What are you guys talking about? Of course you NEED a rangefinder with ARC because the TV says you do! What will you do without it. I was actually looking at getting a rangefinder but I was going to just go with the $200 Leupold or something in that range or even lower. I mostly archery hunt or rifle hunt in very thick timber. I don't need something that goes out to 1000 yards and compensates for angles. I took enough math in college I should put it to use.

From 15' up and 30 yards out, you really shouldnt need a range finder. Especially with a compound bow. Set a 25 yard pin and call it good.

Ive never used a rangefinder in 20+ years. And I shoot at multiple distances and almost always with a long bow. Key is to practice at different, unknown distances and get familure with judging distances, as well as getting to know your bow. But like I said, no need even to do that, if your shooting out to a max of 30 yards with a compound. Use one pin and dont worry about it.

No ****, that was my point. :rolleye0011: Maybe reread my post. :biggrin:

http://www.opticsplanet.net/leupold-...ngefinder.html

Heres mine and I love it....Bought it for bowhunting, never really used it much besides marking trees, I agree with ROB hunting on the sides of hills really helps!! Also use it for Muzzleloading and sighting in best money I ever spent .....JMO IA I use a Leupold RX-II.

Forarchery - no I don't believe you need one. What I used to do was range trees at my level. The ARC really comes into play with the rifle and at longer ranges and steep angles where you can easily misjudge the yardage.
Also, the rangefinders that have this feature are a bit more complicated to set up. But I have to say, I do have one and I like it. Mine is the Leupold RX-II.

Nope! I had one an sent it back an haven't missed it.

I've tried that, but it's different when you're actually lining up on a deer. First, you're also concerned with lots of other issues (the wind, what's the deer doing, etc), plus it's sometimes just downright difficult to tell the difference between 30 and 40 yards (in my experience) unless you're hunting the same stand repeatedly. I do try to pace off the distance when I set up my stand, but if you hunt from a dozen different trees it's difficult to mark each and every one out ahead of time. If you're on public land, as I am much of the time during bow season, you really don't want to leave all of those markers out there for other hunters to find. Finally, it seems that deer just love to come into your stand along a bearing that you didn't pace off ahead of time...damned unpredictable deer. ;)

Basically, a rangefinder is a good tool to have to double check your landmarks when you first get settled into your tree. I view it as part of the list things you do when you climb up and get situated: check safety harness, check the straps on your stand, check your bow to make sure nothing got bumped, and double check your range landmarks so you know which pin to use. If you can accurately judge range to within a couple of yards using your eyeball, then good for you. If you're like a lot of guys that gain more confidence in using an aid like a rangefinder, than there's no harm in that.

I agree that you really don't need one close in. It's when you start getting at about 30 yards that it becomes iffy in my experience. If I've been hunting thick cover and move to a more open area, it throws off my sense of distance for a while. Is that deer at just over 30 yards or is he at 40? I watched one in low light at 45 yards this fall and swore it was just under 35 until I paced it out afterwards (I held off on the shot because I couldn't be sure...good thing I did!). And I do practice a lot. If you move around a lot, having a cheap range finder is a good confidence builder IMO. We spend all this money on scent elimination, stands, clothing, upmteen pieces of technology to hang off of our bows...what's another $100 to be sure of the ranges we're shooting at? :)