Whether you are looking for an amazing hunter's tool for deer and elk season this year or you just want to climb a tower and practice aiming (he-he, joke... just a joke), I have found the product for you! I just recently purchased the Nikon Monarch Gold 1200 yard Rangefinder and I have nothing but positive things to say about it.

A few years ago I purchased a beautiful .308 rifle that came with an amazing scope. This weapon is capable of a nearly 1,000 yard shot but I was limited during hunting season at having to guess my ranges. Needless to say, I wasn't gonna hit anything beyond a couple hundred yards if it was up to my own guess and check. My brother, whom you all know as Conan, encouraged me to buy a rangefinder. Well it took a couple years but I finally got a really good tax return thanks to the birth of my second child and with the advice of Conan, I purchased a Nikon Monarch Rangefinder. A link to an image of it is located here:

http://shop.greatlakesshooterssupply.com/images/8358_MonarchGoldLaser1200_black_front.jpg

Ok, so I shopped around and picked mine up for about $360.00. Not cheap but well worth it. Let me tell you, it is simple to use, gives you a range read out in about a second, and is accurate to within a half yard up to almost 600 yards and just one yard at up to 1200 yards. Here's how you use it: choose your target, adjust your lens if necessary so you can see it clearly (like using any type of monocular), push the power button, then push the power button again while still looking at your desired target and boom; read out received. If for some reason you think it might be off, look at your target again and just push the power button. I played around with the thing for a good half hour the first day I got it and was just amazed. I don't think my neighbors were all that impressed with it as it may have looked like a pervert checking them out through their windows but what do I care, I've now got a kick ass rangefinder to go with my kick ass rifle. I look forward to getting out onto a shooting range and testing it out. I need to sight in my rifle anyway since I just removed my scope for cleaning and maintenance.

One final note, the rangefinder comes with a hip pouch for it that I think is really good. There are some other holsters for it out there (I bought the one linked below not knowing that it already came with a very nice black one) but I question their ability to protect the product, in particular, the lenses. The bonus to the below holster is that the lens cover is magnetic and not velcro or clip on so you won't make any noise when you need to ready it to get a range read out for your target. The catch is that the casing is just a little to tight for this particular rangefinder and the magnetic clip does not always hold well when jostled or carried through the underbrush. Hence, my concern about protecting the lenses. So, you have to decide between the importance of stealth and the quality of care provided.

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mxoKJAgrACrQGsCMaA_KW0Q/140.jpg

Good luck hunting and I hope this helps you gun enthusiasts out there. Do some research on the product. Most stores who sell it list its perks which is why I skipped most of them in this article.