Do you use a rangefinder and which type?
02-08-2003, 09:05 AM
#11
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mid-Coast Maine
Posts: 61
RE: Do you use a rangefinder and which type?
I too don't leave home without out my Bushnell Yardage Pro 500. I had a thumb wheel type, ok until lazer rangefinders came out. Spend the extra and get the laser.
I kill it, I grill it.
I kill it, I grill it.
02-09-2003, 02:28 PM
#15
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blissfield MI USA
Posts: 5,293
RE: Do you use a rangefinder and which type?
I have a yardarge pro 400 and am pleased with it. I do the same thing the rest of the guys do. I range a perimeter around my stand and wait for a deer to step into it. It also comes in handy for practicing in the yard. I even use it on 3-d (I don't score). It is good way to learn to judge yardarge a little better, which I suck at. Look the target over, guess the yardarge, then check it with the rangefinder. Much better than guessing wrong and losing an arrrow. Besides, how will you know if you guessed the yardage wrong, or just made a bad shot?
It also works pretty well during shotgun and muzzle loader season. If you know the ballistics of your weapon, a good range finder can let you know if the target is in your acceptable range and how much you need to adjust, if any. It came very handy for me this year, my muzzle loader broke the day before season started, well I broke it actually. Any way, I had to use my shotgun for the first few days of the season. I bought this gun for turkey and small game, not deer, so all I had was smooth bore barrel for it. I didn't really trust it much past 60 yards. I saw a pretty nice buck on the second day and had a perfect shot at 50 yards, but it was not on the property I was hunting on yet. It was right on the other side of the fence. I was specifically asked not to shoot over the fence, so I waited. When the deer did hop the fence I ranged it and it was at around 75 yards away. Had I not had the range finder, I would have most likely taken the shot, thinking it was closer to 60 yards or so, and most likely missed or wounded a deer. Too bad I didn't have the ML, would have been a perfect shot for that set up, oh well.
I also agree with the guy above, the leica is a much better unit, and only 100 bucks more than the one I bought. I looked at it and opted for the cheaper one instead, I am still kicking myself in the butt for that one. If I decide to get another one, that will be the one I get, unless something better comes along for the same or less money.
Good luck,
Paul
It also works pretty well during shotgun and muzzle loader season. If you know the ballistics of your weapon, a good range finder can let you know if the target is in your acceptable range and how much you need to adjust, if any. It came very handy for me this year, my muzzle loader broke the day before season started, well I broke it actually. Any way, I had to use my shotgun for the first few days of the season. I bought this gun for turkey and small game, not deer, so all I had was smooth bore barrel for it. I didn't really trust it much past 60 yards. I saw a pretty nice buck on the second day and had a perfect shot at 50 yards, but it was not on the property I was hunting on yet. It was right on the other side of the fence. I was specifically asked not to shoot over the fence, so I waited. When the deer did hop the fence I ranged it and it was at around 75 yards away. Had I not had the range finder, I would have most likely taken the shot, thinking it was closer to 60 yards or so, and most likely missed or wounded a deer. Too bad I didn't have the ML, would have been a perfect shot for that set up, oh well.
I also agree with the guy above, the leica is a much better unit, and only 100 bucks more than the one I bought. I looked at it and opted for the cheaper one instead, I am still kicking myself in the butt for that one. If I decide to get another one, that will be the one I get, unless something better comes along for the same or less money.
Good luck,
Paul
02-09-2003, 08:39 PM
#19
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Palmyra PA USA
Posts: 292
RE: Do you use a rangefinder and which type?
I don't use one because they are just another piece of equipment to haul into the woods and because they detract from fundemantal woodsmanship skills and gritty personal hunting involvement.
02-09-2003, 09:40 PM
#20
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Washington State
Posts: 382
RE: Do you use a rangefinder and which type?
AK has an interesting and valid point, although it is one that I disagree with to a certain extent. With all the gear and tech gadgets out there, it is easy to get bogged with excess equipment and subsequently lose out on the pure experience of hunting.
However, I think that using a range finder to develop mental range estimation skills is a very efficient way to learn. You can walk through the woods guessing ranges and then verify the exact range with the rangefinder. But, if you only use the range finder as a crutch and never learn to mentally estimate yardage, then I think that you are missing out on a vital part of the original bowhunting experience.
I have a Leica LRF800 and it is a wonderful tool. Very good optics and very compact. I haven't ranged an animal while hunting (no time to do so) and I generally use it to verify and define a maximum range perimeter around me when I stop to rest during still hunts.
HuntingNet Member since Spring 2001
However, I think that using a range finder to develop mental range estimation skills is a very efficient way to learn. You can walk through the woods guessing ranges and then verify the exact range with the rangefinder. But, if you only use the range finder as a crutch and never learn to mentally estimate yardage, then I think that you are missing out on a vital part of the original bowhunting experience.
I have a Leica LRF800 and it is a wonderful tool. Very good optics and very compact. I haven't ranged an animal while hunting (no time to do so) and I generally use it to verify and define a maximum range perimeter around me when I stop to rest during still hunts.
HuntingNet Member since Spring 2001