standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I was on a website poking around a little and the new rangefinders with "Arc" or something similar really caught my eye and got me worried about my "standard" rangefinder for bowhunting. I originally purchased a Leica rangefinder for rifle and was not really concerned about having an angle compensating device, but looking at how much it varies based on advertisements it has got me worried. If you are not good at figuring yardage do you consider this feature critical when high stand hunting, or is there a trick? A second and maybe more important question might be at how high a person might be off the ground when this feature becomes more important.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Nope, not worth it IMO. Here is why:

Assume for all examples you are 20 feet up in a treestand.

1. Shot distance of 20 yards. Difference between real distance and ranged difference is exactly 1.08 yards.
2. Shot distance of 40 yards. Difference is exactly 0.55 yards.
3. Shot distance of 3 yards. Differece is exactly 3.3 yards.

Example #3 would certainly be a difference worth worring about, except for the fact that at such short range, there is no need for a range finder, just shoot the darn thing. For anyone that would overthink it and worry about a 1.08 yard error at 20 yards...keep in mind the stated accuarcy of any rangefindersI checked was + or - one yard.

And yes, there is a "trick". If you range trees around you before any deer show up, range them horizontally at the same level you are sitting and you will know the true horizontal distance, which is the distance that matters for the shot.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I'll happily trade you a Bushnell with ARC for the Leica.... +$100. Seriously.

ARC and the ID and the gyro inside the Leupolds are great because they do take into consideration that the hypotenuse is the longest side of a right triangle. From my experience, if you are 20 feet up and shooting at a target 20 yards distant (ground distance) a standard range finder will give you a reading of 23 yards (thereabouts). Of course the higher you go up and the further away your target is, the greater the change. Is three yards enough to matter at 20 yards? In 90% of our cases no as most of us have equipment fast enough to forgive us a slight misjudge.

Where I think the ARC and the like would really be nice is for shooting a rifle up and down steep terrain... espeically if you are like me and consider a mountain to be any hill that you cannot walk to the top of in less than 10 minutes or without breaking a sweat.

Rangefinders are a tool that will help get you close, or determine whether or not the range is sufficient (or should I say close) enough for you to make a responsible shot.It will tell you the difference between 40 and 60, and heck even 40 and 45 (or pretty close to it). But there is still some margin of error, and it all comes down to you making a good shot at a range you are comfortable with.

Personally.... I think those Leica's you have are some of the very finest made... trading a Leica optic for a Bushnell is like trading a T-Bone for a Cheeseburger.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Excellent reply and breakdown about why "angle compensating" is just another catch phrase that is used to separate bowhunters from their money and giving them nothing much in return.

A decent rangefinder and the "trick" are all you need.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Agreed. This is where those rangefinders are worth the money.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

maybe I don't understand this these arc rangefinders. Don't they compensate for the difference in gavitational pull at different angles? Any rangefinder will tell you how far away an object is. Your arrow will drop less the steeper downhill you shoot causing you to hit high.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

And you'd BETTER know which pin to use at 3yds, also.;)

**Hint** It will NOT be your top one;)

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Great simple tip thanks! I am confused though, using the example in the guide and the pythagorean theorem a deer at 23 yards level if you were about 22 feet in a tree would be 32 yards sighting from the tree. That is a difference of about 9 yards (I rounded the decimals). What am I missing here.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

TG......You're adding a side to the "triangle" that doesn't exist.;)(vertical distance)

If you were 66' up in the tree....your calcs would be correct (but still useless). Happy climbing!

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

If you look at the advertisements in the magazines for the compensating rangefinders and use the Pythagoreantheorem on their provided data they usually have the hunter around 60-65' up a tree to make it look like a regular rangefinder will be off by 4-5 yards.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Can you explain this GMMAT?

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Gotcha, that is why I ask here before I make any changes to my routine. Thanks for the help all.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Sure, MM.....

Go to your target and shoot at it from 3yds. Tell me which pin you used and where you hit.

If you use your 20yd pin (std configuration).....you'll hit(****! Sorry....LOW) The same principle would apply to a 3 yd shot from your treestand (nearly straight down).

**Hint** Do it again....and use your 40 or 50 yd pin.;)

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

haha good call Jeff. We must have been typing at the same time.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I guess that makescense because at such close distances where your arrow is lined up is the main thing andyour arrowis closer to the lower pins.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I lied, I am still confused. By using the theorem I am getting a hunter height of 22.24 feet using the advertising image stating a difference of 9 yards. Their stats are as follows--the deer is 23 yards from the base of the stand but from where you are it sights as 32 yards, putting you (the hunter) at a little over 22 feet. Where am I messing up my math?

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

22.24' = +/- SEVEN yds.

Do it again.;)

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

7x7+23x23=578...the sqrt of which = 24

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I did do it again and by the math the hunter is not "60" feet in the air to get a diff of 9 yards (he is only 22.2486 feet in the air.........................DOPE that is 22.2486 yards which is actually 66.7458 feet, sorry I was looking at the 22.2486 as feet not yards. My math was right but my mental conversion was not. In the immortal words of Mr. Simpson DOOOHHHHH.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

So essentially to get that 9 yards of difference they show in the advertisement the hunter needs to be 66.75 feet off of the ground, that is a little high for my stand:)

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

But you see....."Mathematically" it would be right. Numbers don't lie. BUT.....in reality......how far is it "nominally"?

Here's one for ya. Go 100yds up in a tree (I know it's absurd....but it'll prove my point)......and figure the theorum for a 1yd (out) shot.

Are you gonna shoot for 100+yds? Of course not. At some point gravity becomes your friend....and your yardage would need to be compensated for, accordingly.

Here's a novel thught.....just sight your bow in from your treestand height you hunt at (which really isn't necessary, either).

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I just ran a whole bunch of scenarios using 10 and 20 foot tall stands and needless to say the difference was minimal, most were under a yard (buck fever would be much more of a concern). Hmmm I wonder why they don't point out how high the hunter is in the advertisement. ;)

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I'd like to make one more point...When you hear guys talk about shooting over a deer from a treestand, assuming that they know the distance and use the correct pin then the reason is their form, plain and simple...

Face it, many of us are not comfortable in a stand 20-25 feet up in a tree, to help us feel secure, we lower the bow hand, line up the pin and release...If you don't bend at the waist and lower your head so your nose touches the bow string then you are raising the rear sight and you will shoot over...Trust me, I did this twice one evening...:D

On the ground, I was perfect, on the roof of my house, no problem...Put me in a stand and I like to feel the bark of the tree on my back...Also, a face mask can keep you from feeling the string with your nose as well...You've got to get in the stand, with your hunting gear on, put a target out there and have a buddy retrieve your arrows and pull them back up...This will help greatly with your confidence as well...I also suggest shooting with your broadheads now, before the season...

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

I believe gravity has exactly the same effect regardless of angle. It is only the horizontal distance gravity "sees".

Regardless of the above statement, I also believe bowhunters do not need angle compensating rangefinders.

RE: standard rangefinder vs. ones with angle compensation. Buy new one?
 

Assume for all examples you are 20 feet up in a treestand.

1. Shot distance of 20 yards. Difference between real distance and ranged difference is exactly 1.08 yards.
2. Shot distance of 40 yards. Difference is exactly 0.55 yards.
3. Shot distance of 3 yards. Differece is exactly 3.3 yards.

Example #3 would certainly be a difference worth worring about, except for the fact that at such short range, there is no need for a range finder, just shoot the darn thing. For anyone that would overthink it and worry about a 1.08 yard error at 20 yards...keep in mind the stated accuarcy of any rangefindersI checked was + or - one yard.

And yes, there is a "trick". If you range trees around you before any deer show up, range them horizontally at the same level you are sitting and you will know the true horizontal distance, which is the distance that matters for the shot.
[/quote]
Excellent reply and breakdown about why "angle compensating" is just another catch phrase that is used to separate bowhunters from their money and giving them nothing much in return.

A decent rangefinder and the "trick" are all you need.
[/quote]




could not have said it better myself, pretty good explination of the workins. Unless you hunt out west and have steep up or down hill shots or stand hunt at the 30+ ft level angle corection is just a added frill to drive up the price on the range finder, IMO.