3D estimating range

[Tony]

what methods do you use to estimate range for shooting 3d or hunting ?

i have started to use the 20 yd method which is find 20 then 10 yd increments to the target..

next is the half way method.. i use this for distances over 40 yds... find half way and then estimate the range to it , then double it..

last is gut instinct.. just sometimes i know the range when that happens i usually use one of the other methods to see if its close then go with it..

but once i make a decision on what the yardage is i stay with it.. i dont second guess..

[MCH]

Re: 3D estimating range

I normally use a combination, Tony.

I mentally mark the yardage off into 5 yard increments. Once I get an estimate, I then try to pick a landmark that is as close to 20 as I can get and I use it to verify my estimation.

Another method is target size. If you shoot certain targets enough, their size may give away their yardage. I learned this the hard way on my first shoot ever. Judged an elk at 30 on an open range shot with a small hill in between only to barely get a 5 on the 42 yard target. Looking back on the shot, I realized that the elk looked smaller than it should have for a 30 yard shot.

This really seems to help when you have some obstructions blocking your view of the path to the target. For instance, if there's a pile of brush in front of you and all you can see past it is the target or if you're in hilly country.

[VtBowhunter]

Re: 3D estimating range

I start with the 10 yard estimate and add 10 yards all the way to the target, but sometimes I can just look at the target and tell the distance......those are the days that I feel unbeatable.