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Jesse's Hunting > Hunting Articles > Hunting Gear > Checking out the Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest 8x32mm Rangefinding Binocular
Checking out the Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest 8x32mm Rangefinding Binocular
Phil Loughlin - JHO ProStaff
- SF Bay Aea, CA
December 18, 2005
I’ve always been a pretty hard-headed guy, and I’m known for often doing things the hard way. When I decided to hunt with a bow, I determined to go traditional with a recurve and no sights. My muzzleloader is a traditional-styled reproduction of the Hawken. If I want the experience of “primitive weapons”, then why not go primitive?
But like most other hunters, I do have a weak spot when it comes to gadgets. After a couple of bowhunting experiences that completely challenged my confidence at estimating range, I started thinking about a laser rangefinder. I borrowed my brother’s Bushnell Yardage Pro on a recent bowhunt in North Carolina. While I didn’t get a shot, it was pretty cool to be able to range all possible shot corridors. It put the bug in my head.
With Christmas coming on, and the gift-giving fever heating up, I knew what I had to do. I started reviewing websites, such as Cabelas, and reading consumer reviews. Santa was gonna be bringing me a rangefinder, and it wasn’t going to wait until Christmas either.
However, I had some things to consider. First, I already carry a pile of stuff in the woods. Fanny pack, binoculars, knives, GPS, and so forth, so the thought of adding one more thing to the strap didn’t appeal. However, I was intrigued by the combination range-finder/binoculars. By combining range finder with binoculars, I wouldn’t have to carry both items. While I’m always somewhat skeptical of multi-tasking tools, I decided this might be the way to go.
Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest 8x32
The Yardage Pro Quest turned out to be pretty good glass, and excellent for bowhunting or treestand hunters. |
I considered three brands. First I looked at the Leica, but that was way out of my budget at nearly $2000. That left the Leupold Wind River and the Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest. The Bushnell advertised a bit more range, and a price tag that was about $200 less than the Leupold. While I’m a big fan of the Leupold optics, I had to be realistic about my budget. With only a few clicks of the mouse, my checking account was suddenly $450 lighter and a pair of Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest range-finding 8x36 binoculars was on the way.
I expressed the order, so I would have it in time for an upcoming archery hog hunt at Chopper’s Wild Hog Adventures. A few days later, I met the UPS truck at the curb. The way I ran down the sidewalk, he probably thought I was about to mug him. I had the box open before I got back into the house.
The unit was a little heavier than I expected at 34 ounces. Even so, at only 6 inches high, it’s fairly compact. Part of the reason for the additional weight is the armored coating. These things are built solid, and are fully waterproof. Time will tell, but for now, I’m confident that Bushnell built the Yardage Pro Quest for real use by real hunters.
As far as the glass goes, in comparison to my Leupold Wind River 8x32 binoculars, the Bushnell compared quite well. They gather light nicely, and the image is very clean (with one caveat that I’ll get to in a moment). The Quest offers an advertised range of up to 1300 yards (varies based on the surface). In my initial experiments around the house and neighborhood, I got a reading rapidly from 15 yards out to 300 or so. I took them out to the ranch on a rainy afternoon, and was able to get a reading on a flock of turkeys at 349 yards. The real test would come in the field, and with a hog hunt only days away, I was eager to play with my new toy.
During the hunt, the Bushnells performed fairly well. The additional weight was not an issue for humping the back country, and with a Crooked Horn Bino-system, I had no complaints. For ranging shooting lanes, they were perfect, even in fairly low light. However, I was unable to get a return much beyond 500 yards, even against white rocks.
Remember I mentioned a caveat? One thing I definitely didn’t like was the way the range display window is situated at the bottom of the field of view. I found it somewhat distracting, as it tended to fuzz the image at the lower edges. It also drew my eye away from the target to read the range, and required a bit of getting used to. I adjusted to it well enough, but I can imagine that I’d get quite a headache from using these binos for intensive glassing. I’m not sure I’d want to rely on these as my sole optics on a mule deer or elk hunt. Still, it wasn’t a problem during my hog hunt, as most of my glassing consisted of short scans of ridge tops and clearings.
During the weekend hunt, I had an opportunity to compare the Bushnells against the Leica range-finding binocular. I realize that Leica is in a whole different class when it comes to optics, but the contrast was startling. Of course the Leica glass was much better, but with that unit I was getting almost instantaneous readings out past 1000 yards, even against the mottled hillsides. Of course, at more than four times the cost of the Bushnells, I would expect the Leicas to perform stunningly. If I had the money to spend, I’d definitely go with the higher-end equipment.
As it was, though, I was generally satisfied with the Bushnell Yardage Pro Quest. I’d like to see the yardage display moved to an on-screen arrangement rather than the bottom window, and I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a reading at the advertised distance (1300 yards), but the unit worked well for bowhunting. While they may not be the best for hunters who glass all day (a spotting scope is the best tool for that, anyway), I think this unit would be ideal for tree stand hunters, or for anyone who hunts timber or thick brush.
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