For me, hunting out west, I've settled on a standard-sized bino (choose your poison from any of the above) for all-around work, and a 15X on a tripod for specialized work.
The ideal kit for me actually includes two tripods: one very sturdy and too heavy to pack far, and that stays within, say, 1 mile or 1000 vertical feet of the truck, roughly. The second is much lighter and portable, not as steady, and would go in a backpack.
The more I hunt (particularly mule deer) with 15X on a tripod, the more I try to hunt with 15X on a tripod.
I completely agree with Rick on this.
Last fall I hunted Desert Bighorn Sheep and a few months prior to the hunt scouting. I used my 15x56 Swarovski SLC's on a tripod about 70% of the time,I used my 10x42 EL's about 15% of the time and a spotting scope the remaining 15%. This ratio might change a bit for different species of game, but I have never had a use for a 7x bino.
B
