TRKYS]

I had a lot of folks, not just here, say that they like an 8x. Personally, I don't want to go smaller than 10x42s. I guess I need to decide between SLC vs ELs. Will both attach to a tripod?

 

[JO.]

I would say go with the 10s especially if that is what you are leaning towards. A good set of 10s on a tripod will work well for long range glassing.

Concerning the tripod stud, I have seen and used these in person and they seem to be the way to go with the ELs if that is what you choose.

Outdoorsmans Blog

 

[TheCougar]

If you are used to 10s and like them, then stick with 10s. For western hunting, I would rather have 10s than 8s. There are lots of threads on here for the El vs SLCs discussion. I bought SLCs, in part because of the extra $700 and in part because in order to mount ELs to a tripod, you need to fork over more cash to have an outdoorsmans stud installed. I drew the line at paying $2500 for binoculars that aren't tripod ready!