joel, take this FWIW, but I do hunt open country 95% of the time. I am a died in the wool 10x42 user (currently the Meopta HD), and love them for my purposes. When I wish to sit and glass for extended periods of time, which I do quite often, I use a tripod. Amazing the difference it makes. That being said, I've also been using a Cabelas Euro 8x32HD for a couple of years or so, and they do offer some advantages as well. The depth of field is amazing, far superior to the 10x42. They are obviously lighter and more compact. In challenging light (dusk, dawn, haze, fog, etc) the advantages of the 10x42 is there, but in reality you really won't miss much, if any, by using the 8x32 instead.
I'm sure I will continue to use the 10x's, but the more I use the 8x32HD, the more impressive it is. I was not wowed by the CL's, but I did really like the 8x32 and 10x42 Conquest HD's, but for some reason the eyepieces did not fit me well and I struggled with blackouts.
I have also determined that my 53 yr old eyes do not need $2000+ glass to be successful. Good luck with your search, and have some fun with it.
