Binoculars are the main accessory, but you may be asking yourself, why not a single telescope or hunting scope?  It’s all about striking a balance between portability, magnification, and performance, becoming a simple optical device that can be used without any setup, ready to use, with no pressure.  Being able to see more detail with both eyes, if the lighting in certain areas can be difficult, especially in special situations where it is easier to spot wildlife.  

Every type of hunt requires good binoculars.  Some would say they are as important as a hunter’s gun.  As a hunter, you’ll need binoculars to observe your surroundings and get close to potential targets.  This can include things like identifying species, their specific sex, assessing ranges, or just getting a closer look at your target.  The following guide explains how to choose binoculars when hunting.  

How to choose binoculars when hunting?  

1. Optimum lens size  

Some of the best hunting times are early morning or late afternoon.  Therefore, your binoculars need to be able to collect enough light and make the image as bright as possible.  Basically, with larger lenses, binoculars will be able to collect more light in darker environments.  There are other elements, such as the level of production of the camera;  The lens coating and prism will determine the binoculars’ ability to transmit light to your eyes.  The downside to having larger lenses is that they are heavier and more expensive.  Therefore, you must decide whether you want a large, medium, or small lens according to your personal preference.  

Most standard-size binoculars have an objective diameter of 42 mm.  Smaller sizes are usually between 20 mm and 32 mm in diameter.  Overall, in our experience, 42mm binoculars are by far the most popular choice for most hunters.  

2. Glass quality, prisms, and body armor  

Depending on the nature of the telescope, it must be weatherproof, waterproof, and fog-proof;  This must be able to withstand any weather conditions, and it is also important that the binoculars have the shock resistance of rubber body armor.  Rubber body armor will protect the binoculars from damage if they fall.  

Related to the quality of the glass, it is better to have better glass for a clearer view, but if the binoculars have the ED element, this is a compliment.  To reduce glare and reflection and improve brightness and contrast, it is also important for binoculars to be either multi-coated or fully coated.  Keep in mind that in a hunting situation, the higher the quality of the binoculars, the better the chance of spotting wildlife in very dense forests and underbrush.  

As far as prisms are concerned, there are two main types: roof prism and plo prism.  These could be BK7 and BAK4.  The BK7 appears in cheaper binoculars, while the BAK4 appears in more suitable binoculars.  You want your binocular prism to be BAK4.  However, this won’t be a problem if you plan to properly invest in a pair of binoculars for hunting rather than buying the cheapest telescope on the market.  

3. The amplification  

Magnification seems to attract all the media with binoculars.  When you see something like a 10 x or 12 x etching in an optical device, that’s the magnification from the eyepiece.  This means that for 10x, the image seen through binoculars will be magnified 10x the image you can see with the naked eye.  So the advantage of having 20-fold binoculars in a large country is very clear.  Greater magnification means bigger, heavier binoculars.  The most popular magnifications for western hunting are 10x and 12x.  

4. View

Field of view is another important feature to consider.  The field of view is the area you can see with binoculars.  It is usually expressed as FOV at 1000 yards.  If the FOV is small, you will see a narrow field of vision, if the FOV is large, you will see a wide field of vision.  There are no rules about what the ideal FOV should be.  It all depends on personal preference.  

5. An exit pupil  

The exit pupil determines the amount of light that will pass through the eye.  Exit pupil is obtained by dividing the objective lens by magnification.  The larger the exit pupil, the more light you will be able to see when using binoculars.  One trick to choosing the right exit pupil level is to achieve a level close to the size of the human pupil.  Exit pupil is about 7 mm in the case of younger people and up to 4 mm in the case of older people.  

I may not have a lot of hunting experience, but I do have experience with binoculars.  As far as I know, wildlife is more active at night, which is a good time to hunt.  

In short, whenever you’re confused about your binoculars for hunting, just take all of the above factors into account and pay more attention to your priorities.  No matter what your budget is, the country you hunt, or how you hunt, there’s always a pair of binoculars for your needs.  If you only buy one pair of binoculars, go for a 10×42 and get the best pair you can afford.