thanks for those replies, guys... I haved used a 4x for years on a 22 mag for squirrels, and picking them up and following them is a chore, but I do it well enough to score consistently.. sitting shots on rabbits to a hundred yards too.. it is the dificulty of keeping a bouncing deer in the scope without it blacking out with a small ocular, and the inablity to see the details at distance that bother me most... have taken the advice to heart though, and will try to use the binos more, and will use more ocular size and variable power.. it seems worth it for both, I don't shoot running deer with a handgun tha is scoped, but do try to keep up with them and struggle to do so when they are bouncing at closer range...
thanks again...
dk