Just curious how many use binos when sitting on the ground. Not sure the chance on getting busted is worth the extra movement. I can see where they would be useful if your still hunting tho. Not talking about in store bought blind.

Still-hunting, there’s nothing else that can help you as much.

Fixed position, arguably less so, unless you can turn it into a successful still-hunt after you've determined that a desirable animal is going to pass out of range. But even if they’re coming straight in to you, if you can pick them up at a distance and be prepared, that’s a major bonus. Also helpful if you are able to detect a second or third animal that might bust you as you prepare to draw on the primary, since you can’t plan around what you don’t know is there...

But really... do binocs require that much more movement than just eyeballs?

I use them very sparingly. Only when I see game far off. I do not glass regularly while sitting in ground cover. That cost me a shot at on of 9 big fall toms last fall, when I was putzing around looking at some hens and poults in an open field. Had the nine big boys come from my left in the edge of open lot behind my cover tree to within 20 yards and busted me with arm movement that I would not have made had I not been glassing the hens. And trying to get pics of the hens for LW posts. Done with that crap, from now on I'm focusing on the hunt, not the optics. Maybe take pics of dead birds not live ones.

Just make really slow movements.

They can be a value when still-hunting, especially when moving through, or getting ready to move through a more open area. Other than that I don't use them regularly since the woods I hunt are pretty dense. I usually have a pair of 8 x 25 in the fanny pack, nothing fancy, just Bushnell compacts from the 1980's. Out west in those open spaces it would be a different story.

I use them when hunting on the ground, in a treestand, and still-hunting. If I'm stationary I'll use the heavier ones like my military Steiner M22, or my Swarovski 8X30s. If I'm still-hunting I use my Swarovski 8X30 or my lighter Vortex compact 8X28 binoculars. They have come in handy many times spotting deer or turkeys even in thick vegetation. See a flicker, a horizonal line, or something that looks out of place and you can check it out. When I hunted out west for elk and muledeer binoculars were a must. Long sessions of glassing out west.

I want to start using binos more on the ground. Whats a good, reasonably priced, bare bones harness?

I never use them unless I'm out west. Most places I hunt are thick and I can identify a deer ar less than 20 yards.

A good pair of binos or "field glasses" Is always beneficial when hunting, no matter where you are. Our eyes only go so far and when you see something you cant quite make out, they really help to make it more clear. In closer cover, a small lower power pair is good. Out in the open, use a higher power. All depends what you want to carry.

I care a pretty good pair of small ones. It is amazing how often that a deer is just a precise arrangement of vegetation.

I use a monocular at times

My wife bought me a pair of little Zeiss 8×20s some forty years ago, i feel lost without them. Binoculars allow you to observe a lot of things in nature beside the game you are hunting. Sandy

I do...one of the most valuable tools to the ground hunter IMO! See them first is key!

I’ve got binos with me about 99% of the time I’m in the woods hunting, whether I’m in a stand, on the ground or slipping around. The 1% that I don’t have them is when I accidentally leave them at home.

Ye-per.

I do, Weather in a blind or just sneaking along.

Never hunt without them.

got a harness, never tried it. I usually just sling over my head and under my right arm and pull them up to my eyes when I need them...do it slooooww...ron

For what its worth I'll chime in. I love binos but i hate carrying them. Out west here they are definitely a big help and I do love to sit and glass. The flip side is sometimes I leave them in the tent if I'm in thicker country. I have been carrying a vortex 8x25 monocular for years and its great. 50 bucks i think. lifetime warranty. Light weight, fits in my pocket and gets weight off my chest. Im not counting inches i just need to know if its a bull or cow, or a stump or bear.

I like a mono or I'll use a range finder , 6 X in woods works well.

I have mine every hunt. Their uses outweigh any disadvantages. I’m a fan of vortex optics. I have 8x42s. I also have two pair of NIKON monarchs. They are hanging in my shop, hardly ever used.

Always...Bausch and Lomb Custom Compacts...had them for decades.

Yes....bought a pair of Athalon last year and love them. Valuable part of my ground hunting.

I always carry 8 X 30 auto-focus Steiners. Best I have found for scanning at any distance.

I do, come in handy judging a legal buck or trying to tell if it's a doe or a button buck.

I find in thicker bush it helps you see game easier...the magnification allows you to detect movement.

never go ANY KIND OF HUNTING without them & have a pair on my boat to

same as some of the others, never leave home without them. No better way to see into the woods, especial during the mid morning/afternoon light and shadow maze and of course during low light.

Challenge of course is limiting movement when using them and trying to use them only when you think you need to. Been busted glassing a time or three for sure.

I have Styrkas..... will not hunt out in South Dakota, without them.... they are always in my truck.... as well as window spotting scope.....

anyway when I ground hunt, only in certain environments. some stuff I hunt, what I need is a hearing aide, because I will hear them in the cattails, before I will ever see them.... so it depends on where I am hunting.......

I'd rather leave my bow at home than my binoculars. And it's not about seeing far, but being able to see INTO the cover. I use 10x40 Zeiss binocs and I "dissect" the cover by changing focus and viewing it in layers. And I mean cover that's 30 yards or less away.

When ground hunting, and especially stillhunting, it's imperative that YOU see the game before they see you. Even if they don't immediately spook they will now be on high alert and getting a shot off is about impossible.

I like my binos more for gun hunting. Still hunting, they add a lot of movement at 'bow' ranges. Depends on the woods I'm in. Open hardwoods, binos good. Thick stuff, nope. jmo

Yea! way too thick here for them tried a few times -did not work out

Always, especially in the thick stuff. Leupold Yosemite.

I use a "vintage" pair of binoculars for all of my hunting. 10X40 Leitz Trinovids. Small and rubber coated. They are 40 years old and belonged to my dad. He never hunted, but it just feels right having them with me in the woods.

Thanks for the opinions fellas. Sent you a pm sawtooth.

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