Range finding for flat landers

[whoami-72]

Short question: how do you guys accurately range find animals in flatter country where you're only able to see part of the animal? Are certain modes better than others?

Backstory: I've pretty much exclusively hunted in rugged mountains. Typically a 15-30 degree slope with the majority being closer to 30. It's easy to range find things there because even if the animal is obscured by brush you can always shoot a tree behind or in front of it and get pretty close. And if you miss your target you'll know because the yardage jumps by 100 and or goes blank because your pointing at the other hill.

This year I drew a pronghorn tag and am hunting the desert sage. There have been multiple times where I'm trying to range find them in either rolling hill country or partially obscured animals and I'm really struggling to trust my range finder. It's a few years old Sig Kilo and I typically always have it in best and AMR. I'm not entirely confident whether it's shooting the pronghorn or shooting the stuff behind them or the ground in front........ everything is so darn flat it's not easy to tell if I missed....... I do trust the number it gives me just not what it's reading off of.

 

[hereinaz]

I have learned a few things on forums, with others and in the field.

First, determine exactly where the laser lands in the reticle. Each rangefinder is different. Find the vertical and horizontal edges. Some lasers are oval shape. Laser a hard edge like a building until you know the exactly where the laser edges are. Also, the reticle is typically larger than the laser. The laser is a certain size in MOA which means it grows as you go out further. This can make it hard to laser a small target at extended long range.

Second, get a solid rest for it. Hand holding won’t do to pinpoint a specific thing. A rear bag is an excellent tool for this on top of binos or a spotter. Or, get an ARCA mount for it. I have gone to binos, so use them off a tripod.

Third, learn how fast the laser returns a result. If you are buying a new one, get a faster one and teach your brain how long it take to return so you know what it is lasting. Set it to scan or last mode and while passing it back and forth against a hard edge learn to anticipate and understand what it is catching.

Fourth, if your laser is oblong, turn it to sneak it between objects. Learn to range in a vertical gap between two trees or horizontal gap under a branch or something. Also, learn if the laser is just too big to range between items see MOA size above.

Fifth, range many things around the target. You can more easily figure out if you are hitting something short or long of the target. Range to the side as well to map out the targets surroundings. You can eliminate ranges which are too short or long. Doing this mapping builds confidence in the solution.

Sixth, go to JMB Ballistics and look at the “danger space” (I think that is what it is called) for your caliber. It can give you confidence if you know how much error in distance the shot can absorb and still land in the target. You can add that to your group size for confidence level. You can also see where you need a perfect range.

 

[hereinaz]

FYI, I have used different Sig mini and bino models for more than 10 years and they have served me well. Also recommended them to friends who use them successfully.

 

[BBob]

Short question: how do you guys accurately range find animals in flatter country where you're only able to see part of the animal?

FWIW I almost never range the animal. I range trees and bushes near the animal. Why? I find most times a solid tree or bush is a better target than the animal itself. Long ago we started off with the earliest affordable lasers (Bushnell) that were very limited in range and it could be hard to get a hit. It taught us which targets were the fastest and best to get hits on.

 

[hereinaz]

Remembered the term, “laser divergence” is what it is called to define the shape. You can look at that among models to compare.

 

[whoami-72]

Thanks for the responses guys. Ended up filing the pronghorn tag this morning so it may be a few days before I clean up my hunting gear from this season and get back on here.

 

[TaperPin]

Hereinaz did a great job of summarizing things. I’d also add, get a rangefinder rated for as far as you can afford - it makes ranging small patches closer in more reliable. Don’t trust it blindly, the number it spits out has to agree with your seat of the pants, and in the worst conditions you may need to reposition to get a more reliable read. Distance is so important at long range I plan on stalks not only to get close enough for the rifle/shooter, but also close enough (or right angle) for the rangefinder, and to get a doable wind angle. I’ve had goats coming out of a slight draw and there wasn’t anything to read other than hair.

I’m amazed at the distance today’s models will read. In some cases you might pick a slight rise or group of bigger sage as the shooting point, get that point in line with the goats, read both the goat and shooting point as a double check to what you come up with closer in when you get to the shooting point. Usually that’s not an option, but once in a while it will be.

Getting a new rangefinder is well worth it.

I still find a lot of value in a flat shooting cartridge when things are hard to read do to terrain, but also fog, rain or snow that don’t agree with the laser beam.

Also, we’ve become so dependent on LRFs there always needs to be a backup.