# Know your yardage



## NorthWoodsHunter (Feb 21, 2011)

I spent some time tonight shooting at a target from various yardages without pacing it off. I was surprised how off I could be on guessing the distance and corresponding pin. After that I got out the range finder and tried guessing and checking various objects around the yard. Again I was consistently off. I found I was estimating most targets under 25 yards were closer and targets over 25 were further than they actually were. 

It's great to be able to hit dead nuts on a target you know is X number of yards away but what about those real life hunting situations when you need to react quickly? 

I can only imagine the game I was playing would become more difficult from 20' up. 

On stands I hunt regularly i know my distances from previously ranging trees,bushes etc. however I also hunt state land with a climber frequently and being able to pick the right pin on a buck cruising through the woods could mean the difference between a clean kill and a wounded getaway.


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## Pieter (Feb 1, 2016)

I do the same when practicing in the backyard. My folks have a lot of woods behind their place and if I do any shooting there, I shoot a 20 or 30 yard group and walk to a different part of their yard and estimate, shoot, and measure it out to see how accurate I was in quick referencing the distance. Good practice but like you said, shooting the X is different than shooting in the woods.

I always find going to outdoor 3-D shoots to be highly beneficial! There's a great one in Williamsburg (not sure where you live), about 3-4 miles of hiking, and only $12 a round. Really great place.


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## Joe Archer (Mar 29, 2000)

Before climbing into a treestand for the first time, I pace off a 20 and 30 yard land mark. While sitting, I draw imaginary circles around my tree noting other reference points while doing so. After every morning hunt, I also pick an object at various locations around my tree stand and take a couple practice shots with target arrows and broadheads.
Last year, I had a buck that I thought was going to walk away without offering a shot. At 18 yards he took a slight right turn. I am pretty sure he did so to sniff the leave I shot at that morning! I ate his heart for dinner! 
Anyway, since I purchased a climber last year and intend to move more frequently - I have seriously been contemplating investing in a range finder.
<----<<<


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## NorthWoodsHunter (Feb 21, 2011)

The range finder has helped me out a ton. Got a good deal on an end of season clearance at meijer. Nothing fancy and probably not something you'd use on an out west hunt but does the trick for bow hunting


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## 80 Acres (Dec 26, 2013)

Yes a range finder helps, I also use it for fun in the off season for practice determining distance


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## brushbuster (Nov 9, 2009)

A range finder is an invaluable tool. I got one strapped to my bino harness on a shock cord. real easy access at shoulder level, QDMAMAN showed me that neat little trick this year.


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## Botiz (Oct 21, 2010)

I got a good deal on a simple one this year, nothing special but it does do angle compensation and has a scan feature as well. I've also been surprised at how "off" my distance guesses were as I was walking around the yard and woods ranging objects. I think it will be a great help this fall.


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## outdoorsaddict99 (Jul 9, 2016)

I love my range finder but I practice shooting different yardages without pacing or ranging because the one time I forget my rangefinder will probably be the time a shooter steps out.


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## wolverines (Jan 29, 2007)

NorthWoodsHunter said:


> I spent some time tonight shooting at a target from various yardages without pacing it off. I was surprised how off I could be on guessing the distance and corresponding pin. After that I got out the range finder and tried guessing and checking various objects around the yard. Again I was consistently off. I found I was estimating most targets under 25 yards were closer and targets over 25 were further than they actually were.
> 
> It's great to be able to hit dead nuts on a target you know is X number of yards away but what about those real life hunting situations when you need to react quickly?
> 
> ...


I think that's the biggest factor that separates the pro shooter and the average shooter. Give me the yardage and I can hit my spot. I'm terrible at judging distance though. Throw in wind drift and incline/decline percentage...forget it. That's what makes pros like Levi Morgan, Tim Gillingham and others so amazing. 

Range finders are a great tool. I take mine when shooting 3d now. I figure if it's a tool I can use in the stand, why not use it when practicing? Unfortunately, doing so I will probably never get any better at judging yardage....


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## boddah4 (Oct 22, 2008)

I have an older Bushnell rangefinder I will sell cheap (or trade) if any one is interested.


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## Bucman (Jun 29, 2016)

I don't hunt if possible without my range finder,even with a gun. Im about 30% on guessing the correct range. Opportunities don't come along that easy so I wouldn't want to blow it not knowing the correct range. Plenty of things can go wrong as it is. 
They also work great for figuring out the size of food plots.


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## Corey K (Dec 11, 2009)

I've had 2 range finders, good investment. I still try and guess yardage before ranging for practice, my best way to estimate is go in 10 yd increments (picture a 1st down like on the football field) and I'm usually close to an extent. Once I range a tree or something I can usually make a circle and pick out some objects in that yardage and basically just make yardage rings around me if that makes sense! Open fields are much tougher and using a range finder is a big advantage. Steep terrain is another one that a pre ranging everything is a big help, I wasn't used to it when I hunted Ohio last year and my estimates were off the first couple of days.


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## Phoolish (Aug 17, 2011)

i like to sit in my stand before season with a range finder and have another person push sticks into the ground at different distances. (when i can)


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## NorthWoodsHunter (Feb 21, 2011)

I read a great tip a few years back where the author would walk around his stand with a range finder and different color cans of spray paint. He would then range circles around the stand tree and spray a colored dot on trees that corresponded to his pins for those distanced. That way when on the stand if a deer appeared near the green dot tree he instantly knew to go with the green pin.


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## old graybeard (Jan 19, 2006)

Ranger finders are great but if you want to hone your range estimating skills shoot some 3-D courses and after sometime you will learn how to judge distances very good.


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## magtech (Aug 3, 2010)

I carry a RF with my whenever I build a blind or go in the field. Part of figuring out where I want a blind to go includes ranging areas nearby. When I build the blind I range everything around me to know where its at. Its all part of getting setup for me. Once i'm in the stand I range random stuff to kill boredom.. All part of being in the stand for me.


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## jps (Jan 6, 2005)

To me, learning to guess distances is all in archery hunting. And it is important to learn to guess in hunting conditions:

1) guessing from the ground, different from guessing from a treestand.
2) guessing in your backyard different from guessing in a field edge or inside the forest
3) depending on the time of the day you may guess distances diferently.
Etc..

Use a rangefinder and I work on this during scouting. Also, when I set up on a hunt, I double and triple check all distances and try to identify milestones to mark 20 and 30 Yd circles around me. 

Those milestones change from day to day: a cluster of flowers, a branch in a tree, etc, they come and go throughout the season. And I use that as an opportunity to check on my guessing ability.... and I uniformly suck.


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