In order to shoot an arrow that will cause a quick, humane kill, you first need to be able to accurately judge the distance to your intended target. Whether it be with the aid of using a laser rangefinder, stepping off distances to easily recognizable landmarks, or relying on pure instinct and practice, it’s critical to know how far you are shooting.
After my nephew first purchased a new laser rangefinder with ARC capabilities (more on that later), he could not conceal his excitement as he came to my home to show off the latest technology. I’ll never forget what he said to me: “With one of these, you’ll never miss a deer again.”
I don’t think I would make such a bold statement, but it does make things a lot easier. And I can’t blame him for his optimistic hopes.
A good rangefinder will not make the difference between always hitting your target or frequent misses. Hunters have to take into consideration things like buck fever, the animal jumping the string, and unseen branches. But guessing the incorrect distance does not have to be one of the reasons you miss.
With today’s technology, all you have to do is pick up a tiny device that fits in the palm of your hand, aim it at your target, hit a button, and the distance appears in front of your eyes. No more guessing the distance to your target.
When I first started bowhunting, I don’t recall there even being such a thing as a rangefinder. Today, many hunters would be at a loss without one. Like most electronics after they’ve been on the market for some time, rangefinders have become more user-friendly at an affordable price. Actually, I can’t think of a reason not to have one.
Just about every optics company manufacturer sells a rangefinder suitable for the bowhunter. A recent look through a hunting catalog revealed many models from eight different manufacturers, providing a variety of options and pricing.
When purchasing a rangefinder for bowhunting, I highly recommend buying one with Angle Range Compensation (ARC) capabilities. Simply put, a rangefinder of this sort allows the hunter to aim the true distance to the target, not the line of sight distance. When hunting from a treestand and aiming down, the line of sight is further than what the target actually is. This will normally cause a shot to be too high on the animal, or even a miss.
Hunters have always had a hard time judging uphill and downhill angles. A rangefinder takes the worry away, with the ability to judge distances several hundred yards away within one-half yard.
Laser rangefinders are all good, but what happens when it’s not working, the batteries go dead, there’s not enough time to use it, or you simply don’t have one?
Judging distances doesn’t come natural for most people, including myself. In order to get good at it, you have to practice a lot under different conditions and distances.
The best practice for a bowhunter is shooting on a 3-D course. Today’s 3-D targets are lifelike and provide realistic practice sessions. I often place my personal targets in positions and terrain to imitate a hunting situation. Don’t forget the opportunities of shooting 3-D archery courses. They provide many targets of a variety of animals. Distances vary from very close to pretty far out. The terrain is often similar to hunting. Where else can you shoot a coyote, moose, caribou, turkey, and rabbit, all in one day?
Another technique I often use when I hang stands or put up blinds is to walk off 10, 15, 20, and 25 yards, and make a mental note where those distances are from where I will be hunting. For example, my notes read something like this: 10 yards — small elderberry bush, 15 yards — six-foot spruce tree, etc.
I do this for every stand location, then study my notes before and even during the hunt. Another option is to place a small strip of flag tape as high as you can reach in a tree, at five-yard increments. If you’re using scent wicks, step off the distance from the wicks to the tree from which you’re hunting.
This is a good habit to get into, even if you have a rangefinder. As great as technology is, we can’t always rely on it. About the time we are comfortable ranging a deer, the batteries could die, and without a backup plan we’d be left unsure what to do.
It doesn’t matter how you judge distance, but doing it successfully can mean the difference between harvesting an animal and dining on a pot of tag soup.
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