Best Hunting Binoculars
It all comes down to you. It may seem cliché to say, but in the end choosing the right pair of binoculars comes down to you! Binoculars are one of those products that come in a variety of different specifications that could confuse any newcomer. The truth, however, is that with a little bit of knowledge and some guided understanding, you can make use of the large variety of binoculars to find the right pair suited to your exact hunting needs. How do you do that? Well, let's get started!
Magnification
Everybody has a preference for what sort of game they want to hunt. Some prefer large prey such as deer while many like hunting rabbits or other smaller varmint. Your choice of magnification for binoculars will be largely influenced by the sort of game you wish to hunt regularly.
If you are hunting animals at close proximity (wild boar for instance) you will want to look out for something that has a very low level of magnification. This low level of magnification allows you to have a wider field of view which is vital when you are hunting in closer distance. Targets at closer proximity can move very quickly and you don't want to be lost in the image of a high magnification pair of binoculars where all you see is the leaf on a tree, not the actual target.
If you are hunting from longer distances you might want to go for a higher magnification binocular. Most long range hunting involves one shot kill, so the likelihood is that you will hit the target once and it should not continue to move around. In this situation, a high magnification binocular is ideal due to the fact that you can get a good look at a target from long range then take proper aim using your rifle scope.
What time of Day are you hunting?
Now, this seems like a silly question to ask because everyone hunts at the same time of day right? Wrong! In North America hunters usually venture out for a hunt during the day. This is in contrast to somewhere like Australia where hunters usually go out for a hunt at night.
So how does this affect what binocular you buy? Well, the size of your binocular greatly determines how much light you capture to illuminate your view. The larger the binocular the more light you can capture. If you hunt during bright light conditions you can go with a smaller pair of binoculars while at night you need something large enough to capture any light to brighten your image.
Day hunters can go for something along the lines of 8x40 or 8x32, while night time hunters may need to consider 8x42 through to even 8x50 binoculars to ensure a decent image for hunting.
Optic Clarity!
Now that you know what sort of magnification you are after and the size of your binoculars, the next step is to determine what sort of optic quality you want. Spend some time in a binocular store and you quickly wonder why an 8x42 binocular can range from $500 to $1000. The difference primarily lies in the quality of the lenses used.
Higher quality lenses offers 2 main benefits for hunters. The first is a sharper image. You will find with high-quality lenses a much sharper image where there is less blur around the edges of objects. This allows for greater clarity when spotting a target and generally gives hunters a lot more confidence when going after a prey.
The second benefit of higher quality lenses is the increased color quality in your image. Higher quality lenses such as the ED lens give the viewer a much richer color experience. The contrasts are more distinct and the level of detail improves substantially. These are all great for hunters who want to see details on their target and make sure they are well prepared for their shot!
Extra Features
Finally, we come to all the extra features you can add on to your dream pair of hunting binoculars. These include things such as rubber armoring, shockproof capabilities and more. The general recommendation for hunting binoculars is to go with something Fog Proof, Water Proof (or at least water resistant) and also rugged (shock proof or robust armor).
All these features make sense for hunters because let's face it, hunting isn't for the faint-hearted. You will need a tough pair of binoculars that will move with you and keep you going!