| Using a decent pair of binoculars is essential to deer | | | | 1000 yards. |
| management. The proper use of binoculars allows you | | | | A third problem with high magnification is that the |
| to assess the quarry and choose suitable beasts for | | | | higher the magnification, the lower the amount of light |
| culling. But there is more to using binoculars effectively | | | | that comes through the glasses. This is not such a |
| than buying the first pair you try, and scanning your | | | | problem during the brighter parts of the day, but |
| hunting ground with the glasses glued to your eye. | | | | towards dusk or first thing in the morning it can make |
| How do you tell the power of a pair of binoculars? | | | | quite a difference. |
| There are three magic numbers which tell you a lot | | | | The second number in the 8 x 40 pair is the size of |
| about what you can do with a pair of binoculars. The | | | | the objective lens. The bigger the number, the heavier |
| first two of these numbers are normally written as 8 x | | | | the binoculars. This is the main drawback to a large |
| 40, 10 x 50, 7 x 35 etc. The third number is the field of | | | | objective size. Everything else about the bigger |
| view at 1000 yards. This is the distance in feet that | | | | numbers is an improvement. The bigger the number, |
| you will be able to see at 1000 yards. | | | | the more light that comes through, and the easier the |
| The first number tells you the magnification, so 8 x 40 | | | | binoculars are to use at dawn and dusk. The bigger |
| is an 8 times magnification. Now just in case you are | | | | the number, the wider the field of view - this makes it |
| tempted to run out for the biggest magnification you | | | | easier to find where you want to look - too narrow a |
| can find, there are several problems you get with a | | | | field of view then you only see a smaller area and it |
| large magnification. | | | | becomes more difficult to point your binoculars to the |
| The first problem is shake. If you have a large | | | | right spot. |
| magnification then every tremor is magnified as well. | | | | A quick test of how good the light gathering of a set |
| You know the effect you get with photographs if the | | | | of binoculars will be is to divide the figure for the |
| camera shakes? It is the same with binoculars. The | | | | objective lens by the magnification. So and 8 x 40 will |
| effect can be much reduced by not going too high - 10 | | | | be a five, the same as a 10 x 50 or a 7 x 35. A pair of |
| is a reasonable maximum, but 8 will be easier to hold | | | | 12 x 25 on the other hand will be a two and hardly |
| steady. | | | | usable once the light starts to go, as well as magnifying |
| The second problem with high magnification is that the | | | | shake. |
| larger the magnification, the smaller the field of view. | | | | I will cover how to set up and use a pair of binoculars |
| This is normally expressed as feet at 1000 yards. This | | | | for deer hunting in a later article. |
| is the width of the view in feet that you will see at | | | | |