Enhancing Your Hunt with the Right Rangefinders

A hunting rangefinder is an indispensable accessory for the modern hunter. With it, your shots will be more accurate, your hunts more successful, and your game more abundant. Lack of sportsmanship? Remember how annoying it is to track a coveted game hidden in the bushes, and you’ll understand that without a rangefinder, you won’t be able to do it anymore.

When is a hunting rangefinder useful?

Accurate shooting is about the right lead and distance correction. If you’re shooting a kilometer away, you’ll also need to consider the weather. The hunting rangefinder will provide you with everything you need, eliminating annoying mistakes. But this is not its only advantage.

Direction

How far away is the nearest landmark? How wide is the river? Can the creek be crossed before dark? Anyone going out hunting for a day or longer must solve such questions. The hunting rangefinder will help you find answers faster and more accurately – even if you have a navigator.

Height Measurement

The height of trees, poles, mountains, towers is useful information. With it, modifications are easier to make, throwing wood across a river is easier, and road construction is more convenient.

How to Choose a Rangefinder for Hunting

What should you pay attention to when choosing?

• Measuring distance.
• Battery reliability.
• Compactness.
• Body protection.
• Additional functions.

The main criterion for hunting is distance. The range for small calibers is 300-400 meters, for a bow or crossbow is 100-200 meters, so a hunting rangefinder with a measuring distance of up to 500 meters is suitable as a budget choice. For example, Nikon ACULON AL11. But if you want more accurate results, look for devices with a range 2-3 times higher. RGK D900 or RGK D1500 are good choices. If the measuring distance drops to the same 400-500 meters in winter, don’t be surprised – only special equipment will need a longer distance in the snow.

Battery life is closely related to measuring distance. The smaller the charge, the more myopic your hunting rangefinder becomes. With half a charge, a distance of 1000 meters will reduce to 700-800 meters, and at the last tenth, more than 300 meters, the optical rangefinder will begin to fail. Choose devices that allow you to easily and quickly replace the power source on the go.

Compactness means your comfort during hunting as well as the long service life of the rangefinder in winter. It’s much more convenient to keep a small hunting rangefinder warm in your bosom than a large one. Both have the same range, but the frozen device has already contracted and is covered with frost, while the warm one will remain fresh and provide a clear image.

The casing will determine the service life of the hunting rangefinder. Any device can be moisture and dust resistant, but for most devices, falling into mud or water is fatal. If you value your rangefinder, look for at least an IP67 protection level. For example, Nikon’s laser rangefinder 1000 AS can withstand immersion and dirt and can reliably work for many years. View models of rangefinders for hunting

Additional Functions

Many hunting rangefinders have additional functions that can make life easier for the hunter. We will list them in order of importance.

• An inclinometer will help calculate the horizontal distance to the target. It is this value that is used when calculating shooting corrections. The most practical devices will display angle, straight line, and horizontal distance on one screen.
• Speed measurement is an important function for correctly calculating the lead advantage for distant moving targets. You are unlikely to capture a bird within sight, but catching a deer or boar is possible.
• Near and far target modes help you ignore bushes and branches blocking distant targets – or focus on small game in the distant background.
• Backlight – Sometimes it is difficult to see the readings of the rangefinder in the dark or bright light. The best solution to this problem is multiple backlight modes for any time of day and weather conditions.
• A ballistic calculator will calculate the correction values for you and provide them in final form.
• Measuring temperature and pressure is very important for calculating corrections for a kilometer or longer distance. Useful for assessing weather conditions, but rarely needed for hunting itself. The cost of a hunting rangefinder

Price is determined by the measuring range, housing quality, and available functions. If finances are tight, feel free to go for a budget model: the quality of measurement will not be affected, and the distance is enough. But if you want to truly enjoy hunting, you should opt for a high-end model with full functionality: it’s your vacation, and it’s well worth it.