How do you handle ranging your deer?

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Kodiakman
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby Kodiakman » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:34 am

I don't have a range finder, just my steps a ton of practice. I used to have multiple targets set up at random, varied distances. My brohter would put them out for me and I would shoot. He would turn his back and I would move them for him. We would go back and forth and got really, really good at calculating short distances (under 50 yards). We also would have each other guess how far away something is and pace it off after we both guess. We did this anywhere, literally. Miller Park, bowling ally, boat launch, race track, back yard, picnics, weddings and funerals, job site, wherever. Dumb fun game to pass some time.

Plus all the time I spent playing and coaching football seems to have engrained exactly what 10 and 20 yards looks like.

In other permanent stand locations I have paced it off and used the good old a2+b2= c2. Pythagorean therum. "a" is the height of the shot. "b" is yardage from tree base to impact(or marker), and "c" is your shot distance. It's so easy and fast to do the math with a small pocket calc. It takes 2 seconds. I always have one in my truck anyways. Probably the one and only thing I learned in high school that I still use that isn't vocational. You can mark your distance two different ways. Either mark out exactly what your pins are set up at with rocks, logs or flagging tape, or mark certain trees dowm certain paths with a rock at the base. You then have to remember that tree is 33yd, the next is.. whatever, 24, etc. The second way is how I did it in the past. I also do this figuring how far someone actually shot when I go out to help retrieve/locate.


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Stanley
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:51 am

I don't own a range finder. I was always fairly good at judging distances. I do like to set my stands up close to where I think the deer will be.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby virginiashadow » Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:33 pm

I am in the minority but I hate rangefinders. Never had one, never will. I simply get up in my treestand and start looking at trees from a horizontal perpective. I then trace the trees to the ground and try to memorize those shooting distances. I can guess 20 yards to within 2 yards from the tree and that is good enough to me.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby BigHunt » Mon Jan 09, 2012 2:37 pm

i use a range finder and ill never go back, i use to miss or make bad shots before i got one, miss judging my distances , know they come in i range them when the shot is good, or have ranges preset, and then i draw my bow and release with ezz cuz i know to trust the range finder and my practices......
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby snoman4 » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:07 pm

Czabs wrote:I usually play out all the different scenarios in my head and range all the possible spots I think I will see deer. When a deer comes out I remember where I ranged and remember the range of the shot. It is much easier early season to range them right before the shot, I have done that too. But for the most part I know how far they are with preranging the distance beforehand.


I take this a step further on my permanent stands and actually mark trees with different colored paint markers that coincide with my pins. Green for 20 and red 30 then green for 40 and red for 50. When using my climber in a new spot I do as you do.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby Schultzy » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:10 pm

When I shot a compound I never used one. To be honest I hate the things. Knowing/learning your yardage Is part of the hunt In my opinion. Too much of the hunt would be taken out for me using a rangefinder. Honestly I could use one with my recurve too. 20 yards Is my limit. It would make my decisions easier being sometimes I question the yardage.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby Zap » Mon Jan 09, 2012 3:22 pm

I am often suprised when I use a rangefinder and the terrain/cover/whatever........makes the distance seem alot longer or shorter.

So I definately use one.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby Stanley » Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:27 pm

virginiashadow wrote:I am in the minority but I hate rangefinders. Never had one, never will. I simply get up in my treestand and start looking at trees from a horizontal perpective. I then trace the trees to the ground and try to memorize those shooting distances. I can guess 20 yards to within 2 yards from the tree and that is good enough to me.

What if you need a subsequent shot at 48 yards? This does happen and has happened to me.
You can fool some of the bucks, all of the time, and fool all of the bucks, some of the time, however you certainly can't fool all of the bucks, all of the time.
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Re: How do you handle ranging your deer?

Unread postby JV NC » Tue Jan 10, 2012 6:53 am

This will sound counter-intuitive, but.....

I used to use one all the time, when I first started hunting deer (compound bow, only). I'd range trees/items once I got set up....and go from there. I've still never ranged an animal with the rangefinder, just before shooting it. Not even close.

When I switched to traditional only, I never needed the rangefinder. The way I see it, shooting without a sight is 100% sight picture memory. If I can't see myself making the shot (get a correct sight picture), it's too far. The rangefinder would be useless to me.

Now that I'm hunting with the compound (also) again, I'm inclined to get another rangefinder. I'd like one of the new syles that fits easily into one hand....and I'd like to keep it on a retracting tether.

I've shot enough 3D to know what (____yds) looks like. I shot 20 targets yesterday, and I was off by no more than 3yds on any of them (we range them before we leave the lane, after pulling). Without the rangefinder (hunting), I just pick a spot where I think the deer's gonna be in a shooting lane.....mentally "range" it.....trust it....and go.

If I had trouble guessing within 2-3yds @ 25yds, I'd carry the rangefinder with me, more. What makes me want one, now.....is the fact I'm not as accurate at judging yards, once we get over 30yds.. And, if I KNOW the yardage, 35yds. is NOT a long bowshot.
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