7 Best Binoculars For Hunting: Top Glass

A good pair of binoculars can go a long way in easing your hunt. I always have them in my hunting bag because they not only save me miles of walking by scoping out the terrain but also are portable, making sure I can carry them anywhere.

That said, the right binoculars for hunting for you will depend on what you want from it. Do you want better glass quality and magnification or are you looking for something that works better in lowlight?While most of us live and die by the phrase “buy once, cry once” sometimes you just need something cheap that will get the job done.

So I’ve put together a list of the best binoculars for hunting to help you find the right fit. Let’s get right into it.

How I Chose the Best Binoculars for Hunting

With over a decade of hunting under my belt, I’ve tested a variety of binoculars to find the best ones. Testing new binoculars is fun, but for me, the most important thing is having quality glass. So, I considered some good hunting binoculars that worked well for me and asked my hunting buddies for suggestions on binoculars with clear glass to try out. After assessing factors like glass clarity, durability, features, ergonomics, and overall value, I made a list of binoculars that offer exceptional optical performance.

Drawing from my experience and what my hunting pals have said, I’m pretty sure these binoculars will make your hunting trips better. But remember, everyone has different tastes when it comes to binoculars. What works for me might not work for you. I’ve ranked these based on what I’ve experienced, and while some took a bit of time to get used to, you get to decide what’s best for you in the end. Here are my picks for the best binoculars for hunting

Best Hunting Binoculars

1. Maven C.1 10x42mm		Small and easy to pack Great, bright glass Rugged Amazing value	Buy on Amazon
2. Leupold BX-1 Rogue 10x25mm		Lightweight Good glass Budget friendly	Buy on Amazon
3. Vortex Diamondback HD 10×50		Budget friendly, high value Better than average glass Amazing warranty	Buy on Amazon
4. Maven B.5 10x56mm		Outstanding glass Super bright Easy to hold No eye strain	Buy on Amazon
5. Bushnell Forge 15x56mm		Extra zoom Very well built Lots of extras included Ready for bad weather	Buy on Amazon
6. Bushnell Fusion X 10x42mm		Affordable LRF/bino Get accurate ranges and make better shots Good glass	Buy on Amazon
7. Sig Sauer Kilo 10k-ABS 10x42mm		Complete ballistic solution given in the reticle Gives FPS and energy at target Great glass Well built	Buy on Amazon

Spec Comparison of the Best Hunting Binoculars

Best Hunting Binoculars

1. Maven C.1 10x42mm
2. Leupold BX-1 Rogue 10x25mm
3. Vortex Diamondback HD 10×50
4. Maven B.5 10x56mm
5. Bushnell Forge 15x56mm
6. Bushnell Fusion X 10x42mm
7. Sig Sauer Kilo 10k-ABS 10x42mm

Best Hunting Binocular Reviews

Now that you’ve had a quick overview of our list, let’s go through the review of each binoculars. In this section, I’ll take you through the specifications, its pros and cons and exactly I thought of it.

Buyer’s Guide For The Best Hunting Binoculars

Binoculars for hunting typically serve two main purposes: scouting animals and scouting routes.

Depending on your hunting location and target, you might need a good pair or none at all. Living and hunting in the western USA, binoculars are a must for me.

If you’re using binos to find game you’ll want the best you can afford. Clear glass is key for spotting animals that are trying to stay hidden. Once you do see them, you’ll need to get a good enough look at them to make sure they’re legal.

However, scouting routes often don’t require high-end binoculars. If you already own a good pair, there’s no need for another. Still, having a cheaper pair can be handy, especially if you’re using a spotting scope or hunting in areas where magnification isn’t needed.

Important Parts & Names

Magnification and Objective Lens are the two big numbers that every pair of binos lists. “10×50” or “8×42” means the binos will magnify what you see by 10x or 8x.

The second number, 50 and 42 in our case, is the size of the objective lens in millimeters. 

More is better, but bigger adds weight and cost as well.

Glass Coatings – are crucial for optics nowadays. They can increase the performance of inexpensive glass or compromise the quality of excellent glass.

However, understanding the best coatings and their functions is tricky. Most coatings are proprietary secrets, and manufacturers don’t disclose them.

In general, more coatings mean better quality. “Multi-coated” is a common term you’ll encounter, implying various coatings for anti-reflection, scratch resistance, water repellency, and UV protection.

Additional coatings may include anti-blue light, chromatic aberration reduction, anti-fogging, and more.

Glass Quality – is what determines the cost and performance of optics. It has three main aspects: brightness, color, and coatings.

Coatings we just covered, brightness is how much light gets transferred through the optic, and the color is normally how “true” the colors are to real life.

Lower grades of glass or weird coatings can affect the colors you see. This becomes important when spotting dark-colored animals against a dark forest backdrop.

Exit Pupil – is the diameter of the light that comes out of the back lens, and it’s what you actually see.

Basically, bigger is usually better.

Human pupils are typically 2-4mm during the day and can grow to 4-8mm in low light. This is useful to know because if you’re hunting only during the day, having the largest exit pupil isn’t important.

But since many of us hunt in early or late light, a larger exit pupil is a nice to have.

Twilight Factor – is a bit outdated, but people still ask about it, so here it is.

In the past, it was a way to measure how well an optic performs in low light. You multiply the magnification by the objective lens size, then find the square root of that number. That result is the “twilight factor.”

However, this number is often inaccurate nowadays. Better glass and coatings don’t always translate to good performance in low light, even with a high twilight factor. On the flip side, a lower twilight factor can still perform well with great coatings.

Personally, I don’t pay much attention to this number.

Roof Vs. Porro Prism – is more about understanding how binoculars work than making a choice. Knowing the prism type helps set expectations when buying blind.

Prisms are pieces of glass that the light travels through after passing through the objective lens and before being focused on the exit pupil.

Light moving through the prisms is how we get the light to do what we need it to do, this includes magnification and reorientation. 

Porro prism binoculars are easy to recognize because there will be a large step in their housing. They are also the oldest and cheapest style of prisms.

While often found in lower-grade binoculars, they can offer a better 3D image and wider field of view.

Roof prisms are sleeker but trickier to make. Unlike porro prism, they don’t need the zig-zag shape, so roof prism binoculars can be compact, and lighter. Roof prisms can also give a brighter image and a higher magnification.

When considering high-end optics, there are a some terms worth knowing: BaK-4, Abbe-Koenig and Schmidt-Pechan.

BaK-4 – is a higher grade glass commonly used in premium optics, indicating superior quality.

Abbe-Koenig and Schmidt-Pechan – are two types of roof prisms. Schmidt-Pechan is more affordable and widespread, while Abbe-Koenig is rarer and pricier. Only six brands worldwide produce Abbe-Koenig prisms, including Swarovski, Docter/Noblex, Zeiss, Sig Sauer, Optolyth, and Leupold.

Abbe-Koenig prisms are better than Schmidt-Pechan and provide better light transmission, you often see them paired with a larger objective lens to take advantage of that.

Minimum Focus – is how close you can focus. For example, 13 feet means the closest object you can bring into focus is 13 feet away.

For shooting, this number isn’t important since no one is using binos to spot hits at 10 feet.

But if you want to use these for some bird watching or something, this number might matter to you.

What Matters To You

What kind of binoculars you need depends on what kind of hunting you do.

If you’re in close quarters, like the woods with a range of 50-100 yards, you may not need binoculars, but having an inexpensive pair as backup is useful.

Most hunters, however, benefit from binoculars for spotting game within 100-1,000 yards and scouting locations. Consider the distance you’ll be using them. For shorter distances up to 300 yards, a mid-tier set works well, while longer distances require higher-tier sets with better glass quality.

Consider how long you’ll use them each day. Expensive, well-made binoculars reduce eye strain during extended use.

Also, consider when you’ll use them. For mid-day use, a smaller objective lens is fine, but for mornings or late afternoons, opt for a larger objective lens for better light gathering.

What Magnification To Choose

This is an important topic, you can tell because I put it in its own section.

Most binoculars on this list come in 8x or 10x magnification, with some also offering 12x or 15x.

I’ve listed the 10x versions for most and the 15x version for my Long Range pick. Personally, I recommend 10x most of the time. However, this is a hotly debated topic.

Depending on who you ask and what you read 8x and 10x are the most common recommendations. There are people that will die on both hills, but I’m not one of them.

The benefits of 8x binoculars are they are sometimes a little cheaper (not often though), they offer higher brightness with the same objective lens, and a larger field of view. 

8x binoculars are generally lighter, easier to handle, and particularly more user-friendly when held without support. The downside is they are 2 powers less magnification.

Those are all powerful arguments in their favor.

I still like 10x better.

Looking at the Maven C.1 binoculars since Maven publishes good data on their binoculars so it’s an easy comparison to make, the 10x version is 0.5 ounces heavier, has a 27-foot smaller field of view at 100 yards, and 1% less light transmission.

However, these differences are minor to me, and I prefer the extra 2x magnification.

Looking at the Maven C.1 binoculars since Maven publishes really good data on their binoculars so it’s an easy comparison to make, the 10x version is 0.5 ounces heavier, has a 27-foot smaller (314 feet total) field of view at 100 yards, and 1% less light transmission.

All of that said — I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either option. This is a personal choice and you should get what you like to use most.

You Get What You Pay For

As much as it pains us to pay it, better things cost more — normally.

You can find some amazing value binoculars out there that punch way above their price point, but if you want the best you’ll have to pay for it.

With optics, glass is expensive. Coatings aren’t cheap either. 

While a $10 or even $100 difference might not guarantee a better product, when you’re looking at several hundred or more, you’re likely getting something worthwhile.

For hunting, I suggest investing at least a few hundred dollars ($250-$400) in a good pair of binoculars. Anything less won’t provide the quality glass needed to spot, identify, and track animals at long distances.

If you want some really kickass binoculars expect to spend anywhere from $800 to well over $2,000.