Can a rangefinder, a simple piece of equipment added to your pack, help you become a better predator hunter?
Yes and no.
A rangefinder won't help you actually hunt. Y'know, the legit hunting portion where you're looking at a map or walking a piece of property. Silently sitting in a blind or hide and calling, watching, waiting. Or even eyeing a coyote through a scope before pressing a trigger.
But it can help you get to that point. That's where I believe a good rangefinder needs to be part of your predator hunting pack.
ATN LaserBallistics 1000
Learn the Old Way
When our son started playing golf a few years ago he used a rangefinder. I encouraged him to learn to mark off paces from the fairway markers, figure it out on his own, and then perhaps use the rangefinder to confirm. I also said when the battery died in the middle of a round he'd need to do it the old way.
I didn't say "the real way" because things change, times change, we gain technology. What's real today in golf is both — marking paces and using rangefinders. But I wanted him to learn to use his brain without only relying on technology. The day the battery died he wasn't in a pickle because he was familiar with stepping off his yardages.
Golf Isn't Coyote Hunting
Can we do the same with predator hunting? Of course.
When you get to a good location where you want to set up and call, a spot that has good sight lines and shooting lanes, get situated. Be quiet, let things settle down. You don't just walk up, plunk down and start screaming like a dying rabbit.
Use your rangefinder to check specific bushes, rocks, trees or a gap in the pasture. If you're hunting an open area, check clumps of grass or vegetation. One rangefinder to consider adding to your hunting pack is the ATN LaserBallistics LRF 1000, which has a host of features. Along with 6x magnification and precision to +/- 1 yard from 5 to 1,000 yards, it's designed with Bluetooth 4.0 that will connect with your phone and the ATN Ballistics Calculator App for immediate calculations, along with an ATN Smart Optic on your rifle for real-time POI adjustments.
Good bowhunters give the area around their stands at least a couple of good scans. Then they have in their heads where to shoot, or not, and can have that knowledge when a buck or doe comes in without having the extra movement of getting their rangefinder.
The same thing applies with predator hunting. Scan and get yardages. Keep them in mind. Double-check if need be. Then go through your calling routines and be ready.
Featured image: Alan Clemons
