Binoculars are under my right arm always out of the way, but on the ready!
Using good pair of binoculars this bull was spotted from about 1400 yards away with a smaller bull.
Years ago I would carry in my backpack my spotting scope and camera, which was a big SLR Minolta. My binoculars were always on my side under my arm.
These days I carry only the binoculars and a small digital camera with me. I feel that my binoculars can tell me what I need to know about horn configuration on an Pronghorn – Antelope, Deer, Elk or Exotic.
Having been in the sporting goods business and doing trade shows for sporting goods manufacturers in the past, I have been able to test out just about every model and manufacturer of optics. There are a great deal of great optics out there for you to look and find the pair that will be comfortable for you.
It is not how much you pay for optics, but how they feel, are they clear, will they gather enough light during low light conditions and will do the job for you. I have never been one for compact binoculars for hard field use. I might have a spare pair of compact binoculars in my backpack, just in case I get into a pinch.
I suppose I should explain myself on the issue of compacts. This of course has nothing with cost, as many compacts are as much as larger binoculars. My thoughts is in the size of the glass and how much light gathering do I really get when it is needed. A vast majority of people buy compacts because of the size. There have been many times while hunting and glassing into timber or glassing during the early and late hours of the day that a pair of compacts could have never given me the view to see game, little along game with horns. In my opinion the amount of glass you have determines a great deal in light gathering capabilities of the optics especially during low light conditions.
My two (2) favorite binoculars are the Bushnell Discoverer 10X42 (roof prism) and the Elite 12X50. The 12X50 that I have is the Baush & Lomb model date about 5 years old and is of the Porro Prism.
This particular model is now a roof prism and more streamline. Almost all of the optics are marketed through Bushnell. I would strongly urge anyone to check out this brand of optics with a great warranty. A pair of binoculars should be clear, easy to use, comfortable to the eye with no distortion or eye strain, waterproof and within your budget. There are a lot of very good binoculars that don’t cost thousands of dollars. Recently I used a pair of the Trophy Model Roof Prism 10×42 Bushnell on a test and they worked very well. What a bargain that they were with fully coated lens, BaK-4 prism and waterproof all for under $150.00 bucks.
A few years ago on a mule deer hunt above the John Day River, near Clarno. I had my son and an old friend with me. My old friend wanted to check out a spot before the end result area that I wanted to hunt. This little side trip delayed us a little to long to catch the bucks that were held up in Dry Creek. As we got there I could see deer moving out at about 800-1000 yards. I told the boys “there are some dandy bucks going out over the ridge in the 30″ class.” “What bucks” were the comments back from my son and friend. The two of them could not see horns at all. I told them that optics are everything!
Oh! The 12X50 Elites do weight a bit, but I do feel that it is all worth it. I can rely on them to function every-time that I pull them up to spot game.
As I said earlier, I do not hang my bino’s around my neck and never have. I like to have them on my right side under my arm, as I am left handed. Very easy to grab and pull up at any given moment. I have always had them connected to a wide camera strap. Having them in my front is an uncomfortable to me and I also feel that they can slow one down when in the “Blink” Mode. I would suggest you to try this the next time you are hunting or scouting!