laser range finder help?

[uplandfam]

Hey all, Im back from a great weekend down south hunting the euros. please forgive me if this has already been talked about but i could not find it. Usually where i hunt the 150 yard building rule has not bearing at all. im usually miles from any building let alone homes but... Hunting euros close to homes in the IV makes me nervous. not for safety but for legality. I never use range finders so ive never looked into one but i see thay start at around 150 ish and go up. I dont really need one that goes to 800 yards. what i need is a range finder that i can have on me if i run into the law telling me im too close to a home. I try and stay more like 200 yards to play it safe but id like to know for my self within 10 yards or so that im legal.

Any ideas on 200 yards range finders that are cheaper the say 100? or does any one have an easy way to tell if you are 150 plus yards away?

thanks all

 

[msteiger]

I bought the cheapest range finder I could find, Simmons LRF 600. It was like $90 on Amazon. Now it seems they sell it for $135, but if you look around there are places listing it for $100.

I doubt it's the most accurate thing ever, but I have done coarse checks against Google Earth, and it appears to be accurate to within about 5 yards, out to maybe 250-300 yards. I have a hard time getting it to work beyond that range. I think that's fine for what I want: a coarse estimate of distance in the 100-300 yard range.

I use it to check landmarks on a stand. Say on a turkey hunt: that tree on the far end of the clearing is 40 y, the rock on the near end is 25. I also use to it to train my brain. When I'm bored I ask myself, "How far is that tree?" Then I guess, and check with my RF.

I would be most interested to hear if anyone has clever tricks to measure distance without a range finder. Anyone?

I figured out one way: My rifle scope has hold-over hashes that span 6" at 100 y (at mag 9). At 200 y that would be 12" and at 400 y that would 24". So if I can look at something that I know is 6, 12, or 24" (say a deer ear, antler, or neck) I cold ballpark the range by seeing how much of the hash marks it fills.

 

[uplandfam]

Thanks I'll check it out as long a it accurate within 5-10 yards I'm ok. All my scopes are basic cross hairs. I learned mil dot but....eeeew. But that's not a bad way if it came down to it.

 

[Lungpopper]

If you plan on hunting other states like AZ for example. They have a 1/4 mile rule for occupied dwellings. You may want a range finder with a little more range to it.

 

[msteiger]

If you plan on hunting other states like AZ for example. They have a 1/4 mile rule for occupied dwellings. You may want a range finder with a little more range to it.

1/4 mile is 440 yards, so that within the supposed range of the Simmons. I would hope if I pointed it at a building at that distance it would give me something...I will try it tomorrow.

No doubt the Simmons is a piece of junk. LP-do you use a range finder? Or how to you estimate distance?

 

[uplandfam]

thanks for the advise. I really dont ever plan on hunting out of state. untill i move in 6 years. need the youngest to turn 18. if i can afford the huge fuel bill that would give me id also buy a new range finder. Im the type of guy that a $400 shot gun takes alot of time to save for and most of my shot guns are used for 200 or less out the door. just picked up a near new 870 for $75 bucks at gretas in simi valley. Ive got 3 kids to buy stuff for and thanks to the economy i make less then i did 20 years ago at my first job in high school so ill try and find a used one that is accuate enough to range 200 yards from the nearest building. or break down and get an amazon one for 100 bucks.

 

[Lungpopper]

If you plan on hunting other states like AZ for example. They have a 1/4 mile rule for occupied dwellings. You may want a range finder with a little more range to it.

1/4 mile is 440 yards, so that within the supposed range of the Simmons. I would hope if I pointed it at a building at that distance it would give me something...I will try it tomorrow.

No doubt the Simmons is a piece of junk. LP-do you use a range finder? Or how to you estimate distance?

Just saying some rangefinders wont range out to far. I've owned three. The first was the original Bushnell 400. It would only range to the mid 350's.
2nd rangefinder was the Bushnell Chuck Adams edition. It was supposed to range to 850 yards, most of the time I could get right around the mid 500's with it sometimes in the high 600's.
Currently using the Leica hd-b binoculars. On a good day I'm getting around 2,000 yards, on a not so good day around 1,500 yards.

 

[Lungpopper]

Upland, I know what it's like with the kids and there activities. My kids are grown now so things are a little different than when they were little. Most of my guns were bought back in those days too. Most were trading work or pawn shop guns.

 

[ilovesprig]

I rarely hunt anything without my rangefinder.......Sometimes for legal matters, but every time when I hunt turkeys.

Started with the Bushnell 400 (too big & bulky)........Then the much smaller Bushnell Yardage Pro. Fine for almost all applications and about $150.00.......I now have Nikon Pro staff 5's.......For what I use them for, any of these would be ok........2 cents

Pretty good deal from Cabela's right now......http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/New-This-Week/Hunting-Gear%7C/pc/105591780/c/105633180/sc/105637680/Bushnellreg-Sport-550-Rangefinder/1755219.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-gear%2F_%2FN-1102643%2FNo-48%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D48

 

[longbowhunter2]

I rarely hunt anything without my rangefinder.......Sometimes for legal matters, but every time when I hunt turkeys.

Started with the Bushnell 400 (too big & bulky)........Then the much smaller Bushnell Yardage Pro. Fine for almost all applications and about $150.00.......I now have Nikon Pro staff 5's.......For what I use them for, any of these would be ok........2 cents

Pretty good deal from Cabela's right now......http://www.cabelas.com/product/Bargain-Cave/New-This-Week/Hunting-Gear%7C/pc/105591780/c/105633180/sc/105637680/Bushnellreg-Sport-550-Rangefinder/1755219.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fhunting-gear%2F_%2FN-1102643%2FNo-48%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNP%26recordsPerPage%3D48

that's very resonable

 

[uplandfam]

Thanks guys I will put it on the list as well as keep my eye out for a used one?

 

[8SteelTown]

Just my 2 cents... keep in mind that you can sometimes find golf range finders that work just as well referb'd. I got one for a present one year and was looking at all kinds of referb ones... before that, I was honestly taking my 9 iron out with me and if I was close, I'd take a few further steps... not an exact science (especially when you blade them ) but I would be within 10 yards or so.

MULTIPLE times I was stopped by police or DFW and "questioned" about the legality of proximity to homes and every time I was able to point to the range finder on my hip or in my bag and tell them exactly how many yards I was away and that I knew my legal distances and it was instantly off the table for accusations. Last thing you would want to do is say "looks like I'm about 150 yards" and DFW or police jump on that as ammo to bust you with.

 

[NBK]

I have had a Leica LRF800 for years and it has been a good tool (a bit large compared to today's rangefinders). It will read out to 800 yards in good conditions. If I were to replace it I would buy the Leupold RX-1200i TBR with DNA Digital Laser Rangefinder hands down - unless I was going to shoot long range (800-1200 yards), but this is another conversation.

The Leica bino combo Lungpopper mentioned is an amazing piece of gear but very expensive...