October 10, 2016
By Mike Carney
As your chest heaves with heavy breaths from sprinting to the treeline to intercept the gigantic moose, he suddenly appears at the woods' edge and thrashes a willow thicket — daring an unseen challenger to show himself.
Adrenaline surges through your veins as you raise your rangefinder, trying to get a reading off his gigantic rack, your hands trembling at the sight of his massive paddles and fronts tearing up the brush...
As the buck approaches your stand through the thick brush, you realize it's "him", the massive 10-point you passed on the last two years, now is in his prime. Panicked, you reach for your bow as he weaves his way in and out of distant shooting lanes.
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He has one thing on his mind, nose is buried in the dirt, hot on the trail of an estrous doe. Your hands fumble and shake as you range distant shot windows ahead of his path where you plan to stop him, compose yourself and deliver an accurate arrow...
Unexpectedly, the bull elk stalls on his way to your calls between the distant birch trees, and lets out a soul-rattling scream that you can feel in your spine. Your arms feel like Jell-O as you range the copse of trees that shields his vitals. He's in your kill zone — but you need the exact yardage to avoid the shot-deflecting snags and branches surrounding his chest€¦
In each of these scenarios, the human reaction to stress, excitement and adrenaline can make the otherwise simple task of getting an accurate range reading anything but simple. I know, because I've found myself, in each of those scenarios. Most recently, on the bull moose described above. And yes, I was shaking at the sight of the enormous animal, and the fact that he was going to walk right down the treeline over me!
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I was thankful I had a new piece of gear from Nikon that materially calmed my nerves in those critical moments when I had to have an accurate reading: the ARROW ID 7000 VR with Vibration Reduction (VR) Technology.
Billed as the first adrenaline-proof rangefinder, the ARROW ID 7000 VR reduces the external vibrations caused by unnecessary hand movements (like shaking!) while ranging targets both near and far.
For bowhunters, this means the target mark on the rangefinder will remain stable, even when the body of rangefinder is being moved slightly. In addition to providing users with a steady image, VR technology also stabilizes the activated laser, allowing it to maintain more precise alignment for enhanced measurement performance.
VR technology represents a major leap forward in rangefinder evolution, because it helps alleviate the difficulty of keeping the rangefinder steady under times of high stress — or simply when trying to target a small object in your kill field prior to an animal actually showing up.
Whether you're panting from a run to intercept a big moose, shaking from common case of "buck fever" or jolted alive by a screaming bull elk, Nikon's VR technology will help you get a fast, accurate reading — settling your nerves and panic — which will help you settle your pin when you need to execute an accurate shot.
The VR function begins immediately when the rangefinder is turned on, meaning there are no extra steps needed to toggle between settings. Holding down the ranging button allows users to scan continuously for 8 seconds. A lightning-quick measurement is received (approximately half a second) at all operable distances, thanks to Nikon's HYPER READ technology.
Of course, the ARROW ID 7000 VR also delivers a menu of other features that have made Nikon rangefinders the tool of choice for legions of bowhunters, like ID technology, to instantly compensate for uphill or downhill shot angles, providing the accurate yardage needed to make an successful shot.
And of course, all on-screen information is shown on a clear, uncluttered display featuring legendary Nikon optics, so you can perform at your absolute best at the moment of truth.
Suggested retail price is $399.85 and the ARROW ID 7000 VR is available at Nikon retailers nationwide. To learn more, go to Nikonsportoptics.com .