Binos in Forested Areas

[paleoman]

#3939

I’ve never used them much in the eastern woodlands. I’m mostly a nomadic sitter. I’ll sit somewhere if I feel it is promising, move on if it’s slow or my intuition says so. That said, for the in-between movements, I wonder if they are worth it. I can stalk, and do it well, but frankly it’s an enormous test of patience to get w/i trad bow range on a crunchy carpet of late October leaves and buried sticks and twigs. Has anyone had much luck with them at bow ranges in forested areas?

[Doc Nock]

#25297

Hmmm… I always carry them, and sometimes use them.

I’m no biologist although I studied it some, but I have it on rather good observational authority that deer have a network of underground tunnels.

No other explanation how in a noisy woods, you’ve scanned every inch and then BAM…there stands a danged deer without a noise! They have to be popping up from those underground tunnels! I’m certain of it!!

W/ binos, you can take apart the understory where a horizontal line doesn’t seem right…99% of the time its my imagination, but you never know. Or an ear flick, catches your peripheral vision and the glass helps to see if it’s a critter or not.

I’ve watched a very nice buck stand stock still and not flick, twitch or move it’s head or ears or nada for a good 15 min!:shock:

Stock still! Then I looked away slowly to find I had missed 2 smaller bucks in range in the field edge I was supposed to be watching. Doh! 😳

When I slowly moved my head back, that buck had swapped ends and I never heard IT either…and that’s with a Game Ear in! I HATE when that happens! 🙁

[Col Mike]

#25514

Scott

I never go into the woods without them. Like Doc said you can really take apart that undergrowth with a good pair. I now use Vortex Diamond head 8×28 recommended by Smithhammer. When still hunting–I walk a few paces stop and glass everything in direction of travel–and so on. May take an hour to cover 50 yards.

Mike

[Jason Wesbrock]

#25541

I also use a set of Vortex Diamondback 8x28s. They’re excellent for seeing through foliage, especially in low light.

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#25552

Definitely. In fact I think that sometimes binos can be just as useful when moving in the forest as they are for surveying big open vistas. As Mike says, when I’m moving in the woods, and it’s not a matter of just getting from ‘point a to point b’ then I’m stopping and glassing frequently. You’ll be amazed at what you can pick out with good binos that otherwise blends right into all the branches and vegetation – antlers being a good example. As a side benefit, getting in this habit forces me to slow down, stop and listen more frequently, which is never a bad thing, in my book.

Another habit I’ve gotten in – any time that I’m about to cross a clearing, I stop a little back from the edge, where I’m still hidden, and I glass the entire other side of the clearing, before making a move into the open.

[Col Mike]

#25627

Another habit I’ve gotten in – any time that I’m about to cross a clearing, I stop a little back from the edge, where I’m still hidden, and I glass the entire other side of the clearing, before making a move into the open.

Sound advice Bruce–in a previous occupation–we called that crossing a danger area:D Best done after glassing, then move quickly and hopefully with someone providing covering fire if needed.

Mike

[Ralph]

#25656

They can sure unravel a lot of life’s little mysteries that are going on in the bush.:)

[Mark Turton]

#26301

Not only do they magnify they bring in extra light this is what allows you to see into the darker understory, this is improved the lower your position in relation to the area your looking into.

Always go for the best optics you can find, within your budget, external appearance has no bearing on optical performance. Some of the older Ruski bins and scopes had lenses made in East Germany and Yugoslavia and were darn good, always look thru the objective lens to check for any grinding marks at the edge of the lens, look for the internal finish this should be mat and uniform with no glue showing on the edge of the lens, any errors cause light to be deflected internally and can result in difficult to focus bins and scopes, I saw this recently on a Schmidt & Bender scope (not for the first time) that in good light caused the cross hairs to appear to be different thicknesses.

I’ve got a soft spot for Docter Optics, I have both bins and rifle scopes and have never been disappointed, only draw back is cost but they do appear on evil bay. If you can find the old 10 x 25 B, asherical they are exceptional.

Mark.

[Fallguy]

#26793

I always carry a pair with me. Mine are bigger than most of the ones that have been mentioned so far (I’m Not Bragging8)). I have a old pair of 7 X 42 Bausch & Lomb Discover’s. They are a little heavy but the light gathering ability is top notch. I use the Wensel Brothers Bino strap and they carry just fine.

[David Coulter]

#26813

Our family has a few pair of B&L Bushnell 7 x 26. These things are really nice. They are compact, magnify enough for most things and are really bright. They have a wide field of view, which does a couple of things. It allows a very easy acquisition of your subject and it also allows you to see around the subject. I have an old pair of Nikon travelers that are about 10×24. They are not too bad for sharpness, but it’s like looking down a pipe. The 7x26s also give you a bit of eye relief, so you don’t have to press them too close to get a full field of view. The price has gone up a bit over the years, as they change the design of them. Also, after a few years they don’t carry parts, so my older ones won’t get fixed or realigned if they need it. That’s a sad state that is pretty common these days. best, dwc

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#27306

I don’t use them. It’s just more crap to carry, and I always felt that it’s an unfair advantage. Just like the slogan says “use the quads God gave you”, I just want to use the eyes God gave me! Slightly rigid thinking, I know! 🙄

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#31794

alexbugnon wrote: I don’t use them. It’s just more crap to carry, and I always felt that it’s an unfair advantage. Just like the slogan says “use the quads God gave you”, I just want to use the eyes God gave me! Slightly rigid thinking, I know! 🙄

Well heck, Alex – by that line of thinking, clothes and shoes probably give one an unfair advantage too!

I was about to cross an open hillside the other morning, in dim pre-dawn light. Before exposing myself as I traversed it, I took a good, long look across the hillside, and couldn’t see anything. Listened for a while, and couldn’t hear anything. And then I figured I’d better glass the hillside thoroughly before proceeding, and bingo – there were half a dozen bulls slowly making their way ahead of me that I couldn’t pick out at all with my naked eye in that light.

A half hour later, I was within 25ft. of two of those bulls as they fed, but that’s another story…

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#32201

Smithhammer wrote: [quote=alexbugnon]I don’t use them. It’s just more crap to carry, and I always felt that it’s an unfair advantage. Just like the slogan says “use the quads God gave you”, I just want to use the eyes God gave me! Slightly rigid thinking, I know! 🙄

Well heck, Alex – by that line of thinking, clothes and shoes probably give one an unfair advantage too!

I was about to cross an open hillside the other morning, in dim pre-dawn light. Before exposing myself as I traversed it, I took a good, long look across the hillside, and couldn’t see anything. Listened for a while, and couldn’t hear anything. And then I figured I’d better glass the hillside thoroughly before proceeding, and bingo – there were half a dozen bulls slowly making their way ahead of me that I couldn’t pick out at all with my naked eye in that light.

A half hour later, I was within 25ft. of two of those bulls as they fed, but that’s another story…

Nice!!! OOOH I wish I was up there right now!! Last year, I was extracting myself from my sleeping bag in 23 degrees temperature and a few inches of snow, so naked and no shoes is definitely out! :D:D:D

[James Harvey]

#32306

Alex, today I heard an eye specialist say that his research shows that Australian Aborigines, on average, have eye sight that is about 5 times finer than the European Australian average. So optics just even the playing field with my native brothers and sisters 😉

I have a pair of 8×42 Bushnell’s that I’ve been really happy with. They’re a little bulky but I have genuinely sub-standard long vision, so worth their weight in gold to me.

[Don Thomas]

#32464

I use them constantly, and find them essential at close range in dense foliage. They’re what allow me to pick a deer’s antler tine out of the brush. Unfair advantage? When you’re still hunting wary game with a traditional bow, I think you’ve conceded enough advantages already. Don

[Alexandre Bugnon]

#32890

donthomas wrote: I use them constantly, and find them essential at close range in dense foliage. They’re what allow me to pick a deer’s antler tine out of the brush. Unfair advantage? When you’re still hunting wary game with a traditional bow, I think you’ve conceded enough advantages already. Don

true!

[Bunyan Morris]

#33246

donthomas wrote: I use them constantly, and find them essential at close range in dense foliage. They’re what allow me to pick a deer’s antler tine out of the brush. Unfair advantage? When you’re still hunting wary game with a traditional bow, I think you’ve conceded enough advantages already. Don

I think that says it all. 😀

[David Fudala]

#33433

Hey Scott,

Perfect example for you happened to me today. I was hunting out in a clearcut today and while I was watching some turkeys a deer came out behind them. I immediately put the binocs on it and it turned out to be a 6 pointer, still in velvet! Would have never known that deer had antlers from that distance without ’em! Ended up having a great time puttin’ a stalk on that buck to within 50 yards before he winded me. Get ’em, carry ’em, use ’em!!!

[jason samkowiak]

#34953

Great Topic!

I think of binos in the woods like my wallet in everyday life. always with me.

I would feel lost with out my binos and all i hunt is thick woods. Not only are they good for seeing animals before they see you they are useful for many other things.

Here are a couple I use them for:

scanning oak trees for acorns when scouting.

counting antlers in “restriction areas or minimum point zones”.

checking the ground for blood or my arrow after a hit.

checking scrapes for your tree stand

looking at rubs and and for rub lines without getting to close to them.

when blood trailing I use them to scan ahead for animal or blood.

in low light in dense cover when you hear deer walking but too dark to see them the binos will let you see them (this happens all the time). I also use them to scan the area before I get down to make sure no deer are in the area that I cant see in the fading light.

in the dense woods i dont think glass quality is all that important as we are only using them for a few mins at a time unlike western/mtn hunters. I dont mean that good glass is not worth it (i use 7×30 swarvos and 10×42 swarvos all the time and love them!) But vortex, bushnell, lepold, redfield, etc all make very affordable binos that will serve very well for thick woods. The key is the size. Stick with low power and big objective lenses. think 6-8 power and objective lenses of 30-42. This way you get good light gathering and also wide view. also waterproof and fog proof is a must but again that is available in very affordable binos as well.

Again great topic!

[Patrick]

#36731

paleoman wrote: I’ve never used them much in the eastern woodlands. I’m mostly a nomadic sitter. I’ll sit somewhere if I feel it is promising, move on if it’s slow or my intuition says so. That said, for the in-between movements, I wonder if they are worth it. I can stalk, and do it well, but frankly it’s an enormous test of patience to get w/i trad bow range on a crunchy carpet of late October leaves and buried sticks and twigs. Has anyone had much luck with them at bow ranges in forested areas?

It doesn’t matter where I’m hunting, or how I’m hunting, I always carry my binocs. Well, unless I forget them. 😕

[Ptaylor]

#39533

Well, shoot paleoman, guess you better get some binos!

The only thing I have to add is:

I find binoculars most enjoyable when I’m sitting in ambush. I get some really good birding in, and enjoy watching the squirrels and chipmunks up close and personal through the lenses. It really makes the slow hours of waiting for game much more fun.

And Ditto everything everyone else said.

[Author]

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