Rangefinding with a frisbee???

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Montana Mark
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Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Montana Mark »

(Disclaimer: I plan to buy a rangefinder soon.) Today, I did an exercise to see how well I can guess ranges. Since I shoot almost everyday, I am getting to be quite a good shot. However, I have been shooting at known yardages marked on my driveway. So today, I put my target in the meadow and threw a frisbee randomly and shot from wherever the frisbee landed (I figured a frisbee has about the same range as I plan to hunt). It was a bit humbling but most shots probably would hit a deers vitals. I found that I frequently guessed long and shot high. It might be a good idea to get a life sized deer target to use but I’d rather not spend a lot of money on something I am going to shoot to pieces. It was a fun exercise and definitely more interesting than shooting bullseyes from the marks on my driveway. One thing I learned is that I can’t really trust my ability to guess range. I definitely need a rangefinder. When I’m not hunting deer opportunistically close to my house, I will looking for an elk up on the mountainside, slowly walking and sitting on the timbered slopes. Considering how steep it is up there, I would need one that will compensate for the angles. Any suggestions for a rangefinder in steep, varied terrain?
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XB I GO
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by XB I GO »

We have a Leupold and a Bushnell with ARC. They both tell the shoots like range and the actual line of range is shown in the bottom corner. You can set them to the bow speed to be precise. The Leupold does not show the display well in low light and the Bushnell has bright red LED display so sometimes it is hard to see in bright light and washes out the animal in low light. None of them are perfect but these are very compact and easy to program and use. My Dad's favorite is a Leica but it doesn't have ARC. When you use it with an ARC from a treestand or elevated blind you do notice that the ARC is usually about 3 yards different at closer ranges and I've had them 7 yards different at rifle ranges. One thing I learned was to get a small one and do not put the string on it. Have a place to put it away quickly and quietly. If you have the string around your neck it can be bad news if it gets near the bow, regular or crossbow. In a blind I put it down on my seat. In an open treestand I drop it down my shirt usually, or have a cargo pocket that is open, no buttons and definitely no Velcro. On my target my Dad puts a brown paper shopping bag with some circles where the heart and lungs and leg are. This way it is close to the right color and there is no "bullseye", you have to pick the right spot. That's a lot cheaper than a lifesize deer target but it is lifesized.
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DuckHunt
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by DuckHunt »

I hunt in fairly steep terrain in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Estimating range is an acquired skill and it can be really tough sometimes. I also have a tendency to overestimate. For me, adding vertical distance between you and the target makes estimating even tougher. Last season a coyote came in on me and lucky for him I was off in my guess. I try to range everything before I shoot, but sometimes the animal doesn't follow the script. Getting the range correct is even more important when shooting at smaller targets.

I have a couple older Leupold rangefinders with "TBR" and an older Nikon Archers Choice model with "ID" which are their versions of angle compensation. I've had no issues with any of them and a fresh battery will last more than a season in most situations. None of them are illuminated, so they can be difficult to read in very low light situations. I normally range plenty of objects around my setup in advance and when it is nearing dusk my shot distance tends to shrink anyway so I haven't found low light usage to be a problem for me.

There are other models out there that are not too expensive these days. But, don't discount buying a used unit. I've seem some quality used models on eBay for under $150.

DuckHunt
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Stepnoutnb
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Stepnoutnb »

Back in the early 80’s while dabbling in bow hunting we constantly had to practice in real life woods situations to estimate ranges and angles. I wasn’t that good at it. I commend those natural instinctive bow hunters.
Likely 10 years ago when our Canadian money was at par I found a Bushnell1500 ARC range finder for $250 from Optics Planet. I was doing allot of rifle reloading and shooting back then. This model has both rifle and archery modes c/w the ARC program. Like most electronics these days it has more features than I understand. It is a discontinued model but I would expect any Bushnell to be of great quality at an affordable price. They have a 1600 now I think but as suggested maybe a physically smaller model might be better for hunting in a bow stand etc.
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Boo
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Boo »

I'd like to know how many arrows you lost (I assume you were standing on the ground shooting at the frisbee)!
Some people just like stepping on rakes
gerald strine
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by gerald strine »

About the best practice you can get is to go to a 3d course with a range finder make your yardage guess in your head , then take the shot then use the range finder.
Hunt eat sleep repeat.
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Montana Mark
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Montana Mark »

Boo wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 3:39 pm
I'd like to know how many arrows you lost (I assume you were standing on the ground shooting at the frisbee)!
Funny. I threw the frisbee from the target and shot the target from where the frisbee landed. I did shoot over the target once into the hillside.
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Boo
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Boo »

gerald strine wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 5:08 pm
About the best practice you can get is to go to a 3d course with a range finder make your yardage guess in your head , then take the shot then use the range finder.
We have a 3D course at Boofest!😊 Just say'n.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
Stepnoutnb
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Stepnoutnb »

Boo wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 7:02 pm
gerald strine wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 5:08 pm
About the best practice you can get is to go to a 3d course with a range finder make your yardage guess in your head , then take the shot then use the range finder.
We have a 3D course at Boofest!😊 Just say'n.
If this Boofest is near Orillia I have family there and may show up one year.
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Boo
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Re: Rangefinding with a frisbee???

Post by Boo »

Stepnoutnb wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 8:10 pm
Boo wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 7:02 pm
gerald strine wrote:
Sun May 26, 2019 5:08 pm
About the best practice you can get is to go to a 3d course with a range finder make your yardage guess in your head , then take the shot then use the range finder.
We have a 3D course at Boofest!😊 Just say'n.
If this Boofest is near Orillia I have family there and may show up one year.
It is between Oshawa and Port Hope, near a small town called Newtonville.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
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