Bushnell's Improved Yardage Pro

In early May I aquired one of Bushnell's new Yardage Pro 1000 laser rangefinders. The first thing that jumps out at you the moment you put this latest generation of affordable laser technology to your eye is that the optically poor, grainy image of earlier units is gone. In its place is a bright, clear field of view that's very similar in quality to what you'd expect from a conventional monocular (as this is a monocular, not a binocular).

Other than the startling improvement in the optical quality, the new YP1000's other features appear to be similar to those of its predecessors. The first depression of the "fire" button brings up the targeting reticle, target reflectivity scale, and mode selection displays in the field of view. The second press of the button sends the invisible, eye-safe laser beam to the targeted object.

A split second later the exact distance to the target appears in the field. The reading stays illuminated for 30 seconds, then automatically turns off if not activated by another push of the button. A single 9-volt battery powers the unit, and is said to be good for approximately 5,000 readings. You can't ask for more inexpensive power than that!

I took the YP-1000 to Wyoming for a couple of days of prairie rat shooting, an application for which these laser rangefinders are now considered mandatory. Unfortunately, the weather was atrocious. For two solid days the wind averaged between 40 and 50 mph, with gusts up to 70. Though the temperature was around 50 degrees both days, the wind chill factor had to down into the teens.

I didn't want to shoot rats that badly, so I pretty much stayed in the truck and contented myself with giving the Yardage Pro a good workout from the comfort of the cab. On highly reflective, perpendicular surfaces (or nearly so), such as rocks, clefts in the soil, or leafy foliage, the 1000 gave repeated readings out to 500 yards.

On smaller and/or less reflective or angled-surface objects such as prairie rat mounds, fence posts and cows, I got consistent readings out to around 350 yards. And on large targets such as leafy frees, large rocks, outcroppings, and water tanks, I got readings as far as 700 and 800 yards.

If the technology never got any better than it is now, these latest-generation rangefinders would be worth every penny that's being asked for them. Their capabilities are such that in virtually any type of terrain on earth -- with the exception of barren desert - you can get accurate readings off naturally-occurring objects, which enables you to determine the distance to your target.

That, in turn, should dictate whether or not you should attempt the shot. While one could argue the ethics of using such a device in big game hunting, I don't think many would balk at their use in varmint and predator shooting.

For all the high-tech wizardry tucked into the Yardage Pro 1000, the unit weighs only 14 ounces and is no bigger than your average 8x40 binocular. The 1000 carries a suggested retail price of $628, but the street price will be considerably less than that.

Bushnell will also soon be offering a new version of the Yardage Pro 800. It's smaller, lighter and has an 8x eyepiece, while the 1000's is only 6x.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group