RE: How many use rangefinders?
 

I just bought a Nikon Monarch 800 this weekend, but took a serious look at the new Leupold models with the true ballistic technology. The bottom line is that this technology has virtually no relevance for modern day bow hunting with arrow speeds in excess of 200f/s. I actually ran the numbers myself, being the skeptic that I am. In summary, for stand heights of 20 feet or less, there is nothing to be gained by using a true ballistics measurement. In Leupold's sample situation given on their website for archery application, they make it seem like a 40 yard line-of-sight(LOS) distance is really only 35 yards true ballistic distance. This does seem significant until you take a look at the numbers they used to get this. They give a scenario of a hunter taking a 40 yard LOS shot at a 40 degree inclination, What they dont tell you is that the hunter would need to be 70+ feet high in a stand in order to have a 40 deg inclination and 40 yard LOS. That's unrealistic and I think misleading. I'll stick with a proven rangefinder at an affordable price in Nikon.

RE: How many use rangefinders?
 

I'm with Bagem. I just laughed when I saw the examples. Nobody that I know of is that high in a tree. The diagrams are not even in proportion. My Nikon 440 that I bought about 3 yrs ago works great. In a new location Iwill find a few 20, 30, and 40 yd trees - and just memorize where those are.