Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Need a test done

Wondering if anybody can help me out.

Can any of you guys prop up a buck rack at 300-500yds, and look at them through your premium 10x binos? I want a pair of 10x binos that are good enough to determine tine length, mass, and if G1's are present, in normal light conditions. I have trouble seeing specific horn particulars at those ranges with my current pair of 10x40's. I can see if a buck is big, I just have a hell of a time seeing if 1.5" G1's are present. And no, I don't want to buy a high X rifle scope to scope the animal.

Thanks.

The day before deer season this year I watched a buck standing in a fence line at 289 yards (leica measured). It was overcast and drizzling rain. With my swaro 10x42's SLC I was unable to tell if the deer had four points on one side. I could tell the deer was forked with a brow tine on one side and had a main beam with a brow tine and at least one other point on other. I watched this deer for almost a hour and could never tell if that fourth point was there. Sometimes I thought I saw it and then others I thought it was not there.

At 400 to 500 yards I am not sure even in good weather you would be able to tell points on a deer.

Dink

I carried a pair of 10X (Cabelas Euro) for serveral years but went back to a lightweight pair of 8X32s. I came to the conclusion that the 10X had more disadvantages (weight and harder to hold still) than advantages. I am of the opinion that if you need or want to really check an animal out at distance the spotting scope is your best friend. YMMV

I can sort out a group of 5-6 antelope at 500yds with 8x42 Leicas - and using things like ear length, come pretty close on horn length for each one.

Don't confuse resolution with magnification. They don't necessarily go hand in hand.

No, they don't--but the theoretical limits of resolution go up with magnification. Given really good glass, you can see distant details better with more X's.

Many years ago I was at the National Bison Range here in Montana with my wife and a friend from the East. As usual, I had several good binoculars in the pickup, and we were glassing the east side of the range to see what might be there.

Pretty soon my friend said, "There's a deer bedded on that side-ridge below the rocks."

I looked and looked and couldn't find the deer, and I'm usually fairly good a spotting game. Finally I asked him to describe exactly where the deer was. The deer turned out to be a log. I could tell it was a log while looking through a Bausch & Lomb 10x40, but my friend couldn't tell while looking through a 7x30 Swarovski.

I've seen that sort of thing many times, one reason I use my Leica Duovid 8+12's when hunting open country. But I also always have a spotting scope along as well.

Calvin, Ive been whitetail trophy hunting for yrs and have encountered the same issue many times. Trying to get an accurate rack measurement past 300 yards with binocs is difficult(and I use Leica-Swarovski binocs).

The tine length can be seen easier, but mass,eye guards & points can be difficult. This is the reason I will not shoot beyond 300 yards on a whitetail trophy hunt and even at 200-300 yards I have to use my experience/best judgement before pulling the trigger at times.

I will not do "ground checks" or "hope" he was big enough. I have been on numerous hunts and heard a thousand times from other hunters "I thought he was bigger".

IMO buy a quality pair of binocs and use your best judgement.

A big +1.

Dang, I was hoping someone would say it was possible with a certain brand of glass, so I could throw some money at the problem and not have to pack my spotting scope.

I'm going to do some tests today with my glass and see what details I can see at what yards.

how well do these maintain (or enhance) resolution as you go from 8-10 or 8-12 with the same objective diameter ?


I ask because, to my eyes, I have to move up to 50mm with 10x to "improve" on 8x.

thanks.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is how useful a tripod or some other similar rest is when trying to see really fine details. I've found that even with quality 8X binos, they help.
If you don't want to lug a tripod, a pack can be used, but it takes a while to adjust everything so that you can let go of the binocular and see the subject. E

UtahLefty,

Before the Duovids were introduced I used a Leica 12x50 for my longer-range glassing. I compared the view through the 12x50 with the Duovid at 12x and couldn't see any significant difference. Since the Duovids were significantly lighter in weight (about half a pound, as I recall) I made the switch.

Since then I have been using the Duovids when other people were using their 10x's. The Duovids on 12x always outperformed the 10x binoculars, whether they had 40mm or 50mm objectives, so much that the other folks often borrowed the Duovids when they couldn't quite make something out.

Dunno how they would work with your eyes, but that's the way they've worked with the eyes of a number of people.

Calvin,

I use a spotting scope for this kind of work, usually a variable set between 12X and 20X (Pentax PF 65 ED and Leupold 12-40x60 HD worked for me)...jim

Just a thought for you desert types, I bought a cheap mono-pod for my photo ops and decided to give it a try with bino's and it helped a whole bunch. You can adapt any type of head to it the same as you can with a tripod and it is a ton more portable. I picked up a very inexpensive one at a Target store for less than 20 bucks for just the mono-pod. Maybe that will help someone out there.

I have a good spotter. I'm trying to avoid carrying it on ultra light backpacking trips.

Three options
1. Spotting scope
2. Get closer
3. Shoot and score at camp

Maybe some Swaro's with the Doubler, but you would have to be in good light for that to work, in poor lighting forget about it.

As has already been pointed out, I believe you'll be disappointed with just a set of binoculars (no matter Leica, Zeiss, Swaro) at the distances you require.

A light weigh spotter would be more useful. The Nikon ED50 would likely fit the bill as it's very light weight and has excellent optics.

I've graduated to 10x42 Leica Geovids and I've quit telling people what things are and how far away they are, because I get tired of everyone else borrowing my $2,000 glasses while I wait...apprehensively...for them to drop them and say, "Oops, oh sorry, here they are."
Just kidding. They are great, but a little heavy.

Not the answer I wanted to hear. I figured those 2k binos would be good for something..

They are! Have you ever compared a pair of Swaro's/Leica's vs inexspensive binocs? IMO you will get a better view of "rack size" at 300-400yards using quality glass. Just sayin, there is no binoc that will do what a spotter can at those distances. Especially when your judging deer antlers.

I have Geovids,though Leica,Swaro & Ziess are all top stuff.

In WA we get a one week early rifle deer season up in the wilderness units down here. I go through the same routine every year, trying to cut size/weight of my pack for the alpine hunt.
I don't like it but a I cant leave out the spotter and tripod.