Hunter's estimation of distance
- Thread starter horseman2
- Start date
I think you can train yourself to be better.
I always carry a laser rangefinder when hunting and usually when sitting quietly at a stand, in order to pass the time I'll estimate ranges and then confirm using my bino laser rangefinder. I find after doing this regularly one can get pretty good at estimating distance.
As one poster has said - the terrain makes a big difference. In terrain with trees and bush estimating is easier than open prairie for me - my guess is that trees give one a sense of perspective where open prairie there is little opportunity to compare sizes and shapes.
Knowing confidently what the 100 yd position at my shooting range looks like is useful as then I find myself estimating how many of those 100 yd sections or fractions thereof I can place between myself and the target. This works fine for me out to about 4 or 500 yds then not so good after that.
Some people are naturally better at it than others. I met one guy (an experienced bow hunter) that was phenomenal. He was within plus or minus 5 yards on his rifle shot estimates and less a yard on bow shots.
I always carry a laser rangefinder when hunting and usually when sitting quietly at a stand, in order to pass the time I'll estimate ranges and then confirm using my bino laser rangefinder. I find after doing this regularly one can get pretty good at estimating distance.
As one poster has said - the terrain makes a big difference. In terrain with trees and bush estimating is easier than open prairie for me - my guess is that trees give one a sense of perspective where open prairie there is little opportunity to compare sizes and shapes.
Knowing confidently what the 100 yd position at my shooting range looks like is useful as then I find myself estimating how many of those 100 yd sections or fractions thereof I can place between myself and the target. This works fine for me out to about 4 or 500 yds then not so good after that.
Some people are naturally better at it than others. I met one guy (an experienced bow hunter) that was phenomenal. He was within plus or minus 5 yards on his rifle shot estimates and less a yard on bow shots.
Dorian Gray
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
This is 100% true in my experience. The guy who shot the bull in my hunting party this past year is a prime example. From where his treestand is to where the moose dropped was approximately 40 yards. When I overheard him telling the story later on it was 100 yards, and then 120 the next time he told it.
To be completely honest, he was lucky to hit it at all with the way he was shooting. But that is a story for another day.
I haven't estimated a distance since I started carrying a range finder .first thing I do when I get to a spot I am going to watch , is range everything I can so I don't need to guess when I am on an animal.
I have not found a single person over the years that is decent at estimating ranges , myself included !
Cat
I have not found a single person over the years that is decent at estimating ranges , myself included !
Cat
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
my late uncle once wounded a deer at what he estimated at 200 yards. Deer was standing, so he cranked his BDC to 200 and hit it way high. It was a nasty recovery, but I finished it for him. The actual distance? 50 yards!
When you go on stand I find it good practice to determine the distance you can see at max, and the distance to several closer objects. Trying to guesstimate distance when game is standing in front of you without prior knowledge of the stand area leads to mistakes.
When you go on stand I find it good practice to determine the distance you can see at max, and the distance to several closer objects. Trying to guesstimate distance when game is standing in front of you without prior knowledge of the stand area leads to mistakes.
Bittereinder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Ontario (GTA)
Not really applicable to hunting but in the general topic: I used to work for a guy who was in the British Army in the 60s. He said that on exercises they would sometimes do a platoon range estimate. Everyone would give their estimate, they'd throw out the highest and lowest, and then take the average. He said the result was pretty close (at least, for whatever practical purpose they had) when they compared to actual measurements. I don't remember discussing the kinds of ranges involved.
That is pretty terrible! Even if your paces arent exactly yards, you should never be that far off lol
For sure, once it gets over 100 i can def see there being issues.
What i find entertaining is to practice while in my stand or in a blind or at home even if you have the space. Pick an object and guess the distance, then confirm with the rangefinder. With practice you get pretty good at it.
I rest my case.
There you have it . . . a 9 inch yard!
The the article was written, the statistics were obviously averaged.
While this article was probably based on statistical data, there were a lot of hunters who were ill equipped to estimate distance.
After the shot the stories were enhanced: ie LIARS!
How could someone miss at 50 yards? Once missed the distance had to be enhanced so as to justify the miss.
Like my CO friend who overheard the shooter describing the biggest deer he ever saw.
As the story grew, it was probably a Roosevelt Elk. An impromptu game check proved it to be an elk.
In this case, an elk was minimized to deer size . . . conveniently!
Im generally pretty good but i have to admit ive put several arrows between deers legs in my day. A decent buck at 35 yards or a monster at 50 in a field kinda look similar.
Duck hunting is the best way to get a laugh at range estimation. Ive seen guys open up on ducks that were so far away i couldnt tell what kind they were and then they tell me its cuz steel shot sucks. When i reply even lead shot doesnt go that far they just stare at me
Duck hunting is the best way to get a laugh at range estimation. Ive seen guys open up on ducks that were so far away i couldnt tell what kind they were and then they tell me its cuz steel shot sucks. When i reply even lead shot doesnt go that far they just stare at me
I used to do a lot of guesstimating but once Google maps with satellite view came out I used it to determine the length and width of all of the fields where I have access. Now I'm a lot better at estimating distances and quickly understanding the limit of my maximum point blank range in any given field.
