I have a friend who plays a lot of golf. He has this uncanny ability to judge distance. Whether it’s over water or land, if I asked him how far a tree might be he could tell me and be correct withing a few feet.


Unfortunately most of us don’t have this ability. Most of us need to use rangefinders to be able to judge distances. With the use of a rangefinder and understanding the trajectory of your bullet or arrow, your deer hunting success will greatly improve.





Although most people that hunt with a rifle never feel the need for using a rangefinder, I highly recommend you use on when hunting with black powder. Bullets coming out of a muzzle loader is not as flat of a trajectory as say a Win .270. Because of this it is important to know how far a deer will be before you take the shot. If you don’t, you could completely miss. Or worse, you could hit the deer but miss any vital organs creating unnecessary suffering and loss. When I set up during muzzle loading season, one of the first things I do is note my markers. I find trees and rocks to use as markers. I then take my rangefinder and note the distances. This way when my target steps out into my shooting lanes I know exactly how far away it is so that I can compensate in any way necessary.


If you bow hunt, you really you have got to know the distances surrounding your area.I can remember when I was young, I read an article about setting up your stand. Once of the steps they talked about was stepping off the distances from your stand to various tress and rocks within your shooting range. Thanks to today’s technology you no longer have to step off your distances.


Today rangefinders are cheap and accurate. You can pick one up Cabela’s or Bass Pro Shops at a very affordable price. Laser rangefinders will allow you to point directly at your deer and get an exact distance before you take your shot.


Currently the one I use is the Bushnell Yardage Pro Scout Laser Rangefinder. This rangefinder comes in a mossy oak camouflage. It is very light and compact to that I can easily keep it in my pack. It will read ranges from 10 to 700 yards accurately and comes in a very affordable price.


Right now I’d probably rank the importance of a rangefinder right up there with the importance of using the right ammo. The risks you are taking by not knowing your distances are high. Experience has proven time and again that your deer hunting success will improve if you use one. Especially if you are deer hunting with a bow.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites