Hey Glamdring, I agree that if your hunting has very little need for binoculars, then the small ones will probably do fine for you. I would also recommend you not put much money into the small ones.
On the other hand, if your hunting deals with "Low Light" conditions (like mine), then the advantage of the larger binoculars is well worth the effort to tote them. I've used a 10-50mm set for a long time and really enjoy them. Just position your hat so you can reach up with a finger from each hand and squeeze the brim against the binoculars to steady them right down.
The good folks at Bass Pro Shop just built a big store up the road from me here in the Carolinas. I went in looking around awhile back and checked out a lot of their binoculars. Some that I expected to be real good due to the brand and cost, just didn't cut it.
It can be difficult to judge binoculars during the day, but this BPS store is designed with far off, dark un-lighted corners within the ceiling. By looking "into" those dark spots, the different binoculars quickly showed which ones were better for my use. But, lots of them seem to be OK when you are just looking out into the open during daylight conditions.
I found that the Leupold 10-50mm Center Focus Wind River binoculars seem to provide what I'm looking for. They even have a few features I'd not expected and they are around $200.
Biggest tip I can give you though is not to buy anything until you have actually had them in your hands. You just can't go strictly by "name and price".
Good hunting and clean 1-shot kills, Hot Core