Do you hunt without a range finder?

I don't have any land with a stand to measure distances as I hunt public land. However its sometimes tough to guess how far a deer is when you get a shot at one. Does anyone hunt without a range finder with lots of success guessing the yardage? I just don't have an extra $140 to buy one right now.

 

I dont use one while treestand hunting, but I do when spot and stalk hunting out west.

 

Normally I do but someone stole mine out of my truck this summer and a new one is not in the budget right now. I do however spend a lot of time practicing yardage estimation. A lot of 3D tournaments helps with this as well as just walking the woods, guessing a yardage and verifying with a rangefinder. I don't like to completely rely on one because a situation may arise that I don't have time to use one. plus it's part of the challenge of bowhunting that I enjoy.

 

have never used one, but as rutjunkie said , usually shoot a lot of 3-d tourneys which is excellent practice to get your yardage estimation down. that being said, i like to hunt fairly brushy areas and the shots are usually not too far at all.

 

never used one. but it seems i always get a deer under 25 yards and thats top pin for me

 

I don't use one.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

 

I use one when hunting. I also play games in the woods with my rangefinder where I will pick 5 different locations and guess yardages. Goal is to be off by the least amount on the 5 yardages combined. Lame, but it helps for when it gets frantic on a hunt and you don't have time to range distance before a shot or when you forget to bring it.

 

Always have mine with but have most distances down on all my stands/blinds. Keeps me occupied.

 

I have always taken mine with. I usually use it right at day break and range a few different trees as reference points for the rest of the hunt.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

 

I've never used one, but I hunt private land and am very comfortable with yardages to certain landmarks at each given set. If I were to do a spot and stalk hunt in open terrain with elevation changes, I'd probably invest in one.

 

If it's a stand you hunt frequently just try pace out a few specific trees and commit those to memory to give you a rough idea.

 

I stand hunt on my own property so I know all my yardages. My main stand doesn't have very many open spots past 25 yards so yardage is easy this year.

 

I dont have a range finder, but during the summer when i start putting up my stands i usually pace out the most distinct landmarks near my stand (trees, rocks, bushes, etc.). one long stride is roughly a yard, so i usually have a general idea as to how far away i am in all directions. a rangefinder would be much easier for me to measure the same landmarks though.

 

I have one but rarely carry it at all hunting. Try this: When your shooting in the back yard start at your target and walk back to your "spot" and take good strides and count them, say you step off 20 paces shoot and sight YOUR bow in at the 20 spot, then pull your arrows and pace off 30, and shoot and sight in for 30. then when you are any where walking start picking out things that are 20 or 30 "paces" from you, and count them down to see how close you are, the more you do this the better you will get at guessing yor "paces". and before long you will get to dead on. Then when you are in the feild and see a deer at say 25 "paces" you will know automatically what pin to use. And all with no range finder! If you stand hunt then you will have to figure in the angle of the shot but most always I bend at the waist and the angle doesnt play into it that much. Thats how you do it without the range finder and fancy gizmos.

 

My rangefinder is secured to my right shoulder strap of my binocular harness....and since I never go hunting without the binos I guess I don't.

I certainly don't use it every hunt as I hunt private land for the most part and know the range of every possible shot opportunity for each stand before hand....it sure is handy for confidence in new setups though, or while out spot/stalking.

 

Almost never. I have one, I have used it out west, and I'll play around and range trees when I get in a new stand. But I've never shot a deer after directly ranging it or even using one the the "pre-marked" trees as I've usually forgotten the yardage by the time I put it back in my bag. 99% of my shots are so close I don't need to guess how far they are.

 

I also don't have a range finder. Just been doing estmation excerecizes for many years. You don't have to be in the woods or even outdoors.
I guess the yardage to a tree or shrub in my yard then pase it to get a good Idea how much I was off give or take. My pace is just under 36 inches. that is a good thing to know to figure out yardage with out a range finde or a huge tape measure.

Indoors like shopping malls/centers you can do the same thing. Inside the house is a good place to guess the short yardages.

:D Al

 

Hey OP, there are two bushnell rangefinders in the Cedar Rapids Iowa CL for sale. I think they are like $50 or something ridiculously cheap. Take a look, I could go check them out for you. <--Just looked again this morning they are gone. I'm not surprised for that price. Sorry. Check your local craigslist though if you want one.

To answer your question. No, I don't use one. unless I'm hunting an open field I don't need one.

 

I never hunt without it. A lot of my stands I already know yardages to certain marks, but I still carry it with me every hunt.

 

In a semi-permanent stand, you should always have your area measured out. I know some people even put markers out to remind them what is out at 20,30, 40, etc.