Have spotter, do I need Binoculars?

[dahamp2003]

So I bought a Vortex RAZOR HD 16-48x65mm spotter for long range shooting. I rarely use it, because i just use my other rifle scopes. I feel like binoculars would be much easier to use, and I could trade this spotter for a decent pair of binoculars. Looking into 10x42 for all around east and western hunts. Am I right? Are binos easier to use and I can still throw them on a tripod right? Is this a good trade off and what type of Binos should I expect for trade? Maven C.1's? Vortex Vipers?

 

[mike.adams.467]

In hunting situations you will use binos many times more than you will use a spotting scope. The 10X42s work well, just buy the best you can afford.

 

[jimh406]

I'd keep the spotter unless you can work a great trade. They could be useful if you go West. I'd look at Tract Toric 10x42s. A fair price and good glass. They work well on tripods. They are a lot lighter than even a midsize spotting scope.

Btw, you can do comparisons of different models on Grok.com. It makes easy to understand tables with prices, comparisons of glass, etc.

 

[waspocrew]

I use my binos way more than my spotter.

The spotter is nice for glassing way out there or getting a real good look at an animal once its found. I'd look for a good bino and try to keep your spotter if possible. It's definitely nice to have both, but if I could only have one, it'd be a good set of 10x42s.

 

[Ross]

Get the binos and leave spotter at the rig. Spotters for hunting one of the most overrated items you can pack. A solid set of 10x42 binos will cover 99% of what you need to find huntable animals.

 

[dahamp2003]

Well, what Im reading it seems is a spotter is valuable but Binos are much easier and almost necessary. I think I will trade. Thanks for the help fellas. Are they the kind of thing you'd trust reviews on or only if you can look through them? Some brands like Maven and Tract I can't get my hands on. Vortex/Leupold I can.

 

[Ross]

Decide your budget and do you want to spend/cry once? A large majority of us started with a budget set, then another and eventually coughed up to buy some of the best glass available. Don’t look through a set of Swaros, Leica, etc, unless you always want to be thinking I should have bought them. Glass can be one of your best decisions made and with proper care, almost never replaced. There is quality glass and then there is excellent glass. When I think of glass, I remember this line in Geronimo Geronimo (played by Wes Studi) in the film Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) is: "You have a good long glass, Gatewood. If I scare them off, we trade".

 

[westonadkins]

Give the sig zulus a look. The image stabilization is a huge add compared to other mid tier binos


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[grfox92]

I use my binoculars realistically hundreds of times a day when I'm hunting.

I don't own a spotting scope and never have.

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[Jack321]

For hunting, I use binos 100x more than spotter. In fact, I dont even bring my spotter hunting. My Swaro spotter really only goes to the range.

But I would keep the spotter. Longer distance shooting will be much easier with the spotter. So I'd keep it.

But I'd also then go buy the best bino you can afford. I personally use 10x42s.

LOTS of good binos for any budget and they will all work, from the $3k Swaros all the way down to the $100 Vortex Crossfire HDs.

Just got back from WY for an antelope hunt with my dad and brothers. We had:

Two 10x42 Swaro NL Pure's
Vortex Fury RF 10x42
Redfield Rebel 10x42
Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42


Never had an issue with ANY of these binos and we all saw game just as easy as the next.

 

[dahamp2003]

For hunting, I use binos 100x more than spotter. In fact, I dont even bring my spotter hunting. My Swaro spotter really only goes to the range.

Buy the best bino you can afford. I personally use 10x42s.

LOTS of good binos for any budget and they will all work, from the $3k Swaros all the way down to the $100 Vortex Crossfire HDs.

Just got back from WY for an antelope hunt with my dad and brothers. We had:

Two 10x42 Swaro NL Pure's
Vortex Fury RF 10x42
Redfield Rebel 10x42
Vortex Crossfire HD 10x42


Never had an issue with ANY of these binos and we all saw game just as easy as the next.

Thanks for the honesty. Im definitely not a bottom of the barrel kinda guy, but I also cant justify Swaros. Sounds like the Midtier/budget quality level will work like Maven/Tract/Leupold BX2s and 4s, Vortex Vipers, etc. I know expensive glass is awesome, but in ELR shooting Ive quite literally never had the Arken/Primary Arms/SWFA stuff hold me back out to a mile. Sounds like the Binos are the same deal.

 

[Jack321]

Thanks for the honesty. Im definitely not a bottom of the barrel kinda guy, but I also cant justify Swaros. Sounds like the Midtier/budget quality level will work like Maven/Tract/Leupold BX2s and 4s, Vortex Vipers, etc. I know expensive glass is awesome, but in ELR shooting Ive quite literally never had the Arken/Primary Arms/SWFA stuff hold me back out to a mile. Sounds like the Binos are the same deal.

Yup, you got the right idea.

But I'd also keep the spotter and get binos to have both.

Or just get a window mount for the truck to glass from the road or the trailhead with the spotter.

Sighting in rifles IS easier with a spotter than binos, especially the further out you go.

Any of those Binos you list will work well past "legal shooting light."

Again from the $3k Swaro to the $100 Crossfire HD will get you past legal shooting light.

My elk guide in Montana had $100 Crossfire's, and was able to do his job just fine. (Now granted, I was able to glass up muleys HIGH on a distant peak and see it was a doe and fawn and that the doe was greyer than the fawn. He could only see the deer after I spotted them, lol!) But in all honesty, the glass on the market now is perfectly fine for 90% of the applications guys use need them for.

I often chuckle that there should be a show that gives a pro hunter only $800 to outfit himself by going to Walmart and buy gun, ammo, clothes, gear to hunt a week long trip and 10 outa 10x the guy would tag out:

$300 Savage Axis
$50 Bushnell scope
$60 two boxes of ammo
$100 in clothes, baselayers
$35 hat/gloves/socks/blaze orange
$50 Bushnell Binos
$50-$75 Boots

And theyd be better than hunters in the 80s cuz the gear is just so much better now.