I was watching a deer hunting video today and heard a guy say that when talking about a range finder built into a site. And he was on a managed hunt with an outfitter. Then the outfitter says it makes the decision on where to hunt every hunt Push a button...tells you exactly how far....where to shoot. It was great. Add that to someone else telling you how and when to hunt and that sounds miserable. NO THANKS! Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
You could tell my sorry behind id knock down two 150 plus inch bucks a year hunting like that and id tell you no thanks. Add in some perfect food plots and id run the opposite direction. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I've seen advertizements for such sights, and listed them in shops. One could get a proper hunting setup for the money such a thing costs.
The Garmin Xero A1i is a range-finding bow sight. A real bargain at $1k! https://www.lancasterarchery.com/garmin-xero-a1i-bow-sight.html
I don't get all the fuss about having to know the exact yardage, is it about not letting a deer walk that may be out of comfortable range?
Put out your ozonics and aim that site mounted range finder. Awesome! Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
I have a few friends who have the Garmin site and I will admit it is pretty cool the things it can do but it's not for me. Even if I had the money I would still pass on it.
Even if this amount of technology fits within your comfort and acceptability zone and you see it no different than compound bow, high percent let off bows, releases, range finders, faster bows and lighter arrows so range estimation errors of shot is more forgiving, etc., can’t see the necessity when “stand” hunting which makes up the overwhelming percentage of whitetail hunting. ‘However, I can see where it would be invaluable, and arguably, more ethical when elk hunting on the move and shooting farther distances which is more the norm for elk. I don’t have a problem with it. It’s no more dummying down bowhunting than what has already been done with all the technologies already mentioned. The difference between traditional archery and any compound bow set up is far greater than this gadget could ever cause in separation within the ranks of compound set ups.
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that almost all of my early season shots are through heavy leaf cover I'd probably already have one of these and I wouldn't care at all what anyone thought about it.
It's about hitting it right, not shooting further, but it comes down to hunting style. If sitting is the hunting method, then a person just ranges everything ahead of time and then when an animal comes in they'll know within a few yards what the animal is. But say it's an elk that has been called in. Many times they'll hang up, you have to move, then they charge in suddenly, or at the last minute they try to circle downwind and you have to quickly adjust your position to keep them from winding you, or they come in and have a stare down with you and then turn to bugger out but you stop them with a call after they ran a few yards further away, it can be very random sometimes. Then throw in some excitement and a low FPS, and they misjudge by 5 to 8 yards. Arrow goes high, over the lungs and under the spine. Their max range could be 40 yards, the elk is 26 yards but they shoot it for 34 yards...poor hit. So a ranging sight would be fabulous for that style of hunting, and I agree more ethical...but also seems unsporting after years of practicing like crazy to be good at ranging yardage. I'm too cheap to ever pay a grand for something like that, but if they were two or three hundred and it was legal to use...well I'd probably have one.
And the problem with elk hunting, at least in my experience, I do not get to do it that often like I do whitetails, so even at 59 years of age and quite a few elk hunts behind me, in the whole scheme of things, I am very inexperienced when it comes to judging distances on elk in the scenario you described. I have been there and done that several times and we are just not used to looking at an animal that big and in big and steep inclined country. They are usually farther away than they look. Couple that with it happening so quickly, and you are absolutely correct. I am not elk hunting this year, but I am building points in both Wyoming and Colorado so I should have at least two more elk hunts in me before I get too old to lug my fat ass up down the mountains and ravines. I will probably purchase one for those hunts. But as I already mentioned, at least for my stationary set ups of stand hunting for whitetail, I can't see an real benefit or how it would make that much difference.
I love elk hunting and haven't missed a year of it since I started at 19. 27 years of it. Every year I take a week off of work plus hunt every weekend. I'm fortunate to live a couple hours from tons of public land to hunt them on. The worst to judge for me is across a dip in the terrain, it takes away finding 20 and going out from there and judging half way and doubling it. I've found that just looking straight at the side of the animal and judging how far the shot looks in comparison to practicing at known distances works the best for me. Doesn't work if you pick up your bow a month or two before the season, but if you practice all year long it really gets set into your brain. It's best for me because not every animal is in a place where the ground is visible all the way out to it. That immediately takes away two of my three yardage judging techniques that I do at 3d shoots when possible. But 3d shoots confirm over and over for me that just looking straight at the side of the animal and getting a number is my most accurate method if I maintain a good practice schedule all year. I very consciously try to just look at a spot on its side and ignore how small or large the overall animal is. 3d shoots also tell me that I will rarely ever miss the whole animal...it is rare for me to whiff a target. In a 40 target shoot I usually never get a 0, maybe shoot one every 6 or 7 shoots if that, and will shoot about four 5's (the worst to get, it is a hit out of the vitals, always thought it should be -5)...all the rest are 8's & 10's. What that info tells me is that I'm decent enough at shooting and judging yardage that if I take a shot at an animal I'm more than likely going to hit it...so I'd better be darn sure of the shot so that the hit is in the vitals. If I don't feel confident in the shot, I don't take it. Funny how doing that gets easier as you get older. I have lost one elk due to misjudging the yardage. Elk have huge lungs, so if you hold in the center of them there's a bit of leeway for a few yards off on the yardage. The one I lost in my early twenties was hit in that void over the lungs and under the spine. I misjudged by 6 yards with a 250 fps bow and it was enough to be out of the vitals. The OP's "doohickey" would certainly earn me more shots and more than likely put an animal in the freezer here and there that I wouldn't otherwise have taken a shot at. But there is some conflict in my mind on how "fair chase" I think it is. To me it is similar to the long range shooting craze that is currently becoming the norm. How fair chase is it to range an animal, "dope" the wind, read the temp, read barometric pressure, read altitude, plug all of that into an app on your phone, dial your scope....and then shoot at animal at 800+ yards?
Mod-it, yup. Those sniper rifle shots don't impress me too often so I generally don't even bother to watch rifle hunting vids. Being able to take a shot at that distance is a skill in itself for sure and it still takes practice but I would miss all the more important aspects of woodsmanship that are required for bowhunting Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
Except not everyone can rifle hunt as I'm a 3 time convicted felon turned a new leaf but can't ever have my rights back.
What? Range finding bow sights have nothing to do with ones criminal history. But 3 strikes you're out.
Just like the price and size of cell phones so shall this shrink....Oh man were will al those crossbow arguments go then????...lol
