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Rangefinder advice.

I upgraded to a Marvin RF.1 this year. It has a red readout, field and forest modes and a brightness knob on the side so you’re not hitting the buttons all the time. It is bigger than most and a bit heavier but it’s beefy and you can probably do some damage to it and will probably still work.
 
This is sort of related. And I am probably the last person to find out about this product but I just got the Rick young outdoors bino harness with the range finder attachment. That thing is awesome and it was just what I was looking for.

just in case you were looking for a way to pack and use your new rangefinder
 
_Dario said:
I have the tidewe one. It’s actually kinda awesome
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Have u used it for a while? I liked the red and that 1 is the most reasonably priced I've seen but I haven't looked real hard. I'm fine with import... Id really like a nice 1 but I can't bring myself to pay that much money. My halo is fine and nothing wrong with it...but I didn't even know u could get 1 with color display and when I hit the button on his it was like woah....that is so much better
 
I used it last year. I like that you can plug it into usb to charge. Actually I am not sure if I even had to charge it once last year. I’m not picky with rangefinders. If I hunted out west I’d pony up for a good one.
 
While you're looking check out some golf range finders, most are small and very accurate. I double duty mine.
 
I personally don’t see a need to carry a rangefinder for deer hunting. Shooting past 30 yards doesn’t make a ton of sense, and knowing the exact yardage doesn’t change much.

I also think it’s pretty easy these days for most people to shoot a single pin sight out to 30. No ranging needed. And that range might be 25 or 20 yards for short draw low weight archers.

Having said all that, I carry one if I’m hunting really open country for deer. Not for ranging but because it pulls in some light and I can check field edges at last minute for deer.

I can offer one data point on going cheap - I had a buddy who had a really cheap one. It was neither accurate nor precise. Fairly certain it cost him a few deer. The most annoying part is they were at ranges he didn’t need a rangefinder, and could’ve just used a single pin and stacked bodies.

TLDR; don’t use a rangefinder deer huntjng. If you do, don’t use a cheap one.

For what it’s worth, the one I carry out west, I calibrate it every shooting session, by walking the distance back from target after first couple rounds.
 
kyler1945 said:
I personally don’t see a need to carry a rangefinder for deer hunting. Shooting past 30 yards doesn’t make a ton of sense, and knowing the exact yardage doesn’t change much.

I also think it’s pretty easy these days for most people to shoot a single pin sight out to 30. No ranging needed. And that range might be 25 or 20 yards for short draw low weight archers.

Having said all that, I carry one if I’m hunting really open country for deer. Not for ranging but because it pulls in some light and I can check field edges at last minute for deer.

I can offer one data point on going cheap - I had a buddy who had a really cheap one. It was neither accurate nor precise. Fairly certain it cost him a few deer. The most annoying part is they were at ranges he didn’t need a rangefinder, and could’ve just used a single pin and stacked bodies.

TLDR; don’t use a rangefinder deer huntjng. If you do, don’t use a cheap one.

For what it’s worth, the one I carry out west, I calibrate it every shooting session, by walking the distance back from target after first couple rounds.
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If he didn’t need a range finder for the distance he was shooting then how would he have missed? My point is let’s say the deer was at 26 and his range finder errantly read 18. Wouldn’t he still hit the deer in the vitals based on what you just said about a single pin from 0-30 for most setups?

Im in the same boat for the most part but I like a cheap range finder to figure out my 20 yard radius at the beginning of my hunt. If I need a really good rangefinder to gather enough light at the end of the night to figure out how far the deer is I should definitely not be taking that shot.
 
_Dario said:
If he didn’t need a range finder for the distance he was shooting then how would he have missed? My point is let’s say the deer was at 26 and his range finder errantly read 18. Wouldn’t he still hit the deer in the vitals based on what you just said about a single pin from 0-30 for most setups?

Im in the same boat for the most part but I like a cheap range finder to figure out my 20 yard radius at the beginning of my hunt. If I need a really good rangefinder to gather enough light at the end of the night to figure out how far the deer is I should definitely not be taking that shot.
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Range target known at 10 yards: his rangefinder said 20.

Click button again, without moving: 23

Click button again, without moving: 12

Change batteries, rinse repeat at varied distances.

It wasn't off 10% every time. It was off random amounts, sometimes signifcant amounts, and sometimes close.

HE'S the problem, not the rangefinder. Why - because a monkey could have figured this out in ten seconds on the range, but he never did. He just had it in his pack for hunting. Never brought it to the range.


He's a 26" draw. Shooting a 450 grain arrow. My advice to him is to never shoot past 25 based on bow capabilities, and 20 based on his shooting ability. If he had a single pin set at 18 yards, and he ranged a deer at 30 (and it was standing at 10), according to my advice, he wouldn't shoot it. In your hypothetical, he'd have to be shooting a minimum of 250FPS (he's not), and he wouldn't miss the deer.


I didn't say I was using the rangefinder to gather enough light to SHOOT a deer in low light conditions. I said I was using it specifically to SPOT deer on hard contrast horizons at low light, to prepare. How could I shoot the deer with my rangefinder in my eye?
 
_Dario said:
If he didn’t need a range finder for the distance he was shooting then how would he have missed? My point is let’s say the deer was at 26 and his range finder errantly read 18. Wouldn’t he still hit the deer in the vitals based on what you just said about a single pin from 0-30 for most setups?

Im in the same boat for the most part but I like a cheap range finder to figure out my 20 yard radius at the beginning of my hunt. If I need a really good rangefinder to gather enough light at the end of the night to figure out how far the deer is I should definitely not be taking that shot.
Click to expand...

Background on my thought process.

The everyman's guide to killing a deer with a compound bow... | saddlehunter.com

How can I shoot deer accurately with only one fixed pin in my sight?! | saddlehunter.com
 
kyler1945 said:
If he had a single pin set at 18 yards, and he ranged a deer at 30 (and it was standing at 10), according to my advice, he wouldn't shoot it.
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I can’t see that ever happening in the real world. I mean I get buck fever too but to not realize the difference between 10 and 30 yards.

My advice is to go with the cheap range finder for deer hunting. BUT - and this goes for all things related to hunting, test it out before you actually go hunting. Cheap or expensive piece of gear.

Specifically with a range finder, I set my pins based on MY rangefinder. Not a predetermined distance set at an archery range or anything. So there is no question.

And if you aquire a rangefinder such as your friends, then in testing you should know you have a paper weight in your hunting pack if you choose to bring it.
 
_Dario said:
I can’t see that ever happening in the real world. I mean I get buck fever too but to not realize the difference between 10 and 30 yards.

My advice is to go with the cheap range finder for deer hunting. BUT - and this goes for all things related to hunting, test it out before you actually go hunting. Cheap or expensive piece of gear.

Specifically with a range finder, I set my pins based on MY rangefinder. Not a predetermined distance set at an archery range or anything. So there is no question.

And if you aquire a rangefinder such as your friends, then in testing you should know you have a paper weight in your hunting pack if you choose to bring it.
Click to expand...

That was my argument for not using the rangefinder, especially a crappy one. He ignored his discretion and common sense and ranging capability because he assumed a machine could do it better.

Doesn’t happen if he doesn’t bring the machine, and his bow is set up to shoot a single pin based on his ranging capability.
 
I have been using a single pin system for years on my bow but I like to range exactly when sighting in a new bow or sight and also take it with me during hunting to pre range out to 30 yards any natural "marker" so I know I can hold on the point of the shoulder and release the arrow without taking a range setting, adjusting the slider sight or whatever and then shooting. No time for that kind of routine during the rut or when they're coming into calling or chasing.
 
woodsdog2 said:
I have been using a single pin system for years on my bow but I like to range exactly when sighting in a new bow or sight and also take it with me during hunting to pre range out to 30 yards any natural "marker" so I know I can hold on the point of the shoulder and release the arrow without taking a range setting, adjusting the slider sight or whatever and then shooting. No time for that kind of routine during the rut or when they're coming into calling or chasing.
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The exact prescription!
 
I've had good luck with several range finders in the $100 range. You just have to make sure you have a clear view of what you are ranging. It seems these things will bounce off of a twig, leaf or anything else that is between you and what your are ranging. I've caught several false readings, but I believe all are susceptible to that. For this reason, I always get one with pretty good magnification so you can blow up the path to what you are targeting. Plus this is sufficient for me to not carry binoculars.
 
That's the tidewe. After searching around on the interwebs I found a 20% discount code so it came out to like $115....I just got it so can't comment on longevity.

Hard to line up the camera to get a "good" pic but clarity of the tidewe is way better than the top pic halo
 
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