Who uses a Kestrel (meter) when hunting?

[PanhandlePilgrim]

+1 for the Kestrel paired with the Sig Kilo 3000. It pairs up extremely fast as long as your phone's Bluetooth isn't on. Of course I bought my sig binos and a couple months later the Sig 10k came out.
Having a kestrel is probably the best learning tool you can have as far as learning to read wind. Take it around with you and learn the difference between a 3 and a 5 mph wind and what an 8mph gust feels like.

 

[hereinaz]

Yes, get a basic Kestrel that also does barometric pressure. With that you can use paper dope cards as primary or backup to another ballistic solver.

 

[id_jon]

Yes, get a basic Kestrel that also does barometric pressure. With that you can use paper dope cards as primary or backup to another ballistic solver.

That's what I do. I have the 2500, pretty much just get my wind and confirm my atmospheric data with it, its small and light enough that it goes everywhere. I only use it when needed

 

[Justin Crossley]

Too much gadgetry and pushing my own personal ethical limits of tech use in the field. If I have to whip out a techy thingamagig to figure out how to shoot something at distance, that distance is too far, for me anyway.

We are talking about long range hunting. Why would you want to guess at environmental conditions instead of knowing?

 

[SDHNTR]

We are talking about long range hunting. Why would you want to guess at environmental conditions instead of knowing?

I'm not guessing. I'm just not taking the shot. Or I'm getting closer. We are also talking about my personal ethics philosophies, no one else's. You can rock on with your Kestrel.

 

[Justin Crossley]

I'm not guessing. I'm just not taking the shot. Or I'm getting closer. We are also talking about my personal ethics philosophies, no one else's. You can rock on with your Kestrel.

I understand getting closer and I'm on board with taking the best possible shot and getting as close as possible.

With that said, this is the long range forum which is why most of us would assume the question about a Kestrel was related to long range.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

No for me, I replace it with my brain as the 'other tool'.

I only use it at the range setting up a new rifle and collecting drop data etc. and as a practice tool outside of hunting time learning to feel/watch breezes (learning to read wind). During hunting wind is a mental game I pay attention to from the minute i start the hunt, from the house or the tent. For 600+ yard shooting I'd carry and use all the time but hunting is a sub 600 yard game for me now, so my wind will be sub 18" worst case, the brain and a few numbers remembered work out the wind solutions now.

 

[MaraviaDave]

After getting into my hunting area I’ll use my Kestrel, which is either 4DOF or AB depending on the rifle/bullet, to get my DOPE for all ranges to 600 yards for those (average) environmental conditions. This data is written on drop charts, printed on Rite-N-Rain card stock, then stored in my bino harness. If I’m presented with a longer shot, I should have time and opportunity, to pull my Kestrel out of my bino harness, to get the most accurate dope for the current environmental conditions and muzzle velocity (based on powder-temperature stability curve). From the time a hunter pulls out the Kestrel until getting a firing solution it’s less than 45 seconds. Most likely it’ll take longer to build a solid shooting position and dry fire a couple of times, before shooting at an animal at long range. From my perspective, if a hunter doesn’t feel like they have 2-3 minutes to make the shot….they probably ought to reevaluate if they should be taking a shot at that time.

 

[MTNHUNTER76]

Kestrel goes everywhere, an app in my phone as backup. I have my data taped to gun also. Kestrel is also needed to measure wind speed and direction. Most functional all in one tool in my opinion.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Yes, get a basic Kestrel that also does barometric pressure. With that you can use paper dope cards as primary or backup to another ballistic solver.

Got a model recommendation? I've been mainly looking at 2700 as it has station pressure, not really planning to use the solver.

 

[willidru]

I like the Kestrel for wind and longer shots. I use dope card on the stock for most shots. But the more time I have and the more challenging shots I try to take human error out of the equation as much as possible.