ok, on the spotter: do not buy that burris compact. it is pretty useless, and they are giving them away if you buy one of their scopes.
using a spotter to hunt w/ is a huge benefit. it is also quite difficult. i would advise you to get the spotter you want for the range, and wait for a bit on a hunting spotter - it is a very specialized tool, and takes a lot of getting used to. since you won't be needing it for a few years, wait on it. optics degrade w/ time w/ even the best of care, and optics are advancing every year quite a bit. by the time you are ready to hunt w/ a spotter, there should be some real killer spotters on the market for lower cash outlays - or same money, better spotter. nikon's sky & earth is a pretty good entry level spotter.
under $400 binocs... it makes me nearly sick to say it, but bushnell legends are extremely good glass in their price range. i worked w/ these against glass in their price range, and above their price range, and think they are pretty good, especially for the money - i rate 'em as a best buy. pentax makes good glass, too, but i think the word on them is out, and their prices are starting to climb. the wind rivers are real nice for the money. surprisingly crisp. i like these ones, and hunt w/ 'em on at least one, sometimes 2 trips a year. haven't had a chance to work w/ monarchs or signatures yet. my 480 has a nikon on it, my spotter is a nikon, and my main binocs are nikons. so, it follows that i think pretty highly of their glass.
a good scavenger could probably find some used zeiss binocs for close to your max price. avoid steiners... they aren't that bad, but for the money, there's better out there. german glass does not necessarily equal top shelf.
for a power range... 8x40's are pretty good all around glass, and will work well for probably 70% of the hunting you'll do. the major exception being antelope hunting... my 10x nikons were too small at times for goats. but, they are heavy, and nearly useless for other hunting. these work well for about 25% of my hunting (if they were lighter, i'd use 'em more). 12x binocs... big, heavy, not as specialized as a spotter, but getting there. hard to hold steady.
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. Ya might not need that kind of range for big game hunting, but ya never know when the LR varminting bug will bite. If it does, you'll be happy you have the 1200. Later. >> klallen