As much as the hunting industry would have you believe that you need the latest super gadgets to be a successful deer hunter, most whitetail hunters can get by with pretty basic guns and optics.
But one category of gear that really will make you a better, more engaged, and successful deer hunter is a binocular.
Doesn’t have to be a souped-up model from a famous optics company or have any battery-powered feature (though there is room in the woods for both), but it should be durable, light, and capable of helping you see details out to 200 yards or so.
Here are nine models that fit every style of deer hunting and every budget, and why you should consider them.
When Vortex introduced this bino a couple years ago, it seemed impossible that a $99 binocular could be taken seriously, let alone compete with optics that cost many times its price. The lightweight, bright model isn’t going to wow anyone with its superior optics, but it’s a great choice for a deer hunter on a budget. Its polymer frame is light around the neck and in hand, and its optics are good enough for most purposes. Its focus is a bit too spongy, but the Triumph HD ships with a neck strap and Vortex’s useful Glasspak harness and case.
Specs
Weight: 22.9 ounces
Eye Relief: 17mm
Close Focus: 15.3 feet
Field of View: 334 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Another price-point product, this compact and optically excellent binocular retails for around $150. Its 10-power magnification gives the Nikon the ability to parse details at distance, but its one-hand operation and extremely lightweight build make it a great treestand or ground-blind optic. I’ve used it for bowhunting for years because of its extremely small frame and easy one-hand operation.
Specs
Weight: 16.4 ounces
Eye Relief: 15.4mm
Close Focus: 8.2 feet
Field of View: 346 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Leupold BX-1 Rogue 8x25 Compact
The watchword for this handy little hand-sized binocular is compact. While most binoculars in this roundup are roof prisms, with open barrels and often open-bridge designs, the BX-1 Rogue Compact is a reverse porro-prism, a design that allows optics to achieve plenty of performance in a tiny package. It easily fits in a jacket pocket and can be deployed when needed but tucked out of the way when it’s not. The focus is a little too twee for me, and the eyecups don’t particularly fit my eyes, so it’s not overly comfortable for extended glassing sessions. But it’s not meant to be. Use it to count points on a buck inside 100 yards and it’s done its job. Priced well under $100, it’s a great optic for a youth hunter.
Specs
Weight: 12.7 ounces
Eye Relief: 15mm
Close Focus: 14.1 feet
Field of View: 337 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Hawke Vantage 8x32
Another excellent binocular for beginning deer hunters, the Vantage 8x32 is both compact and optically powerful enough for just about any whitetail situation. Its textured barrels aid in gripping, and the oversized focus wheel is easy to turn with gloves, so this is a good pick for those frosty mornings in a blind or stand. The Vantage 8x32 has a front-hinge tripod adapter, a rarity on optics of this size and price point.
Weight: 14.7 ounces
Eye Relief: 16mm
Close Focus: 6.6 feet
Field of View: 393 feet (at 1,000 yards)
On the premium end of the spectrum is this world-beating binocular from Zeiss. The SFL in its name stands for SmartFocus Lightweight, and while the weight speaks for itself, the smart focus part is worth special mention. Users can dial the oversized focus wheel from close focus of about 5 feet all the way to infinity in just 1.4 turns of the wheel. That makes riffing from a deer right at your feet to another on the far edge of a field easy and fast. The open-bridge build also enables one-hand operation, which is great in tight quarters of a blind or while your other hand is occupied holding a bow or a gun. The optics are among the best in the category, and both field of view and close focus are excellent. At about $1,700 it’s an investment, but it’s a binocular that you’ll use for much, much more than deer hunting.
Weight: 22.6 ounces
Eye Relief: 18mm
Close Focus: 4.9 feet
Field of View: 420 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Swarovski EL 8.5x42
Full disclosure: I don’t own this binocular. But I do own its predecessor, the EL 8x32, and much of my affection for this handy, extremely ergonomic optic has been handed down – or up – to its more powerful and elegant descendant. The value proposition of this binocular is its open-barrel, twin-hinge design that allows users to grip either barrel with a single hand and get most of the stability that most binoculars require with both hands. The oversized focus wheel, perfectly placed in line with the fingertip, also makes focusing fast and easy with a single hand. Its optics are the best in the business, and the neck-strap tethers and strap allow users to sling the binocular over the back, where deploying it is a matter of reaching back and glassing, then sliding it out of the way when you’re finished. You’ll pay for the privilege of owning this world-beating binocular, though. The 8.5x42 retails for about $2,000.
Specs
Weight: 29.5 ounces
Eye Relief: 20mm
Close Focus: 10.8 feet
Field of View: 399 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Maven RFZ.1 6-12x21 LRF
With this genius $650 laser rangefinder, Maven is betting that a good number of whitetail hunters will replace their binocular with this zooming rangefinder. That’s right. It zooms from 6-power to 12-power, and still manages to accurately range deer-sized targets out to 1,300 yards. It ranges reflective targets at a whopping 4,500 yards. The value proposition of this device is simple: you can use it as a very capable zoom-power monocular and also a rangefinder that ranges as close as 5 yards. The LRF feature has both line-of-sight and angle-adjusted ranging, and its Field and Forest modes allow users to tailor ranging to the environment. Use Field mode to target small objects against larger obstacles, or use Forest mode for ranging through tree limbs and brush. The glass is good. The display is decent. Together, it’s a pretty revolutionary optic that’s tailor-made for deer hunters who want to cut weight by combining functions.
Weight: 10.6 ounces
Eye Relief: 13-19mm
Close Focus: 10 feet
Field of View: unavailable
Leupold BX-4 Range HD 10x42 LRF binocular
While we’re talking combined functions, this laser rangefinding binocular from Leupold is a very clear and bright binocular with the added feature of being a powerful rangefinder. By having both in a single unit, you can glass a target, then without trading optics or dropping the image from sight you can range it and get additional ballistic information to make a sure and quick kill. The BX-4 Range HD TBR/W in my collection is a couple years old, but it retails for about $1,400. Newer versions for about $200 more have a more powerful ballistics package and interchangeable eyecups that fit a wide variety of users’ faces and orbital sockets. The ranging engine detects reflective targets out to 4,000 yards and deer-sized targets out to about 1,300 yards and an incline-adjusted feature helps make true shots in steep terrain or from treestands.
Weight: 37 ounces
Eye Relief: 17mm
Close Focus: 13 feet
Field of View: 334 feet (at 1,000 yards)
Possibly the best balance of durability, ergonomics, and brilliant glass, this investment-grade binocular will cost over $2,000. But your heirs will be arguing about who gets to use it after you’re gone. The binocular is built with excellent Japanese glass inside a durable magnesium chassis, and the image is tack-sharp at all distances. Utility is boosted with the open-hinge design and oversized focus wheel that makes one-hand operation a cinch. Other cool features include its locking diopter, tripod-adaptable center-hinge socket, and excellent GlassPak Pro binocular harness. Those features, along with Vortex’s legendary no-questions transferable warranty, make it a great investment and a wonderful whitetail binocular.
Weight: 21.9 ounces
Eye Relief: 17mm
Close Focus: 5.9 feet
Field of View: 388 feet (at 1,000 yards)