The_Kat Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 I bought a range finder lastnight from Gander Mtn to help me with my range game for 3D...and of course for deer season. I got up today and went walking around in the woods guessing the range of trees. I'd then double check my estimate with the range finder. I guessed rangers over a creek, uphill, downhill, flat, in the open, tight spaces, just like on a course. I was happily suprised that I was only a yard off on avg. The uphill guesses were off pretty bad. For some reason I was always a lil hot or far on my guesses. Anyways, anyone think this is a bad form of practice? Any other tips for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedicast Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 I honestly believe this is about the best practice there is. When I step up to the stake, I start right off by finding a 20 yard object, then I judge from there. On steep uphills and downhills it bites me from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzzy1 Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Hi, i don't think any practice is bad.Thats how i do it..and its helped me . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tvaughan Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 good hi, itunes rocks the music worlds, :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerClay Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Try it from your tree stand. I was amazed at how far off I was the first time I tried it up there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike13candace Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I always had range issues... Bought one myself .. works awsome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 It takes a lot of practicing to get good at ranging 20 yards everytime. Especially with the creative way courses are set up nowadays. I'm always surprised at how hard it is to range a shot where there is a brush pile in between you and the target. It may sound corny, but it really helps to take a 40 yard rope and tie ribbons on it at 5 yard increments. On your next walk in the woods, drag the rope behind you. Stop every 50 yards or so and stop and look behind you. Tie a different color ribbon for your 20 and 40, too. This will help burn those yardages into your head and give a good idea how those 5 yd increments look without having an object to shoot with the range finder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I have 20 yards burned in my mind from indoor. That has helped me out alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCH Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Also, always pay attention to target size. Smaller targets can cause you to add more yardage than you would normally and larger targets can make you subtract yardage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Ya I got fooled Sunday on some larger targets and shot em hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakota Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Also, always pay attention to target size. Smaller targets can cause you to add more yardage than you would normally and larger targets can make you subtract yardage. Yeah, Kyle, this is something we'll more than likely run into while hunting antelope. They're slightly smaller than deer and can easily make you misjudge yardage. Dakota Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kat Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I won't be guessing on them Dakota.....I'll have my trusty range finder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ultratec1 Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I use to find my 20yrd mark and work my way up or down but I changed that a few years ago to finding my 30 instead. If I cant get 30 outta the target I know to work my way down from there, if I can get 30 outta it I can then figure if there is 10 or more behind it. Seems to work well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leo Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Rangefinders aren't infallible. Animals in high grass or a shooting window through brush that isn't big enough can cause serious errors. Walking around getting to know yardages like you are doing is a good idea. It's also a good idea to learn what kinds of things are most likely to cause you to get a bad reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hutchies Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 I walk up and the first thing I do is get the number in my head that it looks like. Then I find my 20 and count if off from there. Last I figure out about where halfway from me to the target is and I see how far my halfway looks like. Most times if the halfway doesn't look right I start over. It doesn't take me 15 seconds to go thru the whole process most times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbHunterNY Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 What you first said is probably the best way you could practice I would think. However, as said different situations (like up in a stand) can through things off quite a bit. Years ago I remember watching "Hunt Sundays" on ESPN in the morning and they'd have a quiz/tip in between shows. One of these basically said in military field trials guesses at range/distance for any individual to be off by as much as 33% was very possible. Before I learned that, I used to practice by guessing and then pacing something off one year and I don't think I got too much better overall. Some days I felt very confident and then I'd have bad days. I then got a range finder and now try to use it when I can, but try not to rely on it as a crutch. That's what I learned anyway. I would just keep that in mind when you're practicing. - Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Born2Hunt Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 I honestly believe this is about the best practice there is. When I step up to the stake, I start right off by finding a 20 yard object, then I judge from there. On steep uphills and downhills it bites me from time to time. This is just how I do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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