Binoculars are used to magnify the surrounding of the hunter to gather more information. Their main purpose is to spot animals. The game contains three different binoculars: A simple binocular, a range finder and a combination of them.
Function[]
Binoculars have 2 distinct functions: The first is to serve as a tool to create an overview of the surrounding area by allowing to search and magnify specific spots. The second function is the range finding, which is crucial for appropriate hits over long distances. It's used to get the exact distance to a specific spot to adjust shooting height to counteract bullet ballistics.
Tips & Tricks[]
If you can not afford or simply don't want to carry an additional rangefinder until the combined option is available (Apexview, unlocks at level 29) then this little trick will help you to find out the approximate range of your prey.
Simply spot the animal with your binoculars and open the map. There will be a marker at the position of your current target. Hover over the icon and read the distance displayed in the bottom right corner.
Notice that only stationary targets will give you reliable results as the icon will be created on spot and does not move unless you mark the animal again.