Rangefinders - How many stalkers actually use them?

MattJ

Well-Known Member
I have been reading the threads here with interest and there are clearly lots of differing opinions on which are the best bits of kit for various scenarios. Since I am relatively new to the subject and don't have much contact with other stalkers, I would like to know how many stalkers actually use rangefinders in the field (i.e. not for sighting in a scope etc.). Is is a majority, minority or 50%?

Thanks for your input.

Matt
 
I shoot on a couple of farms which I know well so I used the rangefinder initially to check distances but not now.
When I set up the gun to check the zero in a field on one of the farms I use the range finder to check that 100 paces is 94 metres or 100 yards for the target.
They are useful for me but of more use on unfamiliar ground.
 
If I am on new ground I always use my rangefinder to mark distances, particulalrly when using a high seat. I know that a particular tree is 150 metres or a bush 200 etc.
I can then gauge distance more effectively when a target appears.
 
If one wants to put a bullet somewhere in an animal then guessing the distance is fine.
if you want to place a bullet in a certain spot, then a rangefinder is a vital part of your gear.
For short range heavy cover stalking I wouldn't take a rangefinder along, however any open field or
forest edge stalking/varminting I'd have a rangefinder and drop chart along.
edi
 
I would'nt be without mine takes the guesswork out.
Not to say I don't try and "eyeball" the range every now
and then to keep the hand in !

Buck.
 
I use mine a lot but they are built into binos so easy, managed for years without them but really found the advantage is when taking longer shots.
 
Leica Geovids with built in rangefinder, I use the rangefinder facility very often (except when I was doing my upgrade in a certain club - part of which involves estimating range - they were whipped off me even before I took the first step towards the high seat) :doh:

WB
 
They are useful for taking long shots no doubt but don't think they are a necessity for stalking, in a woodland setting most of your shots will be at a shortish range even on the open hill most shots will be under 150 yards out to maximum of around 200.

As a pro stalker being able to estimate distance was part of learning your kraft, and its not too difficult at normal stalking distances.

However if using a range finder gives you more confidence go for it.
 
As a pro stalker being able to estimate distance was part of learning your kraft, and its not too difficult at normal stalking distances.

However if using a range finder gives you more confidence go for it.

I've got to say that I'm not at all good at estimating distances. I find enclosed forest rides especially tricky but I often make mistakes on other ground as well. Without the range finder I'd never know how wrong I was.

I don't think a rangefinder is a vital thing to have as most times my range estimation is good enough for the job but it is wrong often enough to make the rangefinder worthwhile for the confidence thing, as mentioned, and also to show me just how badly wrong I can get it. Interestingly I've been very wrong on a number of occasions. I can easily understand people making 30 or 50 yard mistakes but I've made a 100 yard mistake and myself and another stalker were both wrong by 160 yards one evening, these were on distances estimated to be in the 120 - 160 yard range so the mistake was very large indeed.
 
All useful input but no-one has answered the original question!
What proportion of stalkers use them? There must be some professionals out there who know.
 
from my experience i am seeing more clients using range finding binoculars , rarely have i had a client use a rangefinder
regards andy
 
All useful input but no-one has answered the original question!
What proportion of stalkers use them? There must be some professionals out there who know.

it might also be an interesting question to know what proportion of professional stalkers feel that using a rangefinder with a client makes them look more, as opposed to less, professional. A "real stalkers don't use rangefinders" attitude, if you will.

As for personal use I make it a rule to estimate the range by eye before using the rangefinders (time permitting: which it almost always does), and am always struck by the variability of my accuracy. Whenever the error is significant I try and work out what may have caused it: dead or sloping ground, light angle and intensity, indicators of scale (e.g. fenceposts, saplings) that prove to be larger/smaller than assumed. I'm not sure whether this is making me better at rangefinding by eye, but it's a bit more interesting than just blipping a button and reading a number (however magical that once seemed!).
 
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If I am on new ground I always use my rangefinder to mark distances, particulalrly when using a high seat. I know that a particular tree is 150 metres or a bush 200 etc.
I can then gauge distance more effectively when a target appears.

Ditto, and use a Leica LRF900 because it is green :D
 
I've got to say that I'm not at all good at estimating distances. I find enclosed forest rides especially tricky but I often make mistakes on other ground as well. Without the range finder I'd never know how wrong I was.

I don't think a rangefinder is a vital thing to have as most times my range estimation is good enough for the job but it is wrong often enough to make the rangefinder worthwhile for the confidence thing, as mentioned, and also to show me just how badly wrong I can get it. Interestingly I've been very wrong on a number of occasions. I can easily understand people making 30 or 50 yard mistakes but I've made a 100 yard mistake and myself and another stalker were both wrong by 160 yards one evening, these were on distances estimated to be in the 120 - 160 yard range so the mistake was very large indeed.

Be assured that you are not alone in this, I too have made some surprising errors of estimation, particularly in large open spaces. I use mine from a high seat to establish marker points. I also use it when trying to get on terms with groups of Fallow that are in the centre of very large fields. In those circumstances the range finder usually confirms that they are too far away.
 
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