A rangefinder is one of the most essential tools a hunter has at their disposal. A rangefinder can accurately measure distance, allowing you to properly place your shot. If you’re using your rangefinder for the first time, and you want to use it effectively, these tips should be a big help.
Make Sure You Know How To Use A Rangefinder
Rangefinders are fairly straightforward, but you’ll still want to make sure you have a strong understanding of how these devices work. When using a rangefinder, you’ll want to start by looking through the lens. The lens will be magnified, which will make it easy for you to spot your target, even from a distance.
When your target has been located, you’ll want to press the measurement button on your device. You should see crosshairs appear on your device. Press the button again, and your rangefinder will be able to measure the distance your target is at.
Get to Know Your Rangefinder And Its Features
Before you go out hunting, you should spend some time learning more about your rangefinder and how it operates. What kinds of features does it offer? Does it have scan mode? Is there angle compensation?
If you have a better understanding of what your rangefinder can do, you’ll be able to read it more effectively. It can be helpful to skim through the manual that came with your device. Find out what sort of features you have access to, and make sure you use those features effectively.
Take Your Rangefinder To The Range
The next time you go shooting at a rifle range, you’ll want to bring your rangefinder with you. It’s one thing to read about a rangefinder in a manual, and it’s another thing to use it in action. At the range, you can get some practice with your device.
Bringing your rangefinder to a range will also help you to see how accurate it actually is. You can use this opportunity to test your rangefinder and see if there are any discrepancies. If you notice that the numbers on your device are slightly off, you’ll want to keep that in mind when you’re hunting.
Be Prepared For Misreads
Even if you invest in a high-quality rangefinder, you’ll probably see misreads from time to time. For example, if you’re trying to use your device to pick up an animal, but there’s a lot of foliage in the way, the number that the rangefinder gives you might not be accurate.
If the numbers that you see on your rangefinder seem off to you, you should listen to your gut feelings and assume that those numbers aren’t right. Rangefinders aren’t infallible, and if you do a lot of hunting, you are going to see some misreads from time to time.
Learn To Spot The Best Ranging Surfaces
You’ll have fewer issues with misreads if you learn to look for the best ranging surfaces. Being elevated can be very helpful when using a rangefinder. Areas that have a lot of tall trees with straight necks are also ideal. These kinds of trees are unlikely to cause any sort of issues.
If you’re able to locate the right areas to use your rangefinder from, you’ll be able to use it more successfully. As you get more experience with your rangefinder, you’ll find that these locations are a lot easier to spot.
Try To Range at Eye Level
Some rangefinders are tilt-compensated, but that isn’t true of all models on the market. If your rangefinder doesn’t have this particular feature, then you’re going to want to make sure you range at eye level whenever it is possible to do so.
If you’re using a rangefinder that doesn’t adjust when you’re at an angle, you’ll want to be careful about how you use it. Ranging at eye level will provide you with the most accurate readings possible. Always take height and angles into consideration when you’re using this device.
Find The Right Place To Store Your Rangefinder
If you suddenly spot an animal, you’re going to want to make sure you can grab your rangefinder quickly. That’s why you’ll want to find a suitable place to store your device. If you’re able to reach it quickly, you won’t miss out on any opportunities.
When you’re deciding where to store your rangefinder, you should think about how much movement you’ll have to make in order to take your rangefinder out and set it up. If you move too much or make too much noise, you could wind up scaring the animal off.
Use Your Rangefinder To Improve Your Own Skills
Don’t just rely on your rangefinder when it comes to measuring distance. Instead, try to use this device to strengthen your own skills. If you’re able to gauge distance with your own eyes, you’ll have more success on future hunting trips.
Even though a rangefinder is a valuable tool, there are going to be situations where you may need to shoot without the aid of this device. Try to gauge distance yourself, and then check your estimation against the rangefinder. If you keep doing this, you’ll eventually find that it’s easier for you to measure distance yourself.
Keep Extra Batteries on Hand
You’ll want to make sure you’ll be able to use your rangefinder for the duration of your hunting trip. That’s why you’ll want to have backup batteries on hand. If your batteries run out, you should make sure that you can replace them immediately.
It’s especially important to bring extra batteries if your rangefinder came with batteries installed. Batteries like this won’t always last for a long time. Make sure that you’re ready to swap out batteries if they start to run low.
If you’ve recently invested in a rangefinder, you’ll want to keep this advice in mind, especially if you’ve never used a device like this before. With the right rangefinder, you’ll be able to shoot much more accurately, which means your hunting trips will be more successful overall.
Conclusion
As you can see there is a lot of steps to getting a handle on your new rangefinder. One more important thing you must consider is getting the right rangefinder in the first place. We don’t have many reviews yet on the site but you can check these guys out https://www.rangefinderyard.com/ they have some excellent reviews and information on every type of range finder on the market.