The best binoculars for hunting are lightweight, have great lens clarity, are durable, and allow you to see the bigger picture of what’s going on around you in the woods.
The list below excels in those areas. There are a lot of options available, but the binoculars listed below are the best and highest reviewed on the market.
Best Binoculars For Hunting
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- 10x42mm
- Optimal resolution entire field-of-view
- Extremely durable
- Telescoping eye cups
The Swarovski Optik EL Swarovision reigns supreme at the top of the list of the best binoculars for hunting.
They’re not cheap, that’s for sure, but the quality that you get out of them is out of this world.
I’ve had a pair for a couple of years and can say the absolute best thing about them is their ability to pull in the smallest amounts of light just before dark and just as the sun is starting to rise.
It’s allowed me to see clearly through my binos when almost impossible with just my eyes, which is so important in hunting scenarios.
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- Multiple magnification lens sizes available
- Select glass elements for increased resolution
- Multi-coated lenses for increased light transmission
- Adjustable eye cups
- Rubber coating for anti-slip gripping
- Nitrogen purging and o-ring seals for water- and fog-proof performance
The Vortex Optics Crossfire HD binoculars are offered in a variety of magnifications and objective lens sizes, including 10×42, 10×50, 12×50 and 8×42.
These waterproof binoculars are made of aluminum, so they’re going to be relatively lightweight.
They offer great light transmission with edge-to-edge sharpness. The Vortex Crossfire HD includes adjustable eye cups that twist to increase comfort with or without eyeglasses.
External rubber offers protection and a non-slip grip. Nitrogen purging, along with an o-ring seal, keeps moisture out and offers fog-free viewing.
At such a reasonable price point, with all the features included, the Crossfire HDs are definitely one of the best binoculars for hunting made by any manufacturer.
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- Doubles as a rangefinder
- 10-1,900 yard range
- FOV 320 ft. at 1,000 yards
- .1 yard increments to 100 yards
- Red OLED display
- Extra-low dispersion glass
What better way to cut down on pack weight than to combine your binoculars and rangefinder into one compact package.
Nikon has made that possible with their Laserforce Rangefinder Binoculars, built with a 10×42 magnification.
This waterproof binocular/rangefinder hybrid has a range of 10 to 1900 yards, depending on the object being viewed.
A reflective target can be ranged to 1,900 yards, a tree to 1,400 and a deer to 1,100. The FOV (Field of View) is 320 feet. FOV for binoculars is measured at 1,000 yards.
So, at 1,000 yards, 320 feet are visible through the lenses. The Nikon Laserforce Rangefinder Binoculars offer an OLED display with 4-step intensity adjustment and turn-and-slide eyecups.
They are also waterproof and fog-resistant.
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- Available in many magnifications and lens sizes
- Diopter built in for differences in users’ eyes
- HD clarity
- Argon purged and o-ring sealed – waterproof and fog-proof
- Includes GlassPak Binocular Harness
The Diamondback HD is another great and highly rated pair of hunting binoculars from Vortex
They’re available in a wide range of magnifications and lens sizes. These binos include Vortex’s GlassPak binocular harness, which is a huge bonus.
They’re Argon-purged and o-ring sealed, which means you won’t have to worry about them fogging up or getting water behind the lenses.
And the built-in diopter accommodates the differences in users’ eyes. As with all Vortex optics, they’re made of super high quality material.
Vortex makes some of the best binoculars for hunting on the market, and have for many years.
This is evidenced by all the high-profile hunting personalities who exclusively use them, such as Steven Rinella and the Meat Eater crew, as well as The Hunting Public.
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- HD clarity
- 10x50mm
- Instafocus design
- BK-7 prism multi-coated optics
- Fold-down eye cups
The 10x50mm Bushnell Powerview is a great option for observing at a distance with great clarity.
Patterned in Realtree AP, these binos offer bright, crisp and clear viewing. Eyecups can be folded down for those wearing eyeglasses.
Hunting can be rough on equipment, but the rubber armor on Bushnell Powerview binoculars offers impact resistance and a ruggedness that hunting often requires.
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- Available in 10x42mm and 8x42mm
- HD clarity
- Nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed – waterproof and fog-proof
- BaK 4 prisms and multi coated optics
- Telescoping eye cups
The Bushnell H2O is available in 10x42mm, as well as 8x42mm. With these binos, you get HD clarity through their BaK 4 prism, multi-coated lenses.
What’s really great about them is that they’re nitrogen-purged and sealed, so you don’t have to worry about them fogging up or getting water behind the lenses.
They also include telescoping eye cups, which are great for those wearing eyeglasses.
All-in-all, these binos offer the quality and features you’d expect to find in the best binoculars for hunting. And at a great price point, as well.
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- Doubles as a rangefinder
- Available with Applied Ballistics
- 10x42mm
- Nitrogen purged and o-ring sealed – waterproof and fog-proof
- HD lenses and dielectric phase-corrected prisms
- Advanced LOS mode
The Fury HD is Vortex’s rangefinder/binocular offering, giving hunters the ability to carry less gear by combining their rangefinder and binoculars into one compact package.
These hunting binoculars come in 10x42mm, offer an advanced LOS mode to give hunters increased accuracy with long range and high-angled shots, and include two target modes.
Best Mode displays the strongest range result and is intended to be the primary mode.
Last Mode displays the furthest distance when ranging, and is ideal for ranging targets behind potential obstructive objects, such as limbs and brush.
The XR multi-coated, HD lenses and dielectric phase-corrected prisms deliver ultra-clear view.
An alternate version of these binos are also available with Applied Ballistics.
Applied Ballistics allows you to use their app to build custom ballistic profiles, so the rangefinder does all the thinking for you while ranging.
For those who love the idea of reducing the amount of gear they carry into the woods, while also increasing the quality of their binos and rangefinder at the same time, the Fury HD is definitely the way to go.
Not the cheapest way to go, but definitely one of the best hunting binoculars on the market.
For standalone rangefinders, see the best here.
Why You Need Binoculars For Hunting
The reasons for having a good pair of binoculars for hunting are numerous, but let’s highlight a few of the most important ones.
First, when deer hunting, for example, it’s nearly impossible to know the caliber of the bucks you’re looking at while scouting deer from any significant distance with nothing more than your eyeballs.
For anyone interested in harvesting a buck of a certain age-class or antler size, seeing deer “up close” through binos on a scouting mission or mid-hunt is paramount.
Second, sometimes, we as bowhunters just get it wrong. Ok, so maybe a lot of times.
Either way, there are going to be times when you’re going to set up in a great spot, only to realize that it’s not as great as you thought.
You’ll keep seeing deer after deer traveling a route about 60 yards outside of your maximum effective range.
Once you climb down and sneak over to find a tree for your next hunt, it may look very different from the ground than it did from 20 feet up and 90 yards away.
The best binoculars for hunting can be a huge help in picking out a few markers to go by for when you get on the ground.
The third and final reason for needing a good pair of binos might not be something you’ve ever thought of, but imagine this.
October rolls around, and all of a sudden, the action dries up on all your field edge and feeder stands. “The dreaded October lull,” you angrily whisper to yourself.
Whitetail hunters have been saying that for generations, but what you need to understand is that oftentimes, the deer have simply receded back into the timber for a food source that has recently started raining down from above – acorns.
Particularly those falling from White Oak trees. So where do binos factor in?
The Best Hunting Binoculars Illuminate Details
Well, for starters, they allow you to find a spot to observe from a distance and see which trees the deer are congregating under or which trails they’re using to get there.
Notice the emphasis on from a distance. The best way to ruin your chances of capitalizing on bucks grazing on acorns is to bump them out of there by getting in too close before you have a plan of attack.
Now, armed with first-hand knowledge of where the deer have gone, you can prepare for a surgical strike to make your October lull look like opening day.
You can also prepare beforehand and use your binos to see which trees are sporting large crops of acorns before they ever begin falling. That way, you’ll be ready when the time is right.
The Best Binoculars For Hunting - Choosing The Right Specs
A note about binocular specs: remember to choose your desired magnification and lens size based off your style of hunting.
If you spend most of your time packing into thicker areas where you can’t see very far – maybe 80-100 yards in any direction – you may only need an 8-power pair.
For those who hunt field edges where visibility is high, but distances are greater, a higher magnification with a larger lens size may be desirable.
And remember, the best binoculars for hunting are just like most other gear in your pack – they’re the ones that suit your hunting style and budget the best.
In Need Of A Spotting Scope?
A great spotting scope can compliment binoculars when glassing long-range for hours on end. We’ve put together some great options here.
