Newbie alert

[Nordland173]

I will this year bowhunt for the first time and one question is rangefinders especially with arc technology, ive read what I could here and there and researched my butt off on them, I do shoot rifle alot and am wondering if anyone uses theres for duel purposes rifle / bow and has opinions on them or prefrences. thanks!

 

[HTRN]

I will this year bowhunt for the first time and one question is rangefinders especially with arc technology, ive read what I could here and there and researched my butt off on them, I do shoot rifle alot and am wondering if anyone uses theres for duel purposes rifle / bow and has opinions on them or prefrences. thanks!

Never tried them. I always paced out some targets and practiced from a roof/deck, in different lighting situations to get the instinct down.

Of the deer that I've taken with a bow, I haven't had the chance to range one yet. They just don't stand still for me.
Usually I'm drawn back on them for the entire time that I would actually have a clear shot to range them.

Maybe you'll have better luck.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[herdbull]

You will find out quickly that 99% of the time you will not have time to use a rangefinder while bowhunting since the animals seem to appear when you least expect them and the extra movement trying to range them results in a missed opportunity.

Here are a few things that can help you,assuming you bowhunt from a treestand and set your tree up in advance; set up your stand and while you are in the tree use your range finder to range trees etc at the same level as your stand since that is the real shot distance you would use to shoot. I typically range some trees etc and then mark them with colored tape for distance....yellow for 10 yards, red for 20 yards etc. and then the rangefinder is not needed. I kill alot more deer and this gives me alot more confidence. If I set up a climbing stand in the dark and it is a new area then I simply range the trees around me and try my best to remember the distances. Most deer look farther away in dim light and I passed up numerous shots well within my comfort zone before I started doing this and now those deer wind up in my freezer.

Hope this helps!

 

[Mark from MA]

+1 on what herdbull says....don't bother trying to use it on game in sight. too much movement not enough time, and you'll miss a good opportunity when you should be looking for a shot and not ranging.

On new stands when you walk in and set up, range likely trees in a circular fashion around your stand where you maximum range is. You can kinda connect the dots between trees and if a deer walks in and presents a shot then you'll know.

In general, if you bowhunt enough and get good enough at setups, most of your shots will be in the 10-25 yard range. About 10 yards from a trail is good....maybe 15. That's a high percentage shot.....beyond 25 yards things get kinda dicey......not that it cant be done, but unseen twigs, deer movement after the shot, etc...can really make for a long tracking day. I use a one pin setup it's much less confusing and quicker to shoot that way....my max distance is 35....that's the pin on top of the back. I've never had to use it. My average over many deer is about 13 yards.....

Basically the arc thing is a gimmick. It's BS for bow ranges. You need to practice where to aim at different yardages from your likely stand height...know where your bow will hit...then this... aim lower than you think on game. 100% of the time. The deer reacts like lightning, and they drop a down about 10-15" at the sound of the shot, especially when they are close. Usually the arrow catches them somewhere 1/2 way thru the act of bunching up to jump out of the way. Usually if I hit a deer target in the lungs at 20 yards, I'm going to shoot at a real deer about 4 inches lower in a real situation. Last year I shot 2 deer at 3 yards, from a 17 foot stand, both of them I aimed at the base of the brisket and took them thru both lungs mid body. Worked perfect, both died in sight within 30 yards, but if I had aimed at the lungs, i would have been over the back. That's where most guys with rangefinders, etc, make the mistake....they aim at a known yardage......works sometimes...but a lot of times your over the back. Besides if you do aim a little low and the deer doesn't react, you'll have a low hit, which bleeds better than a high one. Plus it's a higher percentage....hit low you might hit heart, or I've seen deer die from a sliced paunch, just a 4" cut. Hit high in no mans land above the vitals but below the spine and your likely not gonna find that deer.

 

[Nordland173]

Thanks all, this is great info, the rangefinder I was figureing on "lasing trees" around me so I would have known distances and not have to track the deer, and then use it for my shotgun/muzzleoader and general use. HERDBULL, Great tip about marking trees for known distance, never thought of that and it seems "common sense" if your new or suck at distance calculation. MARK, I understand they'll jump and have not seen them yet do that as I have only done boomstick, ive had them up to arms reach on me......camo and scent control appearntly works but did not have a doe tag for the zone I was in. got my doe tag for the zone I have scouted and will definatly put the low blow to use....hopefully

 

[glockstones]

You will find out quickly that 99% of the time you will not have time to use a rangefinder while bowhunting since the animals seem to appear when you least expect them and the extra movement trying to range them results in a missed opportunity.

Here are a few things that can help you,assuming you bowhunt from a treestand and set your tree up in advance; set up your stand and while you are in the tree use your range finder to range trees etc at the same level as your stand since that is the real shot distance you would use to shoot. I typically range some trees etc and then mark them with colored tape for distance....yellow for 10 yards, red for 20 yards etc. and then the rangefinder is not needed. I kill alot more deer and this gives me alot more confidence. If I set up a climbing stand in the dark and it is a new area then I simply range the trees around me and try my best to remember the distances. Most deer look farther away in dim light and I passed up numerous shots well within my comfort zone before I started doing this and now those deer wind up in my freezer.

Hope this helps!

beat me to the tape trick I have actaully found this to be more accurate then the rangefinders. You really wont get long shots in most places in MA and even NH that I have hunted most of my shots have been 5-25 yds.