How often do you bring binoculars hunting?

[soap creek]

I'm an always guy. Besides being helpful spotting game the same way others have mentioned, I like looking at birds and other small critters. I just enjoy looking through them.

[Roadkill]

Wat too much space out here.  Either use lenses or bootleather-i opt for glass

[monterey]

I'm an "always" "never" guy.

They are always taken on the hunt but almost always left in camp or the car.  The main reason is that it's just one more thing to carry and get in the way.

When I elk hunt it's almost always in the thick stuff and up close and personal so they might be momentarily Handy but the rest of the time an inconvenience.

[Bowwild]

Only when I'm out-of-state hunting in open country, which means almost never.  I hunt from stands most of the time and that horizontal bit of back line will either become a deer headed for my shooting lane or not.  I always imagine a deer is looking my direction beyond my clear vision.

46+ years of not having them on me. Tough habit to break.

Even though I went nuts last August and bought Swarovski.

[TOEJAMMER]

Always and whether in dense timber or open country have I ever been sorry I had them.  Ron said it well.

[bucknut]

I primarily hunt from tree stands and Binos are right below bringing my arrows on the priority list. I use them for judging the caliber of bucks I see if given a chance before the shot. They have saved a lot of lives over the years. I also use them to locate my arrow and down game after the shot. I once even saw a woman give a guy a BJ along the road from my stand. You never know what you might see. I also use a Bino harness to keep the out of the way.

[Cory Mattson]

I always have them on me. For me it is not out of necessity - more for the enjoyment. I use them constantly - I even use them to look at arrows that have passed through game - looked at the beginnings of a blood trail from up in the stand - so well beyond the closer look at obvious views.

On the necessary side of things seems like everything looks like a moose first few days of a moose hunt - everything looks like a gobbler first few days of turkey season - and so on - so binoculars have saved me thousands of miles of unnecessary walking - riding - whatever.

Our crew always use them on whitetails too and we mark male - female - age classes first opportunity - often before they are in range - and for us at least we have never accidentally shot a button - which I see this all the time outside our group.

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[Shadowhnter]

Im a rarely guy. If it wern't for turkey hunting, id probably be closer to never. Its indeed a rare day that I want my compacts in my way on stand or in blind for deer, but I will carry them from time to time for turkey, and mainly if im planning on being more mobile then normal.

[gregg dudley]

Always.  I am primarily a eastern Bowhunter and  I hunt fairly thick stuff.  I'm still an always.  If you ever get truly in the habit of using them you would as soon leave your bow at home as your binos.

[James Ligon]

Always

[Littlejake]

Just like my master card, I never leave home without them...

[BAK]

Maybe if I hunted out west I would see some value, but the thick timber in my area prevents seeing anything more than a couple hundred yards away so really no point.

[Doc Pain]

I would rather leave my bow home than my binoculars

[Killdeer]

My binoculars help me penetrate thick stuff by focusing near and far. Things in the foreground blur, and what lies beyond the slim gaps comes into clarity.

They go with me every time, unless I get vapor lock in my brain and am 200 yards out of camp before I remember them. Even then, I will likely turn around and get them. I feel so disadvantaged without them.

Killdeer

[dnovo]

I'm an always guy. I can't imagine hunting without them. In thick cover, I can see into the brush and pick out that movement as a bird, squirrel or deer. In open country, details are so much easier to see

[shag08]

I'm a never guy. When bow hunting, I won't shoot much more than 20 yards, 30 max...I can see just fine at that distance.

If I'm hunting with a gun, all my guns have a magnifying device with crosshairs attatched to the top of them. While others are looking through their binoculars and decided it's a " shooter", I've got the crosshairs behind it's shoulder and pulling the trigger. Heard MANY tales how the big one got away while the hunter was laying down the binos and reaching for their weapon.

[screamin]

I keep a pair under the seat in my truck, won't leave home without em

[-Zor]

Going hunting without binos would be like heading to the toilet without TP. I have binos on my person when fishing, backpacking, hiking, snowshoeing, oh yeah AND hunting. Anytime I'm outside I have them, you never know what you may be able to witness while in the woods.

[Gun]

Originally posted by Doc Pain:
I would rather leave my bow home than my binoculars

Me too!
Almost  

[mgf]

I always used them before I needed eye glasses. Now, almost never.