Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Crossbow Hunting

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IronNoggin
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by IronNoggin »

I would not hunt without one.

But I also hunt with a rifle a fair bit, so prefer a GOOD one that has setting for bow, programmable rifle, and the ARC system.

In my case that is the Bushnell G Force 1300 ARC.

It has been well beaten as all my equipment does. :wtf:
And has survived several years now in my rough hands.
Functions very VERY well.
Speaks Volumes.

Cheers,
Nog
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
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Bcxbow
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by Bcxbow »

IronNoggin wrote:
Sat Nov 24, 2018 2:55 pm
I would not hunt without one.

But I also hunt with a rifle a fair bit, so prefer a GOOD one that has setting for bow, programmable rifle, and the ARC system.

In my case that is the Bushnell G Force 1300 ARC.

It has been well beaten as all my equipment does. :wtf:
And has survived several years now in my rough hands.
Functions very VERY well.
Speaks Volumes.

Cheers,
Nog
I agree with Nog.
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nchunter
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by nchunter »

Walmart often has them on sale at the end of hunting season. I picked up a Simmons last year marked down to $25! Often see them marked down to $50. It's by no means the quality glass that a Leica is, but it gets the job done for archery.

I hunted my first crossbow-hunting year without one. Like another post said, small deer/large deer can fool you on distance. What I found really fooled me is ground hunting versus treestand hunting. Sitting on the ground, 20 yards seems like 35 yards.
flightattendant100
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by flightattendant100 »

I have a Leica, but it’s the old style. Bigger, boxy, not as neat and sleek as the new style. But they are SPOT ON range finders. They also can be found used on eBay in excellent condition for 2 bills or less. Just a thought
Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by Horizontal Hunter »

Buy a rangefinder and use it to teach yourself how to estimate yardage. Estimate the yardage by eye and verify it with the rangefinder. Eventually your estimates will get better.

You have to keep in mind that deer will not always show up where you have pre ranged and expect them to.

Bob
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gerald strine
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by gerald strine »

Horizontal Hunter wrote:
Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:27 pm
Buy a rangefinder and use it to teach yourself how to estimate yardage. Estimate the yardage by eye and verify it with the rangefinder. Eventually your estimates will get better.

You have to keep in mind that deer will not always show up where you have pre ranged and expect them to.

Bob
Shooting 3 D courses with a range finder is great practice make your guess on yardage take the shot and then range find.
pre ranging features has been very good to me I know a certain tree is 25 yards and the deer is just a bit past it so shoot for 30 and so forth. it has worked out well for me if you have time to range find deer great but I like having pre ranged distances committed to memory when you have to make a quick decision.
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Tlyle
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by Tlyle »

I have a Leupold TBR. Works great. Would not hunt without it. My son has a Vortex which works very well. I usually settle in and check distances where I think deer may cross.
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thelopeztribe
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by thelopeztribe »

gerald strine wrote:
Sat Nov 24, 2018 8:10 pm
Horizontal Hunter wrote:
Sat Nov 24, 2018 5:27 pm
Buy a rangefinder and use it to teach yourself how to estimate yardage. Estimate the yardage by eye and verify it with the rangefinder. Eventually your estimates will get better.

You have to keep in mind that deer will not always show up where you have pre ranged and expect them to.

Bob
Shooting 3 D courses with a range finder is great practice make your guess on yardage take the shot and then range find.
pre ranging features has been very good to me I know a certain tree is 25 yards and the deer is just a bit past it so shoot for 30 and so forth. it has worked out well for me if you have time to range find deer great but I like having pre ranged distances committed to memory when you have to make a quick decision.
Good sugestion!
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by thelopeztribe »

IronNoggin wrote:
Sat Nov 24, 2018 2:55 pm
I would not hunt without one.

But I also hunt with a rifle a fair bit, so prefer a GOOD one that has setting for bow, programmable rifle, and the ARC system.

In my case that is the Bushnell G Force 1300 ARC.

It has been well beaten as all my equipment does. :wtf:
And has survived several years now in my rough hands.
Functions very VERY well.
Speaks Volumes.

Cheers,
Nog
Thanks Nog. Dude - That is a huge rack on that profile pic. DANG. :shock: :shock: :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap:
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robertyb
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by robertyb »

I have been using a Simmons 600 rangefinder for many a year now. I don't even remember when I bought it anymore but it was around $70 at the time. All I have had to do is change out the battery every year or two. It is not a top notch RF but for deer hunting with archery equipment it works fine.
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IronNoggin
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by IronNoggin »

thelopeztribe wrote:
Sun Nov 25, 2018 10:53 am

Thanks Nog. Dude - That is a huge rack on that profile pic. DANG. :shock: :shock: :eusa-clap: :eusa-clap:
LOL. Thanks. Largest Barren Ground Caribou I took when we lived in the Western Arctic.
Hell of a Big Boy alright! Porcupine Caribou Bull.

Cheers,
Nog
"Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."
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nchunterkw
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by nchunterkw »

My 2 cents. If you are only using the range finder for archery hunting then the ARC system is realy required. Even in really hilly terrain, at 20 or 30 yds the POI won't be affected much. To prove it to yourself, do the math. Gravity only acts along the horizontal axis of the flight path. So if you are 20' up in a tree (which is WAY up there IMO and not necessary) and range a target at 20yds...that means the hypotenuse of the triangle is 20yds. The horizontal leg of the triangle (distance at which gravity will affect trajectory) will be 18.85 yds. At a 30yd hypotenuse, the horizontal is 29.24yds.

So in either case you use your 20yd or 30yd reticle.

Now if you are like Nog and hunting mountains with a rifle then the ARC is absolutely required as the shooting angle could easily approach 30 or 40 degrees which will have a big impact. But even with a shot angle of 30 degrees and a 20yd hypotenuse, the actual shot distance is 17.32yds, so you still aim like for 20.
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BigOLayne
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Re: Rangefinder or No Rangefinder

Post by BigOLayne »

I use one, ATN Rangefinder. You have the ability to set profiles for different Scopes and ballistics. Has all the bells and whistles and can be Bluetooth linked to ATN Scopes.
I use an hha optimizer so I need to know and be as close as possible so I can dial in the optimizer.
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