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When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

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When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Swede » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 1]

Sitting in my tree stand I rarely use my binoculars. Sometimes I want to see something unusual or maybe I saw movement, but days go by when they don't get used.
When I am on the ground I use them more, but generally for viewing areas or special investigations closer in. The use of binoculars is strategic for me. How often do you use your binos, how do you use them, and what are you looking for?
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Navesgane » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 2]

I don't use them as much as I probably should. There's a few really good vantage points that I hunt nearby and will climb up to them if there's nothing else going on that day and glass for a good hour off and on usually while having lunch. This is for elk hunting. When deer hunting I sit glass a lot more. I'd rather spend my time hunting in thick timber tho where binos are useless but gotta go where the animals are.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Lefty » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 3]

When I hunted the desert I spent 3-6 hours a day behind glass looking for that glint of horn or ear flick.
While I might use them 10-30 times a day for a a minute or two,or 10 either sitting and glassing or looking before we move into an area before calling.
Overall evening hours in the woods they are your short duration's many times as we move.
I use them a lot when I know elk are nearby or hope they are. when moving through thick blow down I spend a lot of time looking thought binos
After a few minute sof calling in some locations of thick cover or distant cover and start looking.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Elkduds » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 4]

I use them often. I have some 7x30 Steiners that are awesome in close cover. Take a step, glass. Sit and listen, glass. I also have 10x40 Pentax that are for glassing from high points, and a spotter that doesn't get out much during hunting but is great for scouting from roads.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Heartwood » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 5]

On the rare occasion that I don't have binos, I feel naked and often reach for the glass that isn't there. I guess I use glass a lot. When elk hunting we usually glass other mountains and ridges while we hunt a given area. This gives us a plan b and c where we know we can find elk. When climbing we always use our brief rest periods to glass all that is visible. The country that we most often hunt is a mix of sage, open slopes and timber, both green and burnt. I'm sure not an hour goes by without looking through glass and sometimes every few minutes. When calling, I will scan any visible timber for movement and elk parts.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby RAMMONT » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 6]

I use mine all the time. I prefer to still hunt and I use my glass to look for details among the trees and willows.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Roosiebull » 04 04, 2018 •  [Post 7]

use mine a bunch. the biggest benefit for me is while sneaking in on elk. even in thick stuff, I have a good chance keeping tabs on the bull I am trying to shoot. spotting those cows before they see you while slipping in is priceless (to me) that aspect was a game changer compared to never wearing binos.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Tigger » 04 05, 2018 •  [Post 8]

I would fall in the middle. One thing I do not do is use them when calling. I have really good eyesight and pick up movement very well. If I am behind a set of binos, I cannot see other areas creating a huge blind spot. I figure if an elk is coming to my call, it may come from a direction I am not expecting. I will also be able to see it with my bare eyes in plenty of time. So I do not want anything to do with binos when calling.

I struggle a little with going so slow, glassing, take another step, etc. Where we hunt, the terrain is fairly homogeneous. If I went that slow all day I wouldn't cover enough ground to find the elk! Now when we get to an area we think hold elk, yes, we slow to that style of hunting. But other times, we need to cover ground to get to a good spot and so we move faster, thus little to no glassing.

We do try and find high places to glass from and will spend quite a bit of time there behind binos.

as with everything, they are a tool and have there place and other times may become a hindrance if overly applied.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby Roosiebull » 04 05, 2018 •  [Post 9]

Tigger, I have no patience for moving super slow and glassing either. I cover ground until i'm confident that i'm close, and most of my glassing is done once I have elk spotted, as i'm sneaking in. it really helps to see where all of the cows are, and what way they are looking, so I know where and when to move.

before I used binos a lot, I was always getting busted by a cow I didn't see, or one I couldn't tell was looking at me. I use all of my patience on a stalk. sometimes I still rush it and mess up a good opportunity.

blacktail hunters around here talk a lot about still hunting in the timber, the take a step and glass....take another step and glass... I can't do it. I am pretty patient glassing cuts, but sneaking through the timber, I just move fluidly as I can, and stop and glass if I see something suspect, and that works just fine for me.

I always have to see what's over the next ridge, etc.... I cannot take an hour to get there :lol: it seems if you are moving that slow, the wind is just going to change anyways (see, I justify moving faster :D ) and the more ground I cover, the better chance I have of encountering the dumb one i'm looking for.
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Re: When Do You Use Your Binoculars?

Postby otcWill » 04 06, 2018 •  [Post 10]

I hunt a lot of open high country. In my early days of elk hunting, I didn't have the patience to take a morning or evening off to glass. I've learned that taking a day to gather intel/find a bull I want to shoot is a far superior way of hunting than just hitting the woods in my otc areas. Now I never "hunt" elk. I simply find one I want to kill and go after it. Good glass and taking the time to look has changed my game dramatically; not just for elk but almost all critters.
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