Two hunters blend into the hillside like lions in the savannah. They are watching their quarry as it feeds along, but they are watching it over a mile away. Using technology to enhance our hunts continues to provide us more opportunities in the field. Binoculars and rangefinders are staples for us on our hunts here in the west. So often two hunters are watching an animal, alternating looking through their binoculars and rangefinder to check the distance and plan their approach. The Vortex Optics Fury HD 10×42 Full Size Roof Prism Laser Rangefinding Binoculars are the answer to the dilemma I, and many fellow hunters, have faced while in the field. I often spot something in my binoculars that I want to check the range on and then have difficulty finding it again and lose precious time grabbing a whole different set of optics in a different magnification and finally getting a reading on distance. I instantly fell in love with these binos and they replaced my binocular and rangefinder combo that I had previously carried.

These binos have 10x magnification, 42mm objective lens diameter and 16mm eye relief. The lenses are fog and waterproof and have the XR lens coating helping transmit light for maximum brightness. The angle compensated rangefinder’s reflective range is 10-1,600 yards and their deer range is 10-1,000 yards, which I have found overall to be an accurate assessment although standing, unsupported, off the deck I’ve ranged further than a mile. Then I’ve failed to get a reading at 1000 yards on a gong target or foreground on bright, sunny days. You can set the display to yards or meters, whichever you prefer and the rangefinder has HCD Mode for angle compensation readings. You can also use the rangefinder in LOS mode, which will give you a line of sight reading. When whitetail hunting the rut in Idaho, we often glass across a canyon to an opposite hillside. Many times a buck will come running across the landscape hot on the tail of a doe and the range of the deer in the ebb and flow of canyon country changes incredibly fast. It is very difficult in this terrain to be able to keep eyes on the fast moving deer as he darts in and out of tree cover and it is especially hard when you have to alternate looking through binoculars and a separate rangefinder. You watch for the deer to stop and it is vitally important to know the range of the deer quickly when he stops because he won’t be stopped for long. The Fury binoculars shine in this kind of situation. They are truly the best tool for the job. I can’t wait to take these into my old Idaho whitetail stomping grounds this fall.

I really like the scan feature, which allows you to pan across a landscape and receive continued readings of the distance. This is helpful when I first set up in an area and I am wanting to have a basic understanding of my available ranges should an animal step out while I’m setting up. It helps with my initial overall understanding of the landscape. When I go predator hunting I am usually setting up in an area for a period of time and then hiking a long ways and setting up again. Each time I set up I have to take a few minutes when I first sit down to both scan the area for critters that might already be there and range the areas ahead of time that I might end up calling a predator into. It is convenient and streamlined with the Furys. They weigh in just under 2 lbs and are 5.75 inches high by 5.9 inches wide. Overall they are bulkier than my regular Vortex Razor HD 10×42 binoculars but they are not bulkier than the combination of my Razors and my other rangefinder together and it is all tucked neatly into this one item that does it all. All of the operations are set up to be able to be manipulated with one hand and it is possible to do that but I found myself more comfortable and steady holding the binos in two hands. It was nice to know that should the need arise I was able to utilize the controls with a single hand. This impressive combo can be used with a tripod or a window mount adapter that can be purchased through Vortex Optics. I was also impressed with the carry bag that the Fury binos came in. It protects the binos while keeping them quickly accessible and out of the way of other gear.

The Fury price point is at about $1,600 MSRP or $1,200 in store and when you consider the cost of a nice pair of binoculars plus the cost of a 1,600 yard rangefinder and combine them it is relatively easy to see how this is a good deal. Add on to that the incredible warranty that you get with Vortex Optics and it becomes unbeatable. If I look through my Razor HD binos then look through the Fury binos I can tell a slight difference in the quality of the view. I cannot tell if it is due to light or clarity or a combination of the two. The difference is there but not enough to clearly discern as it is minimal and for that reason I find myself repeatedly reaching for the Fury’s over my Razor’s when I head out on a hunt. The clarity and performance of the binos is still incredible and the convenience of having both forms of optics combined and my process streamlined far outweighs the slight difference in view.

Overall I am truly stoked to have the Fury in my optics arsenal and it will continue to see much use in the season ahead as it will accompany me on my trip to Idaho hunting wolves, bear or cougar and my antelope, elk, deer and predator hunts here in Montana. I recently had the opportunity to meet the Vortex folks at their facilities in Wisconsin and the experience that we had there blew me away. They gave us a tour of their building and introduced us to the people who work there. Every step of the way we were greeted with attitudes of humility and the obvious goal of putting the quality of their optics and the needs of their customers first and foremost. Their staff was knowledgeable about their field and had the ability to relate to the needs of the customer. They have ever-growing ambitions for up and coming products and the entire experience left me with a solid confidence in this company, their people and their products.