Looking to go mule deer hunting next year for the first time, the 1st of what I hope will become numerous western hunts - mule deer, antelope, elk. I would like to buy a pair of high quality binoculars that will be suitable for same, thinking Zeiss Conquest HD up to top Alpha glass quality.

This is NOT a which brand / model question - I've looked some and have some preferences, but will explore further later.

The question is magnification and objective size. I have several pair of $2-600 binoculars from pocket binoculars to 10x50. Of those, the pair that I like the most (and use the most) are my el cheapo Leupold Yukon 6x36's. The hunting I've done I find the 6x36's bright and easiest to use.

I don't see too many people talk about using low powered optics like this for open western country. Most commonly I see 10x42's and bigger magnifications/larger objective sizes. I was leaning more towards a pair of 8x42's, but curious on others opinions about binocular size/magnification for open country hunting.

Thanks,

David