I just decided to but soem 10 X 40 Nikon Bino's . My question is to you western guys, Is 10X enough? I am going on a deer hunt this fall in Norhteast Montana and should I buy 12X? I use 8X compacts here in Michigan but we don't do alot of glassing over long distances, I use them mainly to pick my way thru the brush. Thanks

much over 10x I can't hold them still enough.
With good clear glass that gives high resolution 10x should be plenty.

Chain: I was up in NE Montana last fall, again, Hunting Mule Deer. I took along my Nikon 12x50 binoculars and I was again VERY happy with them. They are a joy to use and a valuable aid in spotting distant game. They save a NE Montana Hunter much walking and by saving much walking it also keeps game from seeing the Hunter moving!
Yes 10 power is enough but in my mind and in my experience (8 years now with the 12 power Nikons) I simply won't Hunt Eastern Montana without these higher magnification binos!
I steady them by putting my back to something solid or by clamping my hands onto my hat bill while glassing or by having my elastic bino straps set somewhat tight or as is usual by incorporating all three of these steadying aids!
I have over a dozen sets of binoculars in 6x, 7x, 8x, 9x and the one set in 12x - the 12x binos ALWAYS go along on my Antelope and Muley Hunts!
Best of luck to you on the NE Montana Hunt!
Maybe I will spot you up there this fall in my 12x Nikons?
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

Ten power is about the limit for using conventional hand-held binoculars for scanning, whether you are in Montana or on the moon.

Excessive magnification in a binocular leaves you with a narrow field of view (less useful for scanning for game) and leads to eyestrain. I'm not saying that VarmintGuy's 12X binocular isn't a useful instrument, it's just that an 8X or 10X instrument is better used as a BINOCULAR for scanning and the higher power instruments are used as spotters. Your spotting instrument comes out after you identify game (or suspected game) and can be either a higher power binocular or, more commonly, a spotting scope.

A 7X or 8X binocular combined with a higher power spotting instrument is the ideal combination. However, your 10X binocular is a good compromise if you just want to carry one optical instrument. You'll be handicapped in most instances by only having one instrument that's a specialty 12X binocular. Besides, they're heavy sumbitches!

Thanks. I am so excited about the upcoming hunt, like a kid at Christmas. I am trying to not forget anything.

10x40 with a spotter would be a good choice.