I'm interested to know everyone's thoughts on the rangefinder sights on the market ? (Garmin Xero, IQ laser sight, Burris sight) Do you like or dislike this concept? Do the detract from the skill of hunting or is the main skill the stalking. I have no idea the general feeling and as I'm new to bowhunting, I am hungry for information from you experienced hunters out there. Sent from my SM-N950F using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I am hearing that in the woods, they often give false readings b/c they reflect off branches, leaves, etc. Also, while I do have some tech on my bow; with the exception of a rheostat which I almost never use it's all mechanical. And those rheostats have failed me more than once. Based on that and life in general; I just don't trust electronics in the woods. Certainly not something as vital as my sights.
I personally think they're really cool and look forward to seeing what sort of advancements they make in the future to continue improving them. Both in terms of functionality as well as size and pricing. Right now they're simply too far out of most people's price range and still bring some of that fear of not working when you need it. Although most of them have some sort of manual fallback in the event of a problem so the fear that you won't be able to shoot at all is relatively unfounded. For me and the way I hunt, even though I like the concept, it's really not necessary. I keep the vast majority of my shots under 30 yards on whitetails and only need a single pin set at 23-25 yards to get the job done. A rangefinding sight would only help me on further shots, which are very rare and I try to avoid at all costs. So again, for me, the cost of the product, the added weight on my bow and the "fear factor" don't outweigh the benefits and make me want to get one. Now I will say I talked with PJ Reilly at Lancaster Archery who said they sold an absolute pile of them when they first hit the market and haven't had any returns and very minimal negative feedback. So the people who are buying them appear to really be liking them for what it's worth.
interesting info from PJ- while I was at my local pro shop I personally heard them caution 3 different guys against buying them based on the false reading/over sensitivity concern I mentioned above. In fact that's where I heard about the issue. From what I heard it wasn't hard "don't buy" advice so much as a "buyer beware" kind of advice. I'm all for anything that helps people make more clean ethical shots. I'm not prejudiced against using tech as a sport purity thing; I just worry that hunting being Murphy's favorite sport he'll decide to make an appearance and the sight will die or give a false reading at the moment of truth.
Tech stuff when treated well and used in a fairly mild climate seems to work well. With that being said I’d never trust it in cold temps, rainfalls or ice/snow storms. Prove me wrong. This year my one and only goal is to go no tech, no rangefinder nothing. I used to practice guessing out to 40 yards I don’t see why I can’t accomplish this by shooting my lovely bow as much as possible. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I can't think of a situation where an animal is changing distance so fast that I'd need to have a range finding bow sight. I think a range finder is going to due just fine in 99% of hunting scenarios. But maybe that's just because I can't afford one right now
Not really sure why, but I dont like rangefinders at all. I like judging the distance under pressure. Part of the entire hunt. Maybe I'm just stupid. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
there's enough stuff going on as a deer comes in; last thing I am trying to do is fumble around with a ranger. I just range landmarks around me when there's no action and keep that in my head when the opportunity is presented.
range finders for archery hunting is a total waste of time and money as far as I am concerned, with the exception I suppose of some western hunts, most archery shots are 35 yards and less, if you can not range that distance you should stay home, especially with todays bows and xbows shooting so flat !!
I'm with Justin, I think that they are pretty cool. The part that lots of people don't realize is, this isn't "new" technology. Burris has the same technology in some rifle scopes and they perform exceptionally well. Certainly the price will give most of us a severe case of sticker shock. After handling the Burris, IQ and Garmin... if I were to buy one, it would be the Burris hands down. No lens, glass, hologram, multiple arrow profiles, fixed pin option that will work without a battery and tested and proven technology would get my $$$.$$
And they are not allowed for 3D tournaments. I use a range finder for practice, to improve my estimations. Quite true, in my experience. As well as scope lenses use to spell trouble under such conditions, and with bad light. A fellow of mine messed up his tournament result that way recently.
Sorry to hear about your buddy. Like here in North Dakota the lights you can screw into your sights are even illegal
As stated in my introduction, bowhunting is at all illegal in the country I live in. My experiences with equipment are related to 3D only - at least for now. There are countries with vivid bow hunting tourism nearby, though.
I bought both the Garmin and Burris in December, shot them both a bit for about a month and I settled on the Garmin. The last few months has been eye opening for sure. It maybe the best piece of bow shooting gear up grade that I have made since I started shooting a release aid what back in the mid 90's....It really is excellent. I may give the Burris another go if I pick bow for this year, my buddy is using it the last couple months and he says its woking great for him. I have 4 hunts planed for this fall and two are in states that I cant use the sight, so I have another bow set up with a conventional bowsight. I plan on taking the Garmin on a moose and caribou hunt this fall I'm excited to use it in the field.
Certainly not stupid. And I enjoy watching the live from the stand threads and you are always great to follow. Clearly you are experienced. I personally am in favor of removing as many unknowns as I can and tend towards Dnoodles’ way of ranging things around the set as a quick reference to determine the distance to game. Again I have not enjoyed your level of success but I think we owe it to the animals we pursue to remove any opportunity to wound instead of kill quickly when we shoot. Meaning no offense. Apologies if it seems that way.
I used a range finder to initially sight in my bow. Three pin set at 25, 40, and 65. I mostly just estimate the distance as I get sighted in on my target from now on. I will also sight in landmarks of the terrain when I first get in my spot. It has been found to be very helpful Sent from my SM-N960U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
