A good hunting buddy and animal damage control agent, John Graham, once told me that he uses a binocular to study the landscape during and after every calling session. He says this is so important because suspicious critters often hold up at a distance that makes them difficult to discern with the naked eye. And those same critters will get a good education when they sit on a distant ridge and watch you get up and walk back to the truck. Spotting these paranoids, he says, might inspire him to sit a while longer and try to coax them in, or at least wait until they leave before he walks out.

If you’re a run-and-gun predator hunter, you’ll benefit from a field binocular that is somewhat lightweight and durable, featuring high-quality glass. I generally like those with 8X or 10X magnification because they are easy to hold steady and provide sufficient magnification for most hunting situations. And for riflemen who feel comfortable taking long-distance shots — say 400 yards and even beyond — a laser rangefinder working in tandem with the bino can help them get dialed in. 

Anytime you consolidate equipment you gain efficiency. One large leap in that direction is using a binocular with a built-in laser rangefinder. Not only does combining the two optics cut down on bulk and weight, it provides the ability to quickly range animals while keeping track of their movements. Today’s technology in this area is light years ahead of where it was even a decade ago, with binos that provide ballistic solutions for extreme-range trajectory.  The Vortex Fury HD 5000 AB rangefinder bino is a good example. Paired with on-board technology and connectivity that give the shooter in-display wind/drop solutions at the push of a button, it takes the guesswork out of long-range shooting. The Fury bino uses the Fury HD app and onboard Applied Ballistics Elite Solver to create custom ballistic profiles for popular cartridges and provides access to the full Applied Ballistics bullet library. It can even link a Kestrel or Applied Ballistics Garmin device for real-time precision. Optically, the Fury HD 5000 AB combines HD clarity with XR lens coatings and a rangefinder that has the capability to reach out to 5,000 yards on reflective targets with three ranging modes. MSRP: $1,999.99. Contact: www.vortexoptics.com.